15. Sinners and Saints

                                    

                                          
A/N: So readers, we have reached the last chapter of the story. There is an Epilogue that follows this & that will have a time leap & Armaan's POV too, so you can look out for that next week. In my heart that's the real ending & my most favorite chapter from the this story, but that's for next week. 
                          
For now, I hope you enjoy the last chapter as much as I did, penning it down for you.
                          
Happy Reading! :)
                          
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Aryamann:
                          
I was sitting in the hotel room watching Armaan absentmindedly; he was playing a game on my tab and laughing occasionally as he won a level. I smiled seeing him laugh, it brought me some peace amidst all the torment that life offered me. His happy face brought some peace. I was ready to do anything for him today, although it wasn't the case when we were expecting him.
                          
I agree I have made many wrong choices in life, but if all that led me to my son Armaan, I think I have been compensated for all my torments. I shouldn't have indulged in an affair with my student Aliya, while I was a teaching faculty at their college, but I did. I shouldn't have agreed to marry Nandini knowing she was Aliya's sister, but I did, my family persuaded me and I agreed. I should have stayed with Nandini even after I found out Aliya's real reason for abandoning me before our marriage, but I couldn't; call me weak, but I truly loved Aliya and at that time I felt betrayed, I felt cheated, and I just wanted to gain back control of my life; we had Armaan, but still I chose Aliya over him, I shouldn't have, what was Armaan's fault in all this, but I didn't care; then Aliya left me, I shouldn't have returned back to Nandini, I should have owned up to my affair and let her go, but I couldn't, I was weak again, I needed people around me to mend my heart and that's what Armaan did. Since then he became my one and only priority; nothing and no one else mattered. Both Nandini and Aliya had found ways to punish me for wronging them; Nandini by not taking me back, Aliya by walking out on me; only Armaan never left my side; I had wronged him too, I didn't care for him when he was born, I didn't care up till Aliya left me, but he never punished me; that day sitting in the hotel room if there was one thing I was sure of, it was this, no matter what, I wasn't going to let Armaan go away from me.
                          
It was then that it struck me, my Armaan was young, and if we head for a divorce, Nandini would be given custody. I knew she would never stop me from seeing him, but if Nandini was going to be in Mumbai with Manik, and I was going to be in Delhi, how frequently could I meet him? The father in me was suddenly very insecure. If Aliya had taken me back, we could fight for joint-custody at least, as a couple, where both people were related to the child in some way; but Aliya had ditched me and it was going to cost me my son; under such circumstances, I decided, I wasn't going to agree to a mutual divorce anymore.
                          
I realised I had had enough and if Nandini wanted Armaan in her life as much as I did, she'd have to make a choice; it was either Armaan or Manik. For Armaan she had to either stay married to me or fight an ugly custody battle where I could easily prove her infidelity and claim Armaan fully, only then would I be able to keep Armaan with me in Delhi. I knew it wasn't fair on Nandini; I was infidel too, but that was years back and there was no proof; her silence back then, was going to act against her now. I was guilty of plotting against her this brutally, but if all was fair in love and war, this was both for me; love for my Armaan and war against everyone else. I wanted Armaan to get the love of both his parents, and I could go up till any extent for it; I promised him my love and presence, and could only hope that with the pressure I will put on Nandini for coming back to us, if she wanted to see Armaan, Nandini would eventually give in and come back to us; then my Armaan will have his mother with him too
                          
***
                          
Manik:
                          
I was sitting in the conference room of my office; it was all empty except for Nandini. She had come to visit me, and had requested some privacy. I was elated to see her; I was meeting her for the first time after the day of her mother's demise. We thought it was best to be low key for a while and let the people around us settle down before we could officially start seeing each other. It had been three days, but I couldn't hold my excitement of seeing her, as she had walked into the conference room, I had pulled her into a bone crushing hug; I had pulled her into me and placed my face at the crook of her neck; my nostrils were hit by her fragrance and that gave me an immense amount of tranquillity. As I inhaled deeply, I saw her reciprocating to that hug, but cautiously. I pulled apart and looked at her eyes; I was thwarted to see yet another storm brewing in those lovely dewy eyes. My heart started beating erratically in panic, was I going to lose her again?