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Warning - This chapter contains triggering content which includes, violence, abuse and trauma. Read only if you are comfortable please.

"V-Vihaan-" Nandini moved back, fear crawling up her senses and blocking everything else. Vihaan was going to hurt her and nobody was going to save her.

"Nandini." He chuckled, bending down on the floor near her. His lips curled up in a smile that seemed to mock her, dimples showing on his both cheeks, and it reminded her of the moment she had fallen in love with this man. So in love, and so foolish,"Baby, I told you to do something, did you do it?"

"I-V-Vihaan- aah!" A shriek left her lips before the no could escape. Vihaan seemed to know her answer already. His hand tugged in her hair so painfully. He yanked her head back and glared down at her.

"No?" He asked, and she shook her head fearfully, a sob leaving her lips, so pathetic.

Vihaan drew back his arm, and swung it in the air before smacking her on her face hard. But on the first day of their marriage, he had told her, her cheeks were the softest. Then how did the love in his gaze change into venom all of the sudden?

Black dots took her vision in seconds and her head hit the hard floor. Vihaan laughed as she cried out of helplessness, stuck in her agony, too scared to move.

After all, at the end of the day, She indeed  was so pathetic and weak.

"Nandini! Oh My God!"

Nandini gasped, her eyes sprung open and mouth parted. Sweat trickled down the side of her forehead and down her neck where her hair sticked like leeches. She looked at her father who sat near her with worry written all over his face.

"Are you okay?" Mr.Murty asked, moving to the side table. He filled the glass with water and brought it near her lips. Her hands shivered as she held the glass, too scared to even hold it. Mr.Murty held it for her and kept it on the side table.

"A-Appa." She mumbled, her tone a mere whisper. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest. She looked around to make sure she was not there.

She was safe. At her own home, within her father's security. Vihaan was not here. He couldn't come here. She was free of him.

"What happened?" Mr.Murty sat beside her, rubbing her back. Although he was aware of what might have happened he didn't want to believe it. Nandini gulped at his question and shook her head.

"V-V-Vi-" She could not complete it. Her body trembled and she let out a loud sob. Her father's arms wrapped around her immediately and Nandini clutched to them like her life depended on it. She could not even take his name.

"I-I f-feel so weak, A-Appa!"

She cried and cried, helpless and so weak. She didn't fight back. She had always been weak. Her body would always freeze when he came ahead to hit her. Never did she try to fight him, she didn't because she couldn't.

"So weak, so pathetic, Nandini."

His voice rung in the back of her head. She looked around frantically. He couldn't be here.

"S-Stop them, Appa!" She pleaded, she knew he was not here but then why was she hearing him. How was he speaking to her.

"Nandini!" Mr.Murty called out worriedly as she cried more. He was just a helpless father who couldn't even do anything for his daughter.  He wanted to hunt down that monster of a man who hurt his daughter to this extent but alas, all he could do was see her wither away in pain.

"God! You are so useless!"

"A-Appa!" Nandini let out another heart wrenching sob. She was a mess, a useless weak and pathetic woman who could do nothing but cry.

"You think you are of any worth? Bold of you to assume that I still love you!"

He told her he did. So why did he change?
Perhaps, it was only because of her. Had she been any use for him, he would have still loved her.

But here she was, a weaking.

So weak and so pathetic.

"There's nothing, Nandini. Calm down. Come out of it. He is not here." She heard her father speak but Nandini could hear nothing. Her mind was everywhere.

A nightmare had invaded her privacy again.

Came in unannounced and messed up with her mind.

"Nandini, bacha. Look at me." Nandini turned her head but black dots took her vision. Everything blurred, including her father's face. She could see him standing up, her body fell limp on the bed with no strength to hold herself up. Her father was shouting for something, his lips were moving continuously. He pulled out something from his pocket, his mobile. He was dialing someone's number and she was slowly slipping into the darkness.

"Nandini,"  Nandini didn't know if it was Vihaan or not. The voice was so gentle that it warmed her heart. She didn't know until she saw him.

That face, those pretty pair of eyes and a beautiful smile.

Manik was indeed a charming man. He smiled sweetly as he looked down at her but why was he here? How was he here?

She frowned and he chuckled.

"I got you." He whispered and Nandini tried to speak, she tried to move her hand but couldn't. Manik smiled, gentle as always before he disappeared.

"She had a nightmare, Vardhan."

Nandini heard her father's voice behind. She tried to move but failed. There was an undying pain in her whole body. She felt warm, unusually warm.

