Tangled Beliefs

Chapter-49: News Flashed

I didn't ask for her care. I didn't want her pity. But her quiet understanding-God, it broke me.

The night felt heavier than usual.

I sat on the bed, my phone clutched in my hands, staring at the screen with a deep frown. Still no call. Still no message.

Manik had been gone the entire day.

He wasn't answering my calls or even reading my messages. It was unlike him-or at least, unlike the Manik I had known in the past few weeks. No matter how much he pretended to be cold, he always answered, even if it was to say he was busy. But today? Silence.

It was suffocating.

I glanced at the clock. 12:40 AM.

Where was he?

I had tried to distract myself by reading a book, scrolling through my phone, and even helping in the kitchen, but nothing worked. My mind kept circling back to the events of the morning.

The slap.

Dadi's words.

The way Manik had stood there, silent.

The pain in his eyes.

Something about the way he had left the house had unsettled me. It wasn't just anger. It wasn't just frustration. It was something else.

Something deeper.

Maa and Papa had returned an hour ago, looking just as worried.

"Did Manik come home?" Papa had asked the moment he stepped in.

I shook my head, biting my lip.

They had exchanged a look before Maa had sighed. "Beta, you should go to sleep. Manik will be home soon. Sometimes he does this."

That had only made me feel worse.

Did that mean he had done this before? Stayed out all night? Like this? Alone, hurting, breaking-

No.

I couldn't sit here and do nothing.

I reached for my phone again, about to dial his number, when suddenly-

The door opened.

I turned sharply.

There he was.

Manik stood at the doorway, his tall frame slouched, shoulders tense. His eyes were red, and his face looked exhausted like he had been awake for days. His clothes were slightly wrinkled, his shirt untucked, and his hands...

His hands.

My breath hitched.

There was blood.

A gasp escaped my lips as I rushed toward him.

"Manik!" I whispered in shock, my hands instantly reaching for his injured hand. His knuckles were bruised, a deep cut bleeding near his thumb. The dried blood around it told me it had happened hours ago.

He pulled his hand back quickly. "It's nothing," he muttered, voice rough.

"Nothing?!" I glared at him, my chest tightening with worry. "Your hand is bleeding, Manik! What happened? Where were you?!"

"Nowhere," he said blankly.

I narrowed my eyes. "Don't lie to me."

He didn't reply.

I reached for his hand again, but he stepped back. "I said I'm fine."

"Fine?!" I burst out. "You're standing here looking like hell with blood on your hands, and you expect me to believe that?!"