Chapter 19: Chapter 19

As soon as drizzling of rain turned into heavy downpour Sahil and Sandesh went into their shelter outside the mansion. And inside the mansion Manik managed to climbed stairs all by himself and also took three bottles of alcohol with him.

He poured the alcohol on the floor of his room and dropped the lightning lighter on the floor.

FLASHBACK (It's only in Manik's vision),

"Dad please don't harm my mom" little Manik jumped into their fight and held his father's legs, stopping him from hitting Neyonika because he was very angry.

"U little bastard" he hit Manik's head with the buckle of belt, metal hit his head and he became unconscious, he didn't completely lost his senses but lost his ability to fight against his father.

"What are you doing Neyonika ? ..... Stop it" when he looked at Neyonika she was pouring Kerosene all over her body, he don't know where did she found kerosene. She was tired of this life where her marriage is toxic, her husband is monster and she can't take divorce too because he is bloody politician who will not let her spoil his image.

"I am sick of u and ur tortures" he pulled her out of the kitchen ignoring her protests. He never wanted her to die.

"Even I am done with u ..... But don't die, u r my wife ..... I have done so much for next election don't spoil it for me" he warned her but today she is tired of everything. She pushed him and grab knife from dinning table.

"U have ruined all my life" she screamed and moved back from him.

"U have ruined mine too by ur lies and games .... Because of u I am like this" he too accused her.

"I haven't lied to you about anything and u know that too" she screamed and cried.

"Still my life is wasted ..... Even my own kids are not with me and reason is ur devil son ..... He snatched their happiness" he said in agony.

"He didn't but ur indifference with him did that ..... U didn't even cared he was just a mere child, u beat him till he was bleeding ..... U r monster" she moved back and when she realised she can't die leaving her Manik behind alone with this bastard that was the time he pushed her back in the anger, her leg hit the Havan Kund and in reflex she shoved knife in his abdomen. She was already drenched with kerosene so fire engulfed her within seconds, her scream got unbearable and painful.

Shrikant with wound on his stomach came to her and even Manik somehow managed to reached her, he can't see his mother dieing.

"Mommmm" Manik was crying he ran towards her, the intensity of fire was increasing which scared Shrikant nd he moved back.

"Mom ..... Mom don't leave me" he was trying hard to save her but his little hands got burnt and Shrikant did nothing.

She was rolling on the floor with unbearable pain. Her wailing became louder and louder, she pleaded for her death so she won't feel the pain and after few minutes her voice stopped. She left the world leaving her son behind.

Flashback ended.

"Mom ..... Mom" Manik looked around but he didn't find his mother but only the fire which he has created. He wasn't scared of it today because he was determined to finish that fear forever with him. Today he was alone in that fire.

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"Where is he? " She came running to the mansion. Whole city was getting drenched in the rainwater but that didn't stopped her. After paying to autorickshaw driver she came inside the mansion. In the morning she parked her car here only so she had to take auto.

"Inside the mansion" Sahil replied and she ran inside they too followed her.

Her heartbeats were going crazy with the darkness around whole mansion, there wasn't a single source of light in whole mansion. With a heavy heart she came upstairs using flashlight of her mobile.

The warmth of fire literally burnt her heart when she saw his room lit up with a fire and he was inside the washroom. Door of washroom was opened, the streams of water were coming out of it which scared her more and fear engulfed her heart.

Flashback(It's only in Manik's vision),

"Bhai see today it's raining" she liked rain nd all other water bodies. Both brother and sister were fond of water.

"Miya don't go far .... Play from here, u r small ..... Come to me" Manik scolded her but she showed him tongue and ran.

"U little devil ..... Come here" he said softly.

"Princess I will show u real unicorn if u  will stop there .... Now" she was quite far away from him, still she stopped after hearing his deal.

"Pinky promise?" She asked innocently and he nodded his head.

He ran towards her, she happily jumped and even she started running into his arms but before that a strong wave of sea engulfed her.

"Bhaiii " was the last word he heard from her. The wave was so powerful and heightened that within seconds she disappeared from his eyes. The depth of sea was more for him too still he searched for her in that water. But found nothing other than lifetime guilt and immense pain.

Flashback ended.

