Nandini's POV

"Lily where are we?" I asked looking around in the forest.

"Just a little ahead Nandini! We're almost there!" She said walking ahead but I could see no end. Navya was tired too and it wasn't good for her to walk so much in this condition!

"You sure this is the right way?" Navya asked exhausted keeping her hands on her hips.

"Yes I'm sure!" Lily replied, her voice sounded a little irritated. Something was definitely wrong with this girl.

"Wait! We can ask Lily to help us!" I exclaimed and Navya's eyes twinkled.

"She also must want to get out of here right? And also she knows everything about this mansion! She can help us escape!" I said and Navya nodded.

"Yes! You are right! But where will we find her?" Navya voiced out.

"That you leave it to me! She will be here in our room! And that is my promise!" I said determined looking at the door.

After that I had asked Navya to pretend like she was having severe pain in her stomach and needed to be visited by a doctor. I banged the door and asked to call Lily for her. And they believed hearing Navya's shouts as exactly after 10 minutes Lily was there in the room.

As we dicussed our plan with her she told that she was also waiting for an opportunity to escape and now when we both were with her she was going to help us.

But then when we had finally been out of that mansion I wondered how could the guards easily let us go? Lily had said that she told them it was an emergency and Navya needed to be taken to the hospital and the guards agreed? Just like that? No! There was something more to it! But at that time I was more focused on getting out of there and so we did.

"That's enough!" Navya panted as she sat on a rock nearby and I immediately ran to her.

"Navya are you okay?" I asked with concern and she nodded.

"Come on guyss! We can't stay here whole day! We have to make it fast!" Lily said irritated.

"Can't you see her state? She is pregnant for fuck's sake!" I snapped at her and saw something flicker in her eyes.

"This is a forest Nandini! And it won't be good to stay here any longer! You don't know there maybe animals around!" She said sternly and I opened my mouth to speak.

"She is right Nandini. We can't stay here longer. We need to go. And don't worry I'm fine!" Navya interrupted and maybe I saw a victory smirk on Lily's face.

"Fine! Let's go!" I said and for the next 20 minutes we kept walking through the forest. I walked beside Navya to give her support while Lily lead the way.

But she kept walking so confidently that I suspected she knew the place from before. She wasn't even looking around for ways and was fluently passing by. For the one who was caged in her own house, how could she be possibly be this confident about the path.

"Lily! Have you been here before?" I asked observing her keenly. She stopped abruptly as her body tensed but she covered it up quickly.

"No! How could I? I told you right I wasn't allowed to go anywhere!" She lied profusely and resumed walking again.

"There! We reached!" She announced suddenly and I looked around. We weren't on a highway or anywhere but somewhere I had never imagined.

"What are we doing here?" I asked shocked as I looked at her back. We were at a cliff which was far away from a safe place.

"Uh! Probably ...." She turned around wearing a smirk on her face which didn't give me good vibes at all.

"To kill you!" She finished and Navya gasped beside me clutching my hand tightly.

"I so knew you were upto something!" I narrowed my eyes at her and she laughed.

"Aww poor baby! If you knew then why did you trust me? Why did you come here with me?" She raised a brow at me.

"Right! Why did I even trust a girl like you. Thankyou for proving you are and will always be Francis's daughter and Andrew's sister!" I spat furiously shielding Navya as I saw rage building in her eyes.

"I wonder what would have happened to you if I had not taken that bullet out from your arm!" She hissed darkly.

"Would have been better. I could have known what your real face is!" I retorted back and she curled her fists.

"Nandiniii!"

"Navyaa!"

My eyes twinkled as I whirled around and saw how Navya's face also practically lit up. They are here! They found us. I was jumping in joy on the inside but the battle was still on.

"Shit!" I heard Lily curse under her breath as I heard shuffling behind. I turned around and saw her taking out a gun. My eyes widened as I saw her approach us.

"Shit! Navya go! Navya go from here and find Manik and Cabir! Goo!" I literally pushed her but not so harshly.

"Nandini how can I? No!" She panicked.

"Navya we don't have time! One of us needs to find them! And Lily -!" I yelped in pain as Lily yanked my hair harshly from behind.

"Navyaa goooo!" I screamed holding my hair.

"Stop right there Navya! You don't want her to be killed!" Lily threatened holding a gun on my head.

"Navya don't listen to her. Just go! Aah!" I cried in pain as she pulled my hair so harshly I thought it would rip my skull.

"Nandini!" Navya panicked looking at my state.

"Navya follow me quietly if you want her alive!" Lily gritted as she dragged me by my hair towards the cliff and Navya followed despite of my protests.

"Now! Say bye to the world Nandini!" She cooed and i gritted my teeth as I elbowed her in the stomach and she cried out leaving my hair.

