《Manan - Entangled》Part 27
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Harshad was explaining what had happened on the day Mukti approached him, and all of Mukti's doubts were cleared. She was already feeling guilty for not having trusted Nandini and Harshad. Now, she felt ashamed of herself for misinterpreting brother and sister's affection as an affair.
Mukti : "I am very very sorry. I believed Samaira and misunderstood you both. I misinterpreted what I saw."
Alya was still in denial.
Alya : "My dad isn't like that. If he said that she isn't his daughter, then she isn't. How can you believe her so easily and leave home? You decided to leave dad who brought you up all these years and trusted that girl 's words and left us. How could you do that bhai (brother)?"
Harshad : "Back then, I wouldn't have trusted her if she would have told me so. I heard Dad accept the fact that he married her mom under a fake name for her wealth and cheated her. In pursuit of wealth he cheated our mom too. I didn't leave home because of that. I thought of leaving that behind for mom and your sake. I left because dad wanted me too."
Alya : "Dad didn't want you to leave home, he wanted you to correct yourself. You were spending a lot of money and you weren't telling him what you were doing with it. He didn't want you to take the wrong path, so he told something in anger and you just left. If I am right, you were spending all that money on Nandini right? She found a way to trap you and extract money for her own comforts."
Harshad : "You are always on dad's side. Even after knowing what he did, you still feel that he was right and I am wrong. I did spend that money on her but she doesn't know about it. He built his wealth using her mom's wealth, what is the use if that wealth doesn't come to her use when she needed it the most. Moreover, he was responsible for her state, I tried to rectify the wrong he had done."
Harshad continued to explain what had happened on that day.
It took a while for Harshad to come in terms with both the incidents that had happened one after the other in succession. He then remembered that he had told Mukti that he would meet her later. He had just started from his apartment, when he got a call from Arya.
Arya : "Harshad, I need a favor from you. I know that you don't like Nandini, but I am getting worried for her. She didn't seem to be fine when I called her earlier. I have been trying to call her for sometime, but she isn't picking up her phone. Can you please check on her?"
Harshad agreed immediately and went towards Nandini's hostel.
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A few people had gathered on the road, and someone was lying on the road. On going closer, he found that the girl lying on the road was Nandini. People standing there were talking that a truck had hit her. Harshad rushed her to the hospital. She had lost a lot of blood by then. They had some in the blood bank, and Harshad could also donate since their blood group was the same.
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For the operation Harshad needed more money than he had in his account, so he rushed to his dad thinking that his dad would help after knowing that Nandini's life was in danger. He used his key and entered the hotel room and he heard his dad talking over the phone.
Dad : "Did you finish the work?"
Truck driver : "Yes, she might be dead by now."
Dad : "Good. After confirming that she is dead, I will give you the remaining amount."
Harshad's dad disconnected the call.
Dad (to himself) : "Meena didn't have anyone, so I didn't expect that anyone would come looking for me. It was good that I met her daughter here, and she didn't reach home, otherwise everything I built over the years would have been ruined. Once she dies, I don't have to worry that my past will resurface. No one will ever come to know about that phase of my life."
Harshad hadn't expected that his dad would be so cruel that he would try to get Nandini killed. His priority at that time was to save Nandini, so he pretended as though he had just come in.
Harshad : "Dad, my friend's uncle is admitted in the hospital and he is in urgent need of money, and I told him that you will be able to help him."
Harshad's dad gave him the money and he went back to the hospital.
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After the operation, Nandini's life was out of danger, but she had slipped into coma. Harshad requested the doctor to say that Nandini was dead if someone came looking for her because her life was in danger. He felt that his dad might try to kill her again if he would come to know that she is alive. She had survived now, but she wouldn't be able to survive another attack.
Nandini had to be under treatment so Harshad continued to spend money for that. His college was still going on, and he used to stay with Nandini as much as possible. Arya had to go to meet his sick uncle often, but he stayed with Nandini when he was there.
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Harshad had tried calling Mukti initially, but she hadn't received his calls. When he didn't find her at her home he thought Mukti was on vacation. Later, he came to know that they had moved, but neither Mukti's neighbors nor friends knew where she had gone.
