《Manan - Entangled》Part 26
Advertisement
Nandini asked Harshad's dad why he married her mom and cheated her. Harshad's dad didn't see her as a threat to him, so he told Nandini the truth. Photos could be photoshopped and the certificates didn't have his real name, so she couldn't use it against him and do any harm to him.
Dad : "I was in a band which traveled from city to city and performed to earn a living. I had a family and my earnings weren't sufficient to make both ends meet. I met Meena (Nandini's mom) when our band was performing in her city. She was fascinated by my voice and she met me, and appreciated my talent. She used to attend our performances regularly."
Dad : "I came to know that Meena was very wealthy. She didn't have her parents or siblings. Moreover, she was a heart patient. What use would all that money be to her? I got an idea. Meena didn't know that I was married and I hid it from her."
Dad : "I made her fall for me thinking that I could convince her and get a large sum of money from her. But then I came to know that according to her parent's will, Meena could get full control over her wealth and property only after her marriage. I had put in a lot of effort and I didn't want it to go waste, so I married her."
Nandini : "You knew she was a heart patient and she needed money for medicines to survive, but still you took her entire property away from her .. Moreover, it is her wealth you wanted, you could have taken that and left. Why did you continue the relation and impregnate her? Giving birth only deteriorated her health further. You didn't love her, but don't you have any value for someone's life."
Dad : "Why would it matter to me if she is dead or alive? Whether it is her wealth or her beauty it wouldn't be of any use to her. She was bound to die sooner or later, so I made use of it. I didn't tell her to give birth to you, she chose to .. who knows you may not be my daughter after all. Who knows she might have slept with someone else and .."
Nandini curled her fingers together and used her fist to punch his face with all her might. Back then she wasn't weak, so it had hurt Harshad's dad badly.
Nandini : "You are like that, not my mom. You married my mom and cheated her as well as your wife. My mom's mistake was that she loved and trusted a cheat like you, and as a result she lost her life."
Advertisement
Nandini : "A paternity test is sufficient to prove that I am your daughter, but I don't want a father like you. You are not a great man like my mom said, you are a devil who is responsible for her early demise. I am ashamed of myself for having spent my entire life searching for a cruel man like you."
With that Nandini took all her belongings and left from there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It wasn't only Nandini's image of her dad that had shattered that day, Harshad's image of his dad as his role model and hero had also come crashing down. He was in no mood to meet his dad, he too left from there immediately after Nandini.
Harshad's dad didn't realize that Harshad was there and had overheard their conversation. He was busy figuring out how to prevent the past from ruining his future.
Nandini always retorted when Harshad taunted her. His dad had done great injustice to her and her mom. He wanted to know what Nandini was planning to do because he was worried for his mom and sister. How would they react if they come to know about it? His mom considered her husband as god and his sister adored her dad.
Nandini went out of the hotel and looked for a secluded place in the garden and went towards it. Her eyes were filled with tears and she didn't notice the step in front of her and she tripped. Harshad who was following her held her from falling. Nandini thanked him without seeing who it was and went and sat in the secluded corner. Harshad joined her.
Nandini would have burst into tears, but she controlled herself after seeing Harshad next to her. He had never seen her like that so far and he knew the reason too. He passed his handkerchief to her without saying anything.
Nandini : "Something went into my eyes. .. What are you doing here?"
He didn't know how to start right away with what he had overheard, so
Harshad : "I wanted to talk to you about yesterday, so I followed you."
Nandini explained what happened the previous day. Both the incidents together felt too much to handle for Harshad at that time, so he thanked her and left. He could talk to her about the other matter at a later time. Harshad had taken a few steps, when Nandini's phone started ringing. She received the call and he stopped after knowing that it was from Arya.
Nandini : "How are you Arya? How is your uncle doing?"
Arya : "I am fine and he is feeling better. Are you alright? Why are you sounding so low?"
Nandini : "I am fine. You aren't here for company that's why I am sad, nothing else. So when are you coming back?"
Advertisement
Nandini disconnected the call without sharing her sorrow with Arya because she didn't want him to get worried. She had controlled herself for too long, she covered her face and started crying uncontrollably.
If it was earlier, Harshad wouldn't have bothered about her, but now, he knew the truth. His dad hadn't accepted her, but it was clear that Nandini was his dad's daughter which also meant that she was his sister. Nandini had saved him from becoming a victim too and Arya also wasn't there to console her or provide moral support.
Harshad was used to taunting her, not consoling her. He hesitated at first, but then kept his hand on her head in an attempt to console her. Nandini lifted her head to see who it was, and tried to hide her tears.