I fell down and moved away from her looking at her stormy eyes. She was clearly not in her senses.

"Why do you want to kill me?" I asked sharply and she laughed bitterly.

"You are asking me why? You took away the only thing I wanted!" She said bitterly and I looked confused.

"Manik Malhotra! He is mine. I love him and he is only mine. You get that bitch!" She screamed on top of her lungs and I was stunned.

"But he - he fucking chose you over me! A fucking trash! I am much better than you Nandini! Look at you! You are nothing but a waste!" She kneeled down beside me and glared at me menancingly.

"He is your brother!" I gritted and a mad look replaced on her face as she slapped me hard.

"He is not my brother! I love him!" She now looked like a crazy obsessed person.

"Then why did you pretend when we were brought in your house? Why did you save her?" Navya spat and she laughed.

"I just pitied my brother Nandini! I had no problem as long as Andrew had his hands on you! He could have done whatever he wanted with you! Fucked you, raped you or killed you! But that loser! He couldn't even do a single thing and died! Such a shame on Russo family!" She tched and I had no doubt that these people had no heart in them. They all were heartless.

"You are just a heartless bitch!" I said and was rewarded with another slap and it stung badly.

"Nandinii!" I froze as I heard Manik's shout.

He came!

"Manik! You came. You finally came!" Lily gushed with happiness and I stood up with great difficulty.

I turned around and finally saw him. He looked so defeated, so vulnerable. The pain, longing, anxiety in his eyes made me want to run to him and hug him tightly. His eyes roamed all over my body and he clenched his fists looking at my state.

He was so near yet so far.

"Manik!" That broke our trance and he looked over at Lily who was staring at him with twinkling eyes.

I looked over Navya who was in Cabir Bhai's embrace now and he looked relieved to see Navya all fit and fine with no scratch on her body.

"So you are Lily Russo!" Manik said and she looked like she was on cloud nine.

"You know me?" She asked excitedly.

"Ofcourse i know you! You're my sister!" He said and her face fell and instead replaced with fury. She glanced at me flaring her nostrils and before I knew she punched hard in my stomach.

"Nandini!" I heard screams but the pain that jolted my body was unbearable.

"I am not your sister. I love you!" She screamed like a banshee and all I could do was curl in a ball. I could only whimper in pain as I had no energy left in me.

"You love her right? I will kill her. I will kill her and then you will be all mine. All mine!" She said crazily and placed the gun near my head.

"Noo! Wait!" Manik yelled and she stared at him unblinking.

"You are right! I am yours! Only yours!" He said and unconsciously she withdrew the gun.

"Yo-You love me right? Manik loves Lily right?" She asked and Manik nodded making her happy.

"Yes! See I am here to take you with me! Come here! Put that gun down Lily!" While Manik kept her distracted Bhai slowly came from the other side without her notice to rescue me.

He made me stand and I bit my lip to stop the groan that would escape any minute because of the pain.

"Dad will be so happy to see us! W-We will get married Manik! Then no one will be able to separate us!" She ranted slowly walking towards Manik playing with the gun in her hand. I could see Manik fisting his hands controlling himself not to screw it up.

"Y-You love me right?" She asked again and he nodded with no choice.

"Say that you love me!" She demanded and his eyes flickered to me. He looked deep in my eyes and my heartbeat accelerated.

"I love you!" He said staring straight at me and I gasped clutching Bhai's hand.

At that moment I could see nothing but the honesty and truth in his eyes. Everything disappeared around as all I could see was him. Tears welled up in my eyes as a smile broke out on my face.

But as they say not every story is a fairytale. Not every man is a prince and not every ending is filled with roses.

The next moment we heard was a gunshot that made my body jerk suddenly. I stood numb as the smile slowly disappeared and the tears stopped. I saw as Manik's face paled as if somebody sucked the life out of him. My body slipped out of the grasp of who was holding me and fell down with a thud. I heard screams and cries but nothing registered in my mind as I struggled to breath.

"Ma-Manik!" I said in a broken whisper trying to take as much as air possible.

I heard another gunshot but had no energy to see what was going on. The next moment I saw Manik beside me with tears falling from his eyes. I smiled at him, my own eyes filled with tears.

"Ma-Manik!" I gasped and he clutched my hand in his tightly.

"Y-Yes love!" He said desperately.

"I-I lo-love y-you!" I managed to say it despite the pain that erupted in my body. A smile broke out on his face and more tears fell down.

"Pr-Promise me y-you'll al-always stay ha-happy!" I said and he shook his head crying bitterly.

"I love you Nandini! Please don't. Don't leave me!" He sobbed keeping his head on mine and a sob broke out from my mouth too.

"I'm s-orry!" It was the last thing I said before the pain became unbearable and I couldn't breath.

~~~

The dreams that seem to be fulfilling may be farfetched one!