The mansion was silent, filled with an eerie emptiness that lingered in the corners, as if the walls themselves were grieving. The heavy air carried the weight of unspoken words, regrets, and shattered trust. The once lively and bustling place had turned into a shell of memories and mistakes.

A little boy, Abeer, saw a familiar figure approaching from the entrance. His face lit up in excitement, and without wasting a second, he ran toward him. "Manik chachu!" Abeer shouted joyously as he sprinted across the floor. Manik, who had just walked inside, smiled warmly, his heart swelling at the sight of his nephew. He knelt down and opened his arms wide, ready to catch the boy.

As soon as Abeer reached him, he wrapped his tiny arms around Manik’s neck, hugging him tightly. Manik responded with equal affection, lifting the boy slightly off the ground, holding him close, and pressing a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"I missed you, Manik chachu!" Abeer said, his voice filled with innocent sincerity.

Manik's heart softened at those words, but an ache quickly followed the sweetness. "I missed you too, champ," he replied, trying to keep his voice light despite the sadness gnawing at his soul. "How are you? Where’s your dad?"

Abeer thought for a moment before answering, "Dad's at the office, I think. I haven’t seen him yet. He hasn’t come home."

Manik nodded, his mind elsewhere. "Alright, go to your mom. I’ll freshen up and come join you later, okay?"

The little boy nodded enthusiastically before running off toward his mother, Navya. Manik stood still for a moment, watching Abeer disappear down the hallway, his smile fading slowly. He exhaled deeply and headed toward his room. His steps were heavy, each one a reminder of the burden he carried, the guilt he couldn’t shake off.

As he entered the room, his eyes scanned the space almost instinctively, as if hoping—desperately hoping—that he would find her there. But the room was empty. Nandini wasn’t there. Of course, she wasn’t. She hadn’t been for years. And yet, every time he walked into this room, a small part of him still held on to the hope that she might have returned, that she might have forgiven him. But the silence screamed otherwise, and every time he was reminded that it was all his fault.

He sighed deeply, closing his eyes for a moment to fight the burning in his chest, and walked into the bathroom to freshen up. The cold water on his face did little to soothe the storm brewing inside him.

When he was done, he made his way downstairs, his mind still plagued by memories of the past. As he stepped into the living room, he saw Ishita sitting quietly on the couch. Without a word, Manik moved toward her, almost as if drawn by an invisible force. He knelt beside her and laid his head in her lap, seeking comfort in the only place he had left. Ishita, with her ever-gentle touch, smiled softly and ruffled his hair. Manik snuggled his head further into her lap, trying to find peace, but it eluded him as always.

They sat like that for a while, lost in their thoughts. The silence between them spoke volumes, a shared grief that words couldn’t capture. Just then, Cabir walked in, his sharp eyes immediately noticing the scene. Manik lying in Ishita’s lap, both of them lost in their world of pain. To break the silence, he cleared his throat loudly.

Ishita and Manik looked up, startled from their reverie. Ishita’s face brightened with a sliver of hope as she asked the question that had been haunting her for years, "Did you find any clue about Nandini? Where is she?"

At the mention of Nandini’s name, Manik snapped out of his thoughts and looked toward Cabir, his heart hammering in his chest. His eyes begged for good news, for anything that could bring her back to him. Ishita’s hope mirrored his own, her eyes wide and pleading.

But Cabir’s face said it all. He shook his head, a deep sadness settling in his features. "No, Ishita. I didn’t find any clue. I tried everything, but it’s as if she vanished into thin air. I don’t know where she could be. I just hope... I just hope she’s safe, wherever she is."

Manik felt his heart drop, the last shred of hope he had been clinging to slipping through his fingers. He clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. "I will find her," he said, his voice low but filled with determination. "No matter what it takes, I’ll find her and beg her to forgive me. We just have to hope for the best."

Ishita shook her head, her voice breaking as she spoke, "We don’t even know where she is... or what she’s doing. We don’t even know if she’s alive or—"

Before she could finish, Abhimanyu interrupted her sharply, "Don’t say that, Amma! Don’t you dare. She’s alive. She has to be. Nandini isn’t a coward. She’s strong. Nothing bad has happened to her. I know it."

He sat next to Cabir, his hands trembling slightly as he tried to calm himself. One by one, the rest of the family trickled into the living room, drawn by the weight of the conversation. They all gathered, the room heavy with guilt, regret, and sorrow. No one said a word, but the atmosphere was thick with the shared knowledge of their collective sin.

