Chapter Thirteen

Shraddha looked at Randhir with a confused expression on her face.

"But only your hands look like mine," she said innocently.

His heart broke when he heard that. Just like it had broken when he heard that Parth had already set his and Sanyukta's wedding date. Just like it had broken when he found out that Shraddha had cancer. Just like it had broken when he found out that he had broken Sanyukta's heart and had a daughter he had never known about... and it was his own mistake.

Randhir engulfed Shraddha in a tight hug, silently making a decision: he would never look at Shraddha again. From what it seemed like, Parth had always been Shraddha's fatherly figure, even if she referred to him as Uncle. Parth loved Shraddha, and Randhir knew that Parth would take care of her and Sanyukta both.

"Shraddha, I am not someone you want to be with. Parth loves you very much Shraddha, he is your daddy," Randhir told her.

"Why not Daddy?" Shraddha asked, still stuck on calling him her father.

Randhir let go of her. He thought about how to explain to Shraddha, but Shraddha ran upto Sanyukta before throwing her hands around her mother's waist.

"Mommy, what's Daddy saying?" she asked innocently. "Why's he saying that he isn't my Daddy and not someone I want to be with? And why are you crying Mommy?"

Randhir looked up to see tears falling out of Sanyukta's eyes as she caressed Shraddha's hair. She was not in the state to say anything either.

"Shraddha, if you had to choose one person: me or Parth uncle, who would you choose?" Randhir asked painfully, walking up to the duo and falling to his knees.

Parth was standing uncomfortably behind them, and Randhir didn't blame him. It was an awkward situation to be in. He noticed Parth quietly slip out of the room, giving them space, and Randhir had to say, this was a quality of Parth's he always respected.

"Why do I need to choose, Daddy?" Shraddha asked, removing her arms from Sanyukta's waist and turning towards Randhir.

Sanyukta fell to her knees too as Randhir firmly placed his hands on Shraddha's tiny shoulders.

"Shraddha, there are some things that are beyond reasoning," Randhir explained painfully to his daughter. "You tell me. If only one person had to be in your life, who would you choose?"

"Randhir -" Sanyukta finally said, but Randhir gave her a look that silenced her.

He knew what she was thinking - she didn't want Shraddha to go through this turmoil, but Shraddha had to find out someday, she had to be told the truth, and if they told her kindly now, it would save her a lot of heartbreak later.

"I don't want to choose!" Shraddha yelled, tears falling from her eyes. "Why are you making me choose?"

Randhir wiped her tears away gently.

"Shraddha, you only met me a few days ago. Why do you want me to be with you so badly?" he asked her, an ache in his chest.

"Because you're my Daddy," Shraddha said sincerely.

"No I'm not Shraddha," Randhir said. "Parth is."

Shraddha burst into tears and her tears made Randhir want to cry too - he hurt her a lot, but he knew that she would only be more hurt in the coming days if she had this false hope that Randhir and her Parth uncle would both be with her forever.

"Randhir enough!" Sanyukta said, cupping Shraddha's face and pulling her close. She crossed her legs and sat her daughter on her lap, kissing her forehead.

"Sanyukta, she has to know," Randhir argued. "You can't give her false hope forever. She will know soon and it will traumatize her. She wants me and Parth both - you know that's not possible!"

Shraddha continued to sob and Sanyukta rubbed her back affectionately.

"Randhir, you don't understand. This is the difference between you and Parth. He has always been and if I ask him to, he will continue to be a silent spectator, living in the background for our happiness. You can't even do that for your daughter?" Sanyukta said angrily.

"What are you trying to say Sanyukta?" Randhir retorted, equally angry. "Your daughter wants Parth to marry you but me to live with you guys as her Daddy. Does that make sense?"

"My daughter?" Sanyukta asked, sounding offended. "Randhir, this is exactly what I expected from you."

She pulled Shraddha back slightly and looked into her daughter's eyes.

"Shraddha, I'm saying this once so listen closely. You don't need Randhir. He isn't your daddy. Whatever he's saying is the truth. Your daddy is Parth uncle, and your mommy is marrying your daddy," she said. "And I know, if you had to choose between Parth and Randhir, you'd choose Parth. You just didn't want to hurt Randhir's feelings."

Randhir felt like a stone had been thrown at his heart, but this was what he had wanted - this was what he had expected.

"But mommy," Shraddha whispered as she cried. "I don't want Randhir daddy to leave."

"Shraddha think about what you're saying!" Sanyukta yelled, getting frustrated now. "You have known Parth ever since you were born - you met this man a few days ago and you're arguing for him?"

Shraddha sobbed some more and Randhir didn't know what hurt him more - Shraddha's tears, or Sanyukta's truthful words.

