A Part, Yet Apart

Chapter 121- Who's Who?

Nandini's POV:

I'm so happy that Manik is finally mine. I've arranged soft lighting and champagne on ice and the kind of romantic setup that should be perfect for the first night of an engagement. I've showered and changed into something that makes me feel beautiful and wanted. and when I emerged from with two glasses of wine, I feel like I'm playing a role in someone else's fairy tale. The perfect bride. The blushing fiancée. The woman who's finally gotten her happy ending. Manik takes one look at the wine and frowns. "You should quit drinking," he said simply, setting his glass down without tasting it. I pause mid-sip. "It's harmless to get drunk while celebrating. One night won't hurt anyone". "You didn't have this habit of drinking before," he said, his tone shifting into something more probing. "How did you make it?" he asked narrowing his brows. I feel something inside me deflate slightly. The perfect moment developing a hairline crack. "My therapist suggested it," I said, keeping my voice light. "During the divorce. When I was... struggling. She said it might help me process things".

I expected judgment. Instead, I see something worse, concern! Manik moves closer and takes the glass from my hand, setting it aside. "Nandini, you were in depression?" I can see question marks on his face. "I'm better now," I said quickly, trying to redirect. "It was just a phase. The wine helped me sleep when nightmares were bad. That's all". But even as I say it, I can see Manik recalibrating, reassessing, looking at me like I'm someone more fragile than he realized. I hate that look. I hate the vulnerability I just exposed without meaning to. "Cheers to us," I said forcefully, reaching for my wine again and taking a long sip before he can protest further. The alcohol burns down my throat, warm and bitter and grounding. "To new beginnings and happy endings and all the things we've earned". I lean toward him, trying to recapture the moment, trying to return to the version of me that doesn't have cracks. His lips meet mine, and for a moment, everything feels right again. His hands find my waist, pulling me closer, and I'm starting to lose myself in the feeling of being wanted, being desired, being his!

The phone rings. Manik pulls away reluctantly, checking the caller ID. "It's Aryaman," he says, answering immediately. "Hey, what's up?" his smile vanished in a fraction of second. I watch his face change. Watch the concern bloom across his features like spilled ink. "Why didn't you take her to hospital yet?" I heard him, "I'm coming home now" he said. No. No, no, no. I feel the anger rise before I even fully process what's happening. This is maa again. This is her playing the heart patient card again, using her fabricated illness to pull Manik away from me on our engagement night. This is her asserting control, reminding us both that she's still the most important woman in his life. "Don't leave," I say as he's already moving toward his closet, reaching for clothes. "Manik, don't leave me alone tonight". "My mother needs me," he said, not unkindly, but with that tone that suggests this isn't a negotiation. "She's having chest pains. Aryaman thinks she might need to go to the hospital". "Aryaman and Tara hai na waha? Why do you have to go! on our engagement night?" I asked him. Manik stops, turning to look at me with confusion and something that might be hurt. "How could you possibly say that to my mom, Nandini!"

I can't tell him. I can't expose the blackmail, can't reveal that I know about Nyonika's deception, can't explain that I have leverage over her that I'm not prepared to use yet. "I want you to stay with me," I said, and I can hear the desperation in my own voice. "Just this one night. Just one night where I'm more important than anyone else". "But that anyone else is my mom and I can't stay here if my mom is unwell" his voice is rising and I knew where this would lead to. Manik is now fully dressed to leave and so do I. "My mother raised me. She's my family. You can't ask me to choose between you and her" he said. "I'm not asking you to choose between me and your mom, Manik" I clarified but hurt was evident in my voice. "What should I do being here? My mom is in pain and I'm sitting here drinking wine with you instead of making sure she's okay? How would I live with that, Nandini?" The question hangs between us like a weapon. Because he's right. If Nyonika is genuinely ill and he stays with me, he'll never forgive himself. But if she's faking, which I know she is! then I'm being abandoned on one of the most important nights of my life for a lie. And either way, I lose.