It had been eight years. Eight long years since Nandini had left their lives. And in those eight years, they had all come to realize the horrible truth about what they had done to her. They had hurt her, betrayed her, accused her of unspeakable things, and now they were all paying the price for their actions.

Flashback

It had been a month since Nandini left when the truth about Veedha Khurrana came to light. The Malhotras and the Murtys had discovered that everything—the false accusations, the manipulated pictures, the lies—had all been orchestrated by Veedha, Nandini’s own cousin. Veedha had harbored jealousy and hatred toward Nandini for years. She had wanted Manik for herself, but when he married Nandini, Veedha sought revenge.

The day the truth was revealed was etched into everyone’s minds like a scar. Abhimanyu had been the first to confront her, his voice shaking with rage. "Why? Why did you do all this to her, to us? What was her fault? What did Nandini ever do to you?"

Raman had slapped her, his voice trembling with disbelief. "What did she ever do to you? I treated you like my daughter, and this is how you repay us? How could you do this?"

Veedha, unrepentant, had sneered at them all. "What did she do to me? She stole everything from me! All of you treated her like she was some kind of princess. You all gave her the attention that should have been mine! And even after getting everything, she still took Manik from me. I did this because she deserved it! She deserved to suffer."

Manik had slapped her too, his anger boiling over. "Don’t you dare say another word about her. She is still my wife, and if you speak ill of her again, I’ll—"

Veedha had only laughed. "Look at you, defending her now. Weren’t you the one who called her a slut, a gold-digger, and a whore? Weren’t you the one who tortured her, humiliated her? And now, you want to play the loving husband? You all blamed her. I just gave you the opportunity. You were all eager to believe the worst about her, so don’t act like saints now."

Nyonika had thrown her out of the mansion, but the damage had already been done.

Present day

The room was filled with silent sobs as everyone reflected on their mistakes, their sins.

Abhimanyu’s POV:

"Babydoll, what have I done? I failed you in every possible way, and now, I don't even have the right to call you my sister. I always prided myself on being the strong one, the one who would protect you, but when you needed me most, I turned my back on you. I let my anger, my pride, and my doubts cloud my judgment. I believed lies, I saw only what I wanted to see, and I didn’t listen to your truth. I pushed you away with my own hands, told you not to call me ‘bhai.’ And now? Now, all I crave is to hear you say it again, to hear you call me ‘bhai’ just once. But I know I don’t deserve it."

"I let someone else’s words shape my view of you, my own sister. I should’ve fought for you, stood by you. I didn’t protect you when you needed me most. You were always so strong, always the one to offer a smile when the rest of us were down, but I didn’t realize how much you were hurting. I let you fight your battles alone. What kind of brother does that? I’m disgusted with myself. You deserved better than this, better than me, better than all of us. I can’t bear to think of what you went through alone, how many nights you must have cried yourself to sleep because the people you trusted the most became your worst enemies. I pushed you away, and now, you’re gone. But, Babydoll, wherever you are, please—please find it in your heart to forgive me. Come back to us, even if I don’t deserve it. I need you in my life. I’m so sorry. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you."

Mukti’s POV:

"Choti… How can I even begin to apologize for what I did to you? There are no words, no actions, no gestures that can erase the damage I’ve caused. I treated you so badly. I let jealousy and bitterness poison my mind. I saw you as competition instead of my little sister. I was selfish. You were always there for me, you supported me through everything, and how did I repay you? By turning against you, by believing lies that I should have known were false. You were innocent, always so pure-hearted, and I accused you of things you would never do. I should have seen through it all, I should have believed you."

"I can still see the hurt in your eyes when I turned my back on you. You tried so hard to prove your innocence, but I didn’t care. I didn’t listen. I let my own insecurities dictate how I treated you. And now, I regret every moment of it. I regret not being the sister you deserved. I regret letting you suffer alone. I was supposed to protect you, love you, but I did the opposite. Choti, I’m sorry for everything. I know a mere apology can’t undo the pain I caused, but I’m begging you… please, come back. Give me a chance to make things right. I miss you so much, and I would give anything to take it all back. You were always my little sister, and I failed you. I should have loved you better, protected you better. I hope you can forgive me someday."