"Sorry Mommy," Shraddha said as she cried.

"It's okay baby. Trust me, what's going to happen now will happen for the best," Sanyukta told her, wiping her daughter's tears. "Look, your mommy and daddy will be together forever happily - just like old times. Me, Parth and you?"

"How about Randhir Daddy," Shraddha asked.

"Randhir Uncle has his own life Shraddha," Sanyukta told him. "He won't be around us anymore."

"Can I talk to him on the phone?" she asked innocently.

"Yes," Randhir said quickly. "You can."

Shraddha sniffled and hugged her Mommy more tightly.

"Mommy are you sure?" Shraddha asked sadly. "Are you sure he isn't my Daddy? He looks like me."

Sanyukta looked into Randhir's eyes painfully and his heart ached to see the pain in her eyes.

"Yes, I'm sure sweetie," Sanyukta whispered.

Shraddha got up from Sanyukta's lap and walked up to Randhir, looking in his eyes inquisitively.

"You're lying to me Mommy," she said, still looking into her father's eyes. "He is my Daddy."

Randhir noticed Sanyukta's mouth drop open. He couldn't help but feel a certain warmth in his heart - after all she wasn't rank one's daughter for no reason.

"I'm not your Daddy Shraddha," Randhir told her. His daughter's happiness meant more to him than his own desires.

"Daddy don't lie to me," Shraddha said, looking hurt. "Why are you and Mommy both lying to me?"

Randhir sighed - Shraddha was his and Sanyukta's daughter. She was never going to give up. She was too smart to lie to.

"Okay Shraddha, let me tell you a story," he said, taking his daughter and placing her on his lap. "There was a beast... he broke a Princess's heart in the worst possible way. He hurt her a lot."

"But why?" Shraddha intervened.

"Because he was a beast," Randhir told her. "The Princess loved him a lot - so much, that she was even willing to stay with him after he had hurt her. But the beast was stubborn. The beast left her forever."

"But why did he leave her?" Shraddha asked.

"I told you Shraddha. He's a beast," Randhir explained. "Moving forward, the Princess found a Prince - someone who took care of her, someone who was there for her when she cried, someone who was her pillar of strength... her greatest support. Now tell me, should she go back to the beast or stay with the Prince?"

He looked up into Sanyukta's puffy eyes. Her hand was pressed against her mouth, as if she was stifling a sob.

"Is the beast sorry?" Shraddha asked innocently. "Does the beast love the Princess? And does the Princess still love the beast?"

"Does it matter Shraddha?" Randhir asked hoarsely, feeling his own words start to choke in his throat.

"Yes Daddy," Shraddha said. "It matters."

He was about to ask why when a pained voice answered.

"Because the Beast turned into a Prince and Beauty and the Beast got together at the end of the story," Sanyukta intervened, catching Randhir by surprise.

Then it hit him. Sanyukta still had the hope that everything would be alright between her and Randhir and that she didn't have to marry Parth. She still wanted to be with him... but she was conflicted. How could he tell her that he would love to be with her too, but the conflict that was present in her mind was way too superior to let them stay happily?

"But there wasn't another Prince in that story Sanyukta," Randhir said softly. "Here there's a Prince who's ready to take the Princess home. But if the Princess is adamant about staying with the Beast, how could the Princess be happy? She will be miserable."

"What if the beast is the Prince in her eyes?" she asked, her eyes welling up with tears again. "What if the beast was always her Prince? What if nobody else exists for her but the beast?"

"I thought this story was for me!" Shraddha intervened. "Daddy, if the Beast truly loved the Princess, he wouldn't have broken her heart. So the Princess should go with the Prince."

"Exactly Shraddha, you get the purpose of the story," Randhir said, looking into Sanyukta's eyes the whole time. "Not everyone understands."

Then he looked back down at Shraddha and caressed her cheek gently.

"Shraddha, the same happened with your Mommy and Daddy. Your Daddy broke your Mommy's heart," he told her softly. "Your Mommy shouldn't stay with your Daddy anymore."

There was a few moments of silence.

"You didn't love Mommy?" Shraddha finally asked painfully.

How could he tell his daughter that he loved her Mommy. He loved her a lot - more than he loved his own life. He regretted his mistakes and he wished he could turn back time and make everything alright again. But he was no magician.

"I loved her," Randhir told her. "I loved her a lot Shraddha. But my love wasn't enough."

Shraddha got up from Randhir's lap and walked back up to Sanyukta, wiping away her mother's tears.

"No Daddy, you didn't love her," Shraddha said, sounding disappointed. "Daddy, if you loved Mommy, you wouldn't have broken her heart."