Harshad : "You don't have to hide your tears. I followed you to the hotel room, and I overheard your conversation with him."
Nandini : "You were right. I was a big fool to think that my dad would be overjoyed to see me. Orphans like me can't be a symbol of love, we can only be born because of someone's greed or lust."
Harshad : "Don't say like that. So what if he doesn't love you, your mom probably loved you more than her life. That's why she gave birth to you in spite of knowing that her health will deteriorate. You went by your mom's words and she didn't know the truth, so neither is she at fault nor are you."
Harshad managed to console her though he himself was in a turmoil. He had thought of checking with Nandini as to what she was planning to do at a later time, but since he stayed back and she seemed a little better, he went ahead and asked her.
Harshad : "What are you planning to do with him?"
Nandini : "Nothing."
Harshad : "Why not?!"
Nandini : "What's the use, no one will benefit from it. Nothing is going to change for me. Mom left without knowing he is a cheat. In a way it was good, otherwise she would have had a heartbreak and died even more earlier. I came here looking for my dad but he turned out to be a devil. I don't have anything to do with him anymore."
Nandini : "If I do anything to him, it won't be only he who will suffer, his family also may suffer. It wouldn't be right to make them suffer for his deeds. If his family doesn't know about him, and I bring it up, it might break his wife's heart. It may affect his children too. I built castles in the air and it came crashing down. My life has already turned upside down, I don't want their lives to turn out like mine."
Harshad always felt that Nandini was trying to break others' relationships because she didn't have anyone. But she was thinking of the well-being of the family of the person who had ruined her as well as her mom's life. Nandini could have blackmailed his dad or she could have informed his family and broken his family easily if she wanted to, but she wasn't even thinking of it. Harshad's views of two people had changed that day - one was Nandini and the other was his dad.
Harshad : "The person you were talking to is my dad."
Nandini : "What?! .. Are you alright? .. I am sorry.. I didn't know.. I don't know what and all I said about him in my frustration.."
Harshad : "You didn't say anything wrong to apologize. He had to apologize, but he didn't. I am sorry for whatever you and your mom had to go through because of him, as well as for my past behavior towards you. I was wrong about you. You have a very big heart, if I were in your place I wouldn't have let him off the hook so easily."
Harshad : "You were right about his family being affected if they come to know about the truth. The image I had of him is shattered. I don't know whether to tell about this to my mom and sister or not. They both adore him a lot. I don't know how they will take it. It wouldn't be right to hide it, but if I tell them, our happy family won't remain so anymore."
Nandini : "Apart from us, no one else knows about it. I won't tell them or anyone else about it, you have my word. You are free to do whatever you think is right for your family. You know them well, if you feel they won't be able to handle it, then don't tell them about it."
Harshad hadn't made up his mind yet, but he felt that probably it would be better not to tell his family. He himself found it difficult to come in terms with his dad's misdeeds and Nandini, who he felt was mentally stronger when compared to his mom and sister, was also in a similar situation. Though Harshad and Nandini had disliked each other from the time they had met, they became each other's moral support at the time of their distress.
Advertisement
- In Serial77 Chapters
Tosin the Legendary Healer
Tosin Siege lost a finger to frostbite after having to travel in harsh winter. The journey was worth it in order to deliver life saving healing. That event set in motion his desire to join the Magic & Lance Beginner's Guild. There he trains as a healer and follows in the footsteps of legendary heroes past. He must train, he must dungeon crawl for mana crystals, and he must level up his spells, his runes, his weapons—his everything. Pub schedule: Mon 12:00 PM Noon EST Books 05 and 06 are currently being outlined :) Book 04 is ongoing Book 03 is complete Book 02 is complete. Book 01 is on Kindle Unlimited. Due to Kindle Unlimited requirements, only Book 02, 03, and 04 will appear here. Thank you so much fo reading and I hope you have fun! :)
8 135 - In Serial11 Chapters
Karacatoa - Descent into Madness
As warm and bright the Sun is, as cold and dark the void is. And as much as one can be hopeful, so much is the depth of despair. Being strong isn't about strength - it is about taking advantage of what you have, be it the light or dark. _ Lesson 1, Karacatoa.
8 234 - In Serial27 Chapters
Spirit of Darkness
An everyday man wakes up to find himself trapped in a fantasy world filled with undead and sorcery. He quickly realizes the world's familiarity to that of his favorite video game, Spirit of Darkness. Unfortunately, that is the last place a person would want to visit.