Cabir’s POV:

"Choti, my heart aches every time I think about what I did to you. How I laughed at your pain, taunted you, made you feel like you didn’t belong. I thought I was being clever, that I was just teasing you, but now I see how cruel I was. I wasn’t there for you when you needed me the most. I made jokes about your suffering, not realizing how deep the scars were. I never took a moment to ask if you were okay, never checked to see the hurt beneath your smile. I treated you like an outsider when you were always family."

"You trusted me, you counted on me to stand by your side, and I let you down. I believed those lies without question, without giving you the benefit of the doubt. I thought I was being smart, but in reality, I was being a coward. I let someone else's schemes manipulate me, and I ended up hurting the person I loved the most. You were always so kind to me, and I repaid you with betrayal. I know you probably hate me for what I did, and I don’t blame you. If I were in your shoes, I’d hate me too."

"But I miss you, Choti. I miss your laughter, your warmth, your cooking, everything about you. The house isn’t the same without you. I’m not the same without you. Every day feels emptier. I know I have no right to ask, but if you could find it in your heart to forgive me, even a little, please come back. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that I’m not the same person who hurt you. I’m so sorry, Choti. Please, come back home."

Navya’s POV:

"Nandini, I don’t even know where to start. How do I even begin to apologize for the way I treated you? For the words I said, the accusations I made? I was your friend… at least, I was supposed to be. But I failed you in every possible way. When everyone turned against you, I should have been the one to stand by your side, the one person you could count on. But instead, I joined them. I believed those lies about you without even giving you a chance to explain. I hurt you with my words, my actions, and I never once stopped to think about how much you were suffering."

"I was selfish. I cared more about what others thought than about the truth. I didn’t defend you when you needed me most, and I will never forgive myself for that. You were always so kind, so giving, and I took that for granted. I let jealousy and doubt cloud my judgment, and in the end, I lost one of the best friends I’ve ever had. Nandini, I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I need you to know how deeply sorry I am. I’m sorry for every word, every action that hurt you. I wish I could go back in time and fix it all, but I can’t. All I can do is ask for your forgiveness and hope that one day you’ll find it in your heart to forgive me."

"Please, come back. I’ll do anything to make it up to you. I miss you, Nandini. I miss your laughter, your strength, your kindness. The house feels empty without you, and so does my heart. Please, come back and let me prove to you that I can be the friend you deserve."

Aliya’s POV:

"Doll, every day I wake up with a heavy heart, knowing that I betrayed the person who was like a sister to me. You were always so full of life, always there for everyone. And what did I do? I turned my back on you. I let my own insecurities and fears make me believe the worst about you. When you needed someone to stand up for you, I stayed silent. Worse, I believed those lies, and I didn’t even give you the chance to defend yourself."

"I think back to all the fun we used to have, all the secrets we shared, and I wonder how I could have let it all slip away. How could I have been so blind? I thought I knew you better than anyone, but I let a few rumors destroy everything. You never deserved any of this, and I never gave you the benefit of the doubt. I should have been there for you, but I failed you in the worst way possible. I failed as a friend, as a sister. And now, every day without you feels like a punishment. I miss you so much, and I regret every single thing I did to hurt you."

"Please forgive me, Doll. I’ll do anything to make it right. Let’s go back to the way things used to be. I miss our late-night talks, our shopping trips, everything. You were always my closest friend, and I ruined it. Please, come back. Give me one more chance to prove that I’m worthy of your friendship. I’m so sorry. I know I don’t deserve it, but please, come back to us."

Dhruv’s POV:

"Cupcake… I can’t believe how badly I let you down. I was supposed to be your brother, your protector, but I failed in every way. I should have stood by you, I should have defended you, but instead, I hurt you. I believed those lies, and I never even gave you the chance to explain. I was supposed to be the one person you could always count on, but I wasn’t. I turned against you, just like everyone else. I’m ashamed of myself for the way I treated you."

"I think about all the times I mentally tortured you with my silence, with my coldness. You must have felt so alone, so abandoned. And I can’t believe that I was part of that. I was so focused on my own anger, my own issues, that I didn’t even stop to think about how much you were hurting. You were always so strong, so brave, but even the strongest people need someone to stand by their side. And I wasn’t there for you when you needed me the most."

"Cupcake, I miss you. I miss your smile, your laughter, your kindness. I would give anything to take back the things I said, the way I treated you. Please, forgive me. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you if you’ll just come back. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I need it. I need you back in my life. Please, give me one more chance."