"Did something happen with her recently?" Vardhan, or Dr.Ashok Vardhan asked. Nandini remembered him too clearly to forget. He was their family doctor and her father's friend.

"Yeah, She received a marriage proposal."

"I see, maybe it triggered her memories." Dr Vardhan said,"I will prescribe some medicines for now to bring down her fever. It will help her sleep too and also, try to keep her stress free. Visit me once when the fever is completely gone."

Nandini heard her father saying something else but she couldn't focus. Her head throbbed badly. She groaned in pain, halting their voices immediately. A hand pressed on her forehead, she knew it was her father.

She whimpered and opened her eyes.

"Appa."

"I am here. You are fine. Just a fever, bacha." Mr.Murty tried to smile but she could see the sadness in his eyes. Nandini nodded, trying to sit but whimpered when her body didn't support.

"What are you doing, Nandini. You need to lay down." Mr. Murty looked at her worried, seeing which she nodded and shifted properly.

He smiled at her and bent down to kiss her head. His daughter was a fighter. She might not agree, but he knew how strong she had been, and for so long.

"A-Appa, Ruhi?"

"Ananya took her out. E-earlier, she saw you crying in sleep and ran to my room. She was scared to see you." Nandini looked down, ashamed that she had scared her daughter too.

"It is okay. You are fine now." Mr.Murty assured and she nodded. Dr. Vardhan checked her again, asked few questions and then left asking her to take care.

Mr.Murty sent a servant to bring the medicines from the market. He sat with Nandini until the servant came back and made sure Nandini had the medicines.

Once she was left alone, she let her mind roam around everything and didn't realise when sleep took over her senses.

It was already past noon when she woke up. It felt good, the pain had subsided almost. Nandini decided to freshen up. She  couldn't go to the office today, and it didn't set well with her.

Freshening up, the first thing she did was call Maya and asked for updates. Maya filled her with everything after making sure her boss was fine.

"Anything else?"

"N-No Ma'am." Maya hesitated and Nandini sighed.

"What is it, Maya?"

"Manik Sir came, Ma'am. He wanted to meet you but I told him you were not well."

Nandini fell silent for a moment before letting out another sigh,"Okay,"

Nandini hung up the call as she walked in the hall. Loud laughter of her father erupted and Manik's voice boomed in the hall. Nandini froze at her place, looking ahead at the couch where Manik sat facing her back. They both seemed to be engaged in a silly conversation as Manik made him laugh continously.

"Appa." Both the men turned to her, concern sitting on their faces. Manik was the first one to stand up and smile at her, even before Mr.Murty had a chance to open his mouth.

"Nandini, I heard you were sick. How do you feel now?" Nandini nodded her head, still staring at him daze. He was here, and she was not dreaming this time unlike in the morning

Manik's smile didn't falter even for a second as he came ahead and stood infront of her. He took her small wrist and checked her pulse, making sure the fever was down and she was fine. Nandini continued to look at him as a sigh left his lips.

"Maya told me it was quite serious but Thank God the fever is gone." He looked up, his hold on her wrist loosened and Nandini found herself missing the warmth that had covered her a moment before.

"Y-Yeah." She mumbled and looked down when Manik frowned at her, probably at her shutter but he said nothing.

Nandini waited for a second before she turned to her father,"I-I will go to my room, Appa."

Mr. Murty nodded his head, a smile at his own face at the interaction between them. As a father, he shouldn't have approved it. Manik was supposed to be with Ananya but he understood feelings couldn't be forced. If Manik and Nandini liked each other, he would give them a green signal anyday.

His daughter deserved happiness. The mere age difference didn't bother him. The only thing that mattered was his daughter's happiness.

Nandini looked at Manik once before turning around. She had just taken two steps when Manik called out from behind.

"Nandini?"

"Yes?" Nandini turned around instantly, staring at him with wide eyes as if she was waiting for him to say something.

"Will you go out with me?" He rubbed his nape with a sheepish smile playing on his lips. Nandini knew he did it out of nervousness. She had caught him doing this before too, at the party and when they went to the mall too.

However, she remained silent, stating at him and thought about it.

Go out with him?

Was she supposed to?

She looked at her father, asking for help but he shrugged his shoulders gesturing her to decide herself. Nandini let out a sigh, looking down before she looked up at Manik.

She parted her lips to deny but the hope in his eyes stilled her on her place.

He was waiting for an answer and she couldn't being it in herself to deny him.

"Yes."

She blinked her eyes, and smiled when Manik's eyes lit up in delight.

Maybe, she wouldn't regret this yes.