"Miyaaa"

"Manikkkkk" Nandini came inside in the washroom only to see his attempt of drowning himself in the water. He was laying inside the bathtub water was cascading down from the bathtub due overflow as Manik didn't turned off the tap.

He was scared of water too and he never used his bathtubs but today he wanted to finish every fear of him including darkness nd fire too. He also wants to get vanish from the earth. He was very high on emotions as well as on drug and alcohol that he was out of senses.

"Manik come out of it" she ran towards bathtub and tried to bring him out. He heard her voice but didn't make a move. She closed all the taps and shower to stop running water. Outside the washroom Sahil and Sandesh were using fire extinguisher to stop the fire, otherwise whole mansion can turn into ashes. With their help she could make it up to washroom during that time, the area near her waist also got burnt but she didn't paid attention to that.

Even after applying all her force he didn't moved a bit then she climbed inside the bathtub and removed drain stopper so that water can flow into drainage pipe.

"Why u r here Nandini? " His voice was so lost and low as if he doesn't have stamina to even talk and he is tired of life.

"For u" she also settled herself in that tub. Their arrangement was uncomfortable but she adjusted herself in that small space. He was still laying and she settled between his legs in very small space.

"Don't care for me too much ...... I don't deserve it" he said looking in her longing eyes.

"U can't decide that for me" she smiled through her tears and he tilted his body towards her.

"Don't be stupid ..... Leave or else I will hurt u" he said and wiped her tears she held his hands back.

"U have already given me pain and so much of grief that it hurts me beyond my limits of bearing ..... Still everytime I see u in pain or struggling to live or fighting with ur inner demons it gets hard for me to leave nd not embrace u in me and comfort you till the time it's gone" holding his hand over her cheeks she cried and cried helplessly.

"Why?" He again asked being perplexed.

" I don't know why, but this web of feelings is fucking my life as well as my heart" her answer made him numb.

"The more depth ur feelings will explore u will get drowned into it and it's like a deep ocean which will consume u ..... All of u in a way that u will lose ur life in that depth of sea" .

"I am a swimmer Manik".

"Sometimes divers too lost their lives in sea".

"Be it ..... I am not leaving u till the time u reach at shore from where u will be saved, to live a life" this time she cupped his face and looking into his eyes she spoke.

"I don't deserve to live ...... Leave me and let me finish this unwanted, life consuming pain at once" he pushed her hands away and looked around to see the bathtub is getting empty. He again turned on the taps.

"Go Nandini before u lose ur life because of me ...... U r the only person in my life whom I don't want to hurt".

"Then don't hurt me ..... Seeing u hopeless about life hurts me ...... So Let me save you".

"This life of mine is never ending dark night and there won't be any morning to this life".

"Then I will be ur morning ..... Let me be".

"U don't wish to save a monster who will make u regret the moment u chose to save him".

"Then I will live with a regret but can't live in a guilt of not saving u".

"What u want Nandini? ...... Go away ...... U r not for me, don't spoil ur life ..... Go away ..... Go away" he cried loudly. For the first time in her life she saw him crying and even he cried after years.

She sat on her knees and engulfed him in her, he cried in her embrace and she too shared his tears. He snuggled more and more into her stomach trying to find comfort and she let him feel protected though his touch on her burning wound was hurting her more than anything.

"Nandini I didn't killed them ..... I haven't ...... I am not a murderer, Nandini ...... I am not " he sniffed on her stomach, she bent down a little more and breaking the hug she made him face her.

"U r not " she pressed her lips on his forehead. For the first time someone comforted him about those deaths.

She felt him losing his control and his eyelids started closing because of the drugs nd alcohol. He was feeling dizzy.

"Come we will go outside" she made him walk out of washroom and brought him near bed. She made him sleep on it, when she was inside both Sahil nd Sandesh left because they knew she will handle him. His bed wasn't in good condition still it was better for sleeping.

"Don't leave me like everyone ...... I know because of my bad fate almighty always snatches the people for whom I care" he said holding her hands and she sat beside him.

"Shhh ...... Nothing is going to happen ..... U sleep " he pulled her beside him. She also layed down next to him and caressed his head. They both were wet but none of them was in sane mindset to think rationally, they were lost in his darkness.

"Please fight with my fate because I don't want live alone anymore" these were his last words he mumbled on her neck and slept.

................End ...............||

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................ Aish ..................