Thank you all for your votes and comments! It always motivates me to continue writing. Hope you continue to enjoy the story!

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Sunaina hired a taxi and after a long journey she and Nandini reached Sunaina's town. It was a very remote and very calm place, exactly opposite of Mumbai. Sunaina showed Nandini around the house and made her feel comfortable.

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Harshad and Arya's flight landed in Mumbai and they reached home. It was only when they reached home that they came to know that Nandini went on a college trip. They tried calling her, but they couldn't reach her.

Just then Mukti and her friends arrived there. Harshad opened the door and he was very happy to see both Mukti and Alya.

Harshad : "What a pleasant surprise! .. Mukti, where were you all these days? Why did you leave without informing anyone?"

Harshad : ".. and Alya, you finally remembered your brother and made up your mind to come and meet. .. How is mom? Did Mr. Saxena grant you permission?"

Alya : "Mom is fine, but she misses you a lot. It looks like you are still angry with dad. He was only trying to correct you..."

Arya : "Are you going to ask all the questions by making them stand at the door? Let them in first."

Once they came inside, Mukti introduced everyone.

Harshad : "How did you know that you would find me here?"

Arya : "Obviously they would have met Nandini and she would have told them."

They confirmed that that was true.

Harshad : "How come she didn't tell us that she had found Mukti?"

Arya : "Within a few days after she joined the college, she did tell that there was a surprise for you when you return. Probably she was referring to her."

Harshad : "I am glad that she found you. I didn't want to leave her on her own especially in this city, but she forced me to join Arya. She always has to do things her own way. Otherwise, what was the need to go on a trip now."

Harshad : "I am still not able to believe that you are here in front of me. .. By the way you still didn't tell me why you left all of a sudden? Was there an emergency? Neither did you receive my calls nor did you leave a message. What had happened?"

Mukti was thinking of how to tell him the truth. She didn't know how he would react if he came to know that she hadn't trusted him.

It was a few months since they were away from Nandini and Arya wanted to meet her, but he didn't want to interfere between Harshad and Mukti's conversation since they had got to meet after a long time too. So he asked Manik who was sitting next to him in a low tone.

Arya : "Do any of you have an idea where the trip from the college is to?"

Manik : "There have been no trips from the college."

Arya went to the caretaker who was inside the kitchen.

Arya : "Are you sure she went on a trip from college? Did she say anything else where she was going? Or when she will be coming back?"

Caretaker : "She told me that she will update you on the details. .. She said that there is no network there so she may not be able to call us.. Also she gave a letter to give it to you if her trip gets delayed and she isn't able to return in a week's time."

Arya asked for the letter and she got it for him.

The letter read :

"I am really very very sorry that I didn't wait till you both came back. I felt it is time that you both get back to your lives and me to mine. Don't worry about me or look for me, I will be fine wherever I am. I assure you that I will try to leave the past behind and move on. Thank you for everything you did for me. I will always be grateful. Bye."

Arya was taken aback, he hadn't expected her to leave like that. He didn't know what to do for a moment. He hurried to Nandini's room to check if he could find any clue, but there wasn't any. Arya called someone:

"I will give you a number. Can you trace and tell me it's current location?"

Seeing Arya restless,

Harshad : "What happened Arya? Why are you so tensed?"

Arya gave him the letter Nandini left for them. Harshad got even more worried after seeing the letter.

Harshad : "Why did she leave suddenly? .. Could he have seen her? Is it possible that her life is in danger? That's why I didn't want her to come here, but you both convinced me. What are we going to do now?"

Arya : "Don't panic. If that was the case, she would have told so. She is dead to him, so there are no chances that he will be looking for her. We had asked her to stay away from him too. I have asked to trace her phone, so we should be able to figure out where she is soon."

Seeing them tensed, Mukti finally spoke.

Mukti : "She left because of us. I felt that she snatched you from me, so I took revenge on her."

Harshad : "What? Why would you think like that? .. What did you do to her?"

Mukti explained how she had misunderstood and what they did to her. Harshad held her arms with force.