8 82 - In Serial21 Chapters
Luck And Chronomancy
Time Magic is the best magic as everyone knows, although there are lots of unique Talents in the world. Most people only remember Haste because it is hard to get to higher Phases of Chronomancy. That is still enough to make the Talent iconic. A lucky enough Aleatory Talent can position you for greatness or leave you languishing in obscurity. The only true equality in the world is when that glowing message pops up at 8 years old. Even if it doesn't activate until you are an adult at 16 you still know. Sure you can find a new dungeon spawn and get another chance at a rare Talent, even this one, but you have to already be ready to delve into the *Far Wilds*, which is far easier with wealth or family power. This is the story of where my good fortune took me and the difference it made, even among a party of 7 others including an Arcanist. It is a journey of magic and monsters but also math, which some think is actually worse. Luckily I was born with Intelligence and Focus as my personal traits, and my parents were scholars. Of course Chronomancy can also be a frontline combat talent. Versitility well beyond other Elder Talents like Gravity, Abstraction, or Arcana. Might could have worked for me, too. I also met a runaway princess. All the best adventures have a princess. She hated being a noble and we didn't get married but it still counts. Besides she really filled out our front line. All that Leadership training came in handy. I still don't know where she's from. Who cares? How well Haste goes with giant hammers is what's important. I never learned much about anyone in the party, except the one I grew up with. I'm not a people person. I just wanted to optimize dungeon clearing time. *******Story Details******* No romance, politics, or traumatizing content, slice of life, or even dialogue. 1st person narration, like a guide/adventure log. 2000-7000 words a day, maybe 40-60% rpgish combat log with some reasoning on combat decisions, with the rest character Talent discussion and progression stuff. 8 person party with a decent variety in roles. Party members usually have 2 primary functions. Told from the support/control Chronomancer's perspective. Each party member will have 6 Basic/Background Traits, then 3 actual Talents with abilities. Capstone from their Educational Institution, Arbritrary as a gift from the temples, and Aleatory which is decided at birth, revealed at 8, and activated after adulthood at 16. Aleatory Traits ignore requirements and are random why is why they are so important. They'll gain new Talents from finding Dungeons to consume in the *Wilds*. Mature dungeons in cities can provide *Challenges* to raise the Phase of a Talent, up to 3 times from 1 to 4. Each character will get to roughly 8 non-Trait Talents. Attributes come exclusive from Talents, are required by Talents, and provide various effects as well. I designed about 220 Talents with abilities, 4 in each of 4 phases. "Traits" are just Attribute stuff. I'm not sure how many will be detailed in the story, more than 100 for sure. I used Talents because I want to be free of the legacy of tabletop. Half those rules are just because of the limitations inherent in a pre-computer ttrpg. This story mostly uses combat Talents, although like 1/3 of the 220 are for crafting and other society and economy stuff. If you really wanted to be a Thief you might take Intuition, Awarness, and Might for Basic Traits and Deftness, Manipulation, and Trickery for Family/Education. Then you'd pick Acrobatics, and Climbing for Educational Capstone and Arbitrary traits. You Aleatory Trait might be Shadow(Light/Dark) Magic, Umbramancy. A Bard might swap Dexterity for Charisma, Music for Acrobatics, and have gotten Illusion(Shadow/Sound(Air/Force)) for their Aleatory Trait.
8 193 - In Serial58 Chapters
Nick Wilde X Reader | A New Partner
You were going about your normal life - - until you join Nick Wilde as his new con-partner! Mischief and fun ensue as he takes you on his adventures. He's quite a charmer, but not everyone he knows may be to your liking... And when baggage from his criminal life comes to haunt Nick, will you be there to save him? Also lots of fluff and cute stuff in between.[Gender neutral perspective towards you, so guys, gals, anyone can enjoy this story!][You can also be pretty much any animal you want, but it was written with the idea of the reader being a fox... so keep that in mind.]The second half of this book, the Epilogue, is now complete! I hope you're ready for shenanigans, jokes, world-building, and way too much sauciness! You also might see some familiar faces from the movie...
8 207 - In Serial20 Chapters
The Promise! (Tommyinnit x reader)
After a girl born in the country moves to UK she notices her next door neighbor is the one and only Tommyinnit. She falls in love with him and she thinks he likes her too but does he actually like her or does he just use her for views.I'm not sexualizing Tommy (just wanted to get that out!)I'm writing for fun and I just wanted to make someone smile! Also I do put some song lyrics in here so yea 😂Also this is my first writing so if you see a mistake you can correct it and I will try and fix it!For the people who didn't know Y/n means your name. L/n means last name. N/n means nick name. U/n means username. I'm going to be writing a lot but it takes a little bit of time cause I'm a little busy!! Thank you for clicking on here and if you do read I'm excited to see what you think of it :)
8 98