Manik’s POV:

"Jaan… I don’t even know where to start. How do I apologize for the things I did to you? How do I ask for forgiveness when I know I don’t deserve it? I broke you. I tore you apart, and for what? My own insecurities, my own fear of losing you. I accused you of things you would never do, and I tortured you for it. I hurt you with my words, my actions, and my anger. I was supposed to protect you, love you, but I did the opposite."

"I let my jealousy get the best of me. I let someone else’s lies turn me against you, and I didn’t even give you a chance to explain. I called you names, accused you of things no one should ever have to hear from the person they love. And now, you’re gone. I drove you away. I destroyed the love we had, and I don’t know if I can ever fix it. But Jaan, I need you. I can’t live without you. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but please, come back to me. Give me one more chance to make things right."

"I will spend every day for the rest of my life proving that I’ve changed. I will fix everything, I promise. Just come back to me. I miss you so much. My heart feels empty without you. Please, Nandini, come back. I will do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness, but I need you by my side. I’m so sorry for everything I did. Please, forgive me."

Raj’s POV:

"Princess… I’ve failed you as a father. I was supposed to protect you, believe in you, and instead, I let lies and deceit cloud my judgment. I didn’t trust you. I listened to others instead of trusting my own daughter. I said things to you that no father should ever say to his child. I called you names, accused you of things I should have known were lies. How could I have been so blind?"

"You were always such a good daughter, always trying to make everyone happy, and I took that for granted. I didn’t appreciate you the way I should have, and now you’re gone. I let someone else’s lies destroy our relationship, and I don’t know if I can ever fix it. But Princess, I need you to know how sorry I am. I regret every single thing I said, every time I doubted you. You didn’t deserve any of it."

"Please, come back. I miss you so much. The house feels so empty without you, and so does my heart. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you, I promise. Just give me one more chance to be the father you deserve. I’m so sorry, Princess. Please forgive me."

Nyonika’s POV:

"Bacha, how could I have been so wrong? How could I have let myself be so blinded by lies and deceit? I was supposed to be your mother, the one person you could always count on, but I failed you. I said things to you that no mother should ever say to her child. I called you names, accused you of things I should have known you would never do. And now, you’re gone. I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself for the way I treated you."

"You were always such a good daughter, always trying to make everyone happy, and I took that for granted. I didn’t appreciate you the way I should have, and now, I’m paying the price. I miss you so much, Bacha. The house isn’t the same without you. Nothing is the same without you. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I need you to know how sorry I am."

"Please, come back. I will spend the rest of my life making it up to you, I promise. Just give me one more chance to be the mother you deserve. I’m so sorry, Bacha. Please forgive me and come back home.

Ishita’s POV:

"Baby, I don’t even know where to start. I said things to you that no mother should ever say to her child. I hurt you in ways that I can never take back. I was supposed to protect you, to love you unconditionally, but instead, I let lies and rumors dictate my actions. I didn’t believe you when you needed me the most. I pushed you away when I should have held you closer."

"I think back to all the things I said, all the times I turned my back on you, and it breaks my heart. How could I have been so blind? You were always so good, so kind, and I didn’t see it. I let someone else’s lies turn me against my own child. And now, you’re gone, and I have to live with the knowledge that I caused you so much pain."

"Please forgive me, Baby. I miss you so much. The house isn’t the same without you, and neither am I. I will spend the rest of my life trying to make things right, but I need you to come back. I know I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I’m begging you… please, come back to us. I’m so sorry for everything. Please, come home."

Raman’s POV:

"Princess, I’ve failed you in every way a father can fail his child. I didn’t believe you when you needed me to. I let someone else’s lies dictate how I treated you. I said things to you that no father should ever say to his daughter. I accused you of things you would never do, and now, I have to live with the consequences of my actions."

"You were always such a good daughter, always trying to make everyone happy, and I didn’t appreciate you the way I should have. I let my own pride and anger cloud my judgment, and in the end, I lost the most precious thing in my life—you. I miss you so much, Princess. The house isn’t the same without you, and neither am I."

"Please forgive me. I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you if you’ll just come back. I’m so sorry for everything I said, for everything I did. I should have believed you, I should have protected you, but I didn’t, and now, you’re gone. Please, Princess, come back. I’m so sorry."