Mukti had informed very few of her friends, and her immediate neighbors knew from her parents that she was in Mumbai. Samaira knew Mukti's neighbors as well as her friends, so she had spread a rumour that Harshad was harassing Mukti and that's why she left the city. So, no one should let Harshad know where Mukti had gone for her safety.
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Harshad's behavior towards his dad had changed. He had reduced going home too by giving some reason or other. He couldn't tell his family about his Dad's deeds, at the same time he couldn't tolerate his dad anymore. He used to see what condition Nandini was in everyday, and his dad was responsible for her state.
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One day when Harshad was home,
Dad : "You finally remembered to come home. What are you so busy in that you don't have time to come home or speak to me when I give you a call?"
Harshad : "It is my final year, so I am busy with my studies."
Dad : "Don't lie to me. What are you up to? You have been spending money like water."
Harshad's thoughts : "I am lying for a good cause unlike you. You lied and cheated my mom as well as Nandini's mom."
Harshad had casually asked his mom about their past and his mom told him that his dad had won a lottery on one of his trips.
Harshad : "I have also been partying with my friends."
Dad : "So much money on parties? You don't know the value of money."
Harshad : "You earn, so that we can spend. If I spend a little more it is not going to put a dent on your wealth. Anyways what are you going to do with so much wealth?"
Dad : "You will understand when you earn on your own. From now on, I will deposit only as much money you need for your college. If you need more, then earn it yourself."
Harshad : "You aren't being fair. I can't cut my expenditures. It is not that you earned all this wealth on your own, then why are you behaving like this?"
Dad : "What do you mean by that?"
Harshad : "Why are you behaving as though you don't know?"
This irked his dad more and his dad was stressed. Harshad had blurted out the truth in anger and he corrected himself.
Harshad : "You won a huge lottery and built your wealth on that, didn't you?"
Their argument continued and his dad was very furious with Harshad's behavior.
Dad : "I won't tolerate if this continues. If you disrespect me and don't correct yourself, then there is no place for you in my house or my family."
Harshad left home and didn't return after that. His dad prevented his family from meeting Harshad too.
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Soon after that, Nandini came out of coma and started recovering very slowly, but she remained depressed and didn't show interest in anything. Harshad and Arya tried to get her out of it, and she tried for their sake though she had lost the reason to live, but her recurring nightmare of her accident didn't let her move on.
Nandini had come to know that Harshad was staying away from home, but she didn't know the exact reason for it. She also knew that Harshad was looking for Mukti without any success. So Nandini approached her roommate and her roommate blurted out what she knew, out of fear that it was Nandini's ghost.
Harshad and Arya joined Arya's uncle's office and had just begun their career. They had to go abroad for training soon, and telling about Mukti without having complete details would only stop Harshad from going. So Nandini decided to find Mukti on her own and also meet Harshad's sister to find the reason.
Harshad always referred to his sister as doll and Nandini was in depression, so she hadn't taken the interest to know what her name was. So if Nandini asked now, when she was joining his sister's college, it would raise doubts in Harshad's mind. He wanted Nandini to stay away from his family for her own safety.
Alya didn't say a word after that. Others thought that she was upset after knowing about her dad. It didn't affect her the same way it did Harshad. Harshad had heard his dad, seen Nandini's condition after she came to know the truth as well as after her accident. Alya didn't know her dad was that evil, but she had gone after her dad, who was selfish.
Alya's thoughts : "It would have been good if she would have died in that accident. She has taken my place in my brother's life and she was planning to take mine in Manik's life too. Now that she is gone, I can get my place back in their lives."
On the other hand, Manik's guilt increased.
Manik (to Cabir) : "What did I end up doing? She had been through so much already and I only added to her woes. Don't know where she is, and how she is? I won't be able to forgive myself for what I have done, how can I expect her to forgive me?"
Cabir : "Don't take it so hard on yourself. You didn't want to hurt her. You even backed out of it."
Manik : "How does that make any difference? Whether I wanted to or not, I ended pushing her further into darkness. There is not much difference between her dad and me. He tried to kill her physically, and I did so emotionally."
Cabir : "Don't compare yourself to him. He is very cruel, and you are not like him."
Cabir tried to console him, but he wasn't successful.
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