Devil's Bride

Chapter 57

"I saw someone, he exactly looked like Manik’s father." After the confession I went silent. I was panting heavily. Her eyes darkened wildly after listening my words.

"May be you saw his father only." I jumped slightly when her words collided against my ear. How could it be possible?

"What do you mean? Manik’s father isn't alive right. He died years ago." My voice trembled involuntarily.

"He died years ago that's what people know but that's not the truth." She said but I was too numb to understand the meaning of her twisted words. My head was still buzzing with the image of Manik’s dead or alive or look alike father.

"I didn't get you?"

"He's alive. He never died. He pretended to be dead so he could marry the girl he loved." She told me,

"He has changed his surname so no one would recognize him. For a long time he was in America but he came back a month ago because his second wife is suffering from blood cancer and she wanted to spend her last days in her home. Last month I saw him in hospital, remember when I came with you for regular check up. Dr. Mishra is my good friend, she provided me some amount of information about his life." She revealed, her eyes had a vacant look as she talk about her past.

"So you always knew that he is alive" I asked, desperately trying to keep my voice down and in check.

"Nandini, there is a story, let me tell you everything in details." The bed dipped slightly as we sat on it. I was waiting for her continue with so many questions swirling in my mind.

"Vivek and I got married in young age. It was an arrange marriage but after marriage he told me that he loves someone else and his father forced him into this marriage. His father didn't agree for the girl he loved because she belonged to some other cast. I accepted his past and he promised me that he will be loyal to me. I gave him my everything, he was a gentleman but he couldn't loved me the way I did still I was happy with him.  Then after years of our marriage his ex girlfriend came back in his life. He couldn't hold himself back. They started meeting each other, I blasted on him when I came to know about it. He told me that her husband died in an accident and he is just helping her out financially which was a lie of course. He continued to meet her without caring about his family.

"What about your affair" She shifted uncomfortably. I bite my tongue for being blunt. I should have waited for the right time to bring it up to her. 

"I mean that man you fall in love with? Did he even exist or it was a story." I rephrased the question.

"I had a friend name Karan, he worked as operation manager in our company. He was unmarried and 8 years younger than me. He supported me when I was depressed over Vivek's affair. We used to fight a lot, I told him so many times to stop meeting his ex girlfriend. I was getting insecure Nandini, I couldn't bear to see him with someone else but he didn't listen anything. I had Karan's back through out the time. Once he expressed his feelings to me but I denied. In office people started gossiping about both of us. Vivek's extra marital was hidden from them but they knew about mine and Karan's close friendship." I listened to her patiently. I was trying hard not to judge her for anything. She had suffered all her life in a forced marriage and it corrupted her entire life.

"Then Vivek's father took the matter into his hands. He threatened Karan but he didn't budge. Mukti and Manik used to witness our fights. They were too young to understand our matters but it affected them in negative ways. I was losing my family. Vivek's affair was getting into my nerves and with time me and Karan we came more close. I started developing feelings for him. I wanted to be loved Nandini, he loved me deeply, in the same way I loved Vivek." She stopped to wipe her tears, my heart nearly burst