Harshad : "They don't know her, but you did. I thought that you would have supported her, but you made things worse for her. I never expected that you of all would hurt her like this."

Harshad used to lose his temper soon, but he hadn't behaved rudely with Mukti till now. Arya interfered and made Harshad leave Mukti.

Alya : "She wasn't the one who came up with the idea of revenge, I did. When Mukti told me about Nandini, I figured out that you left home because of her. She had hurt us both. So I felt that we should snatch someone from her like how she snatched you from us and hurt her too."

Harshad : "I always thought that I was the only one who didn't understand the good in her and kept taunting her, but everyone related to me went way beyond that. Everyone's behind her for no mistake of hers."

Harshad : "How could you assume things and take revenge based on that? You should have talked to me and got your doubts cleared. Or If you were so fond of taking revenge you should have taken it on me not on her."

Mukti : "I came to you the next morning to talk to you, but you ignored me and went behind Nandini. I followed you and I saw you both coming out of a hotel room. I also saw you together in the garden and your gestures towards her confirmed what Samaira had told."

Alya : "Why do you have so much concern for that orphan? How did she become more important to you than us that you are pointing fingers at us? You even left your family for her."

Arya : "She is no orphan. We both are there for her. .. Harshad, you didn't want them to be worried or hurt and kept things away from them, and see what it has led to. I think you should tell them what happened that day."

Harshad began explaining what happened on the day Mukti approached him. Meanwhile Arya was trying to figure out where Nandini would have gone.

Mukti : "How was the party yesterday?"

Harshad didn't remember what had happened the previous day and Mukti's question confused him.

Harshad : "Why are you asking like that?"

Mukti : "I couldn't come to the party, so I just wanted to know."

Harshad's thoughts : "Samaira took me with her telling that Mukti had a surprise for me. But she is saying that she didn't come to the party and I don't remember meeting her too. Nandini left a note that my drink was spiked and asked me to meet her. Mukti will get worried unnecessarily if I tell her about it. I have to find out what happened before telling her anything."

Harshad : "It was okay. It wasn't much fun without you."

Harshad saw Nandini at a distance.

Harshad : "I have some urgent work, so I have to go. I will meet you later."

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Harshad followed Nandini and came to know that Nandini was following his dad who had met him, and left a little before he met Mukti. He wasn't able to figure out why and he also didn't know that Nandini had helped him the previous night. He continued to follow her stealthily and reached the hotel his dad was staying at. He wasn't aware that Mukti was following him.

Before his dad closed the room door,

Nandini : "Can I talk to you for a few minutes?"

Dad : "Do I know you?"

Nandini showed him a lady's photo, but he pretended as though he didn't recognize. So, Nandini showed him a wedding picture, and Harshad's dad let her in. Harshad's dad had given Harshad a spare key of the room so that he could come over whenever he was free. Harshad entered the room stealthily and hid himself.

Nandini : "She was waiting for you, why didn't you return?"

Dad : "How do you know her?"

Nandini : "I am her daughter, and yours too."

Dad : "You can't be my daughter."

Harshad was about to come out thinking that Nandini was trying to blackmail his dad for money, but he stopped after hearing Nandini.

Nandini : "You may not know I exist because you left very soon after your wedding. I have my birth certificate to show that I am your daughter."

She showed her birth certificate to him.

Dad : "This doesn't prove anything, that's not my name."

Nandini : "What?! It's you in the wedding picture and your marriage certificate shows the same name as in my birth certificate, then why are you saying that it isn't your name?"

Dad : "The marriage was fake as well as the name. I was already married and I have a beautiful family. I have a wife and two children. Neither is she my wife nor are you my daughter."

It was a shock to Nandini. The image she had built of her dad over the years had shattered. All her hopes and dreams came crashing down.

Nandini : "Mom thought that you were a great man who married her even after knowing that she had a heart problem, but you are a fraud who destroyed her life."

Nandini : "What did she do to you? Why did you marry her if you were already married? Why did you cheat her?"