'Good morning, Papa' Sanyukta says cheerfully

Kishore and her brother are sitting in the living room drinking their morning tea, Kishore is reading a newspaper while Ankit is fidgeting with his mobile

'Good morning, Beta' Kishore greets his daughter happily.

Sanyukta walks towards the kitchen when her father stops her 'Beta, where are you going?'

'Papa, I am going to the kitchen to help Vidhushi' Sanyukta says

Kishore wanted to stop Sanyukta but she quickly left

'This girl...' Kishore says shaking his head.

Vidhushi is making faces and trying to cook breakfast, from past two years she is slogging here at the Aggarwal's. She had expected after marrying Ankit she will get everything she had dreamt of, money and loads of it, she does have money but then her bad luck she can't enjoy her life the way she always wanted to, she traded her love and freedom for this. She hates this life. Her gaze falls on Sanyukta who is walking towards her, she has a shy smile on her lips, her face glowing, she is twirling the end of her wet tresses.

'Good morning' Sanyukta says brightly

Vidhushi rolls her eyes and turns her attention towards cutting Bhindi.

'I will cut onions...' Sanyukta says after few seconds, she looks around and finds a sack of onion placed under the kitchen slab, she bends down

'Be careful' Vidhushi says pushing her slightly, 'if something happens Papa will blame me' she says rudely and bends down taking out few onions.

'You needn't worry; I will be fine' Sanyukta says smiling as Vidhushi hands her the onions. Vidhushi looks at Sanyukta and smiles

'Not me, you should be the one worrying' she says turning her attention back to the Bhindis. Sanyukta pauses and looks at her sister in law.

'What do you mean?' she says

'I mean worry about Randhir and yourself....' She says shrugging

'What?' Sanyukta says placing her hand on her hip

'After few months, you will lose you're this...hour glass shape and soon will be roaming around with puffy cheeks and bulging belly and horrible mood swings...and then Randhir will eventually lose interest in you.' Vidhushi says coolly

Sanyukta's mouth drops open

'This will not happen' Sanyukta says possessively, this will never happen. Randhir loves her and not just her body, also she is carrying his baby why will he ditch her. Vidhushi is just scaring her.

'He won't be getting any action from you and with all the pretty ladies roaming around him, how much will he control. He is a man after all' Vidhushi shrugs

'Are you mad? Randhir loves me...he will be with me and busy with me, he won't have time to even a spare a glance at other women' Sanyukta defends Randhir, she doesn't even know why she is even talking to this woman, she is always full of negativity.

'Look Sanyukta, you are not just my friend...you are also my sister in law and I thought it is my duty to warn you...but then it's your wish.' Vidhushi says

Sanyukta slams the knife on the kitchen counter and leaves angrily. Vidhushi smirks, she has planted the seed now she will have to wait for the tree to grow.

Randhir is sound asleep on his bed, his arms and legs spread wide, his mouth slightly. Sanyukta enters the room and smiles looking at him, he is looking so cute. She smirks and tiptoes towards his sleeping figure.

She leans over him, she slowly brings her hair in front of his face, water droplet falls from her hair onto his face. Randhir frowns feeling water on his face. He slowly opens his eyes and finds Sanyukta standing there with her wet hair over him. He smiles dreamily and moves his hand to touch her cheek but Sanyukta smiles and turns to leave. Randhir swiftly holds her hand stopping her.

'Randhir...' Sanyukta says shyly.

Randhir pulls her making her fall over him, he wraps his arms around her waist and nuzzles into her neck.

'Bre...Break...breakfast...'

'Shh...' Randhir places his finger on her lips, Sanyukta smiles closing her eyes and parting her lips. Randhir leans and captures her soft lips with his, kissing her gently

'Arey beta...oh my god...sorry'

Randhir and Sanyukta jump apart when they hear Kishore's voice, they turn to look at Kishore's back which is towards them, he slams the door shut behind him.

'Shit' Sanyukta says, her dad saw everything. She being over Randhir and kissing him, oh God! She wishes she could just disappear from here, how embarrassing, what must he be thinking?

'Your dad should knock' Randhir says sitting properly on the bed, Sanyukta glares at him

'He is my dad and this is his house...he can go anywhere he wants' Sanyukta says

'At least he should knock, who comes so shamelessly into a married couples room' Randhir says

That was it for Sanyukta she picks up a pillow and throws at him hard

'Dare you say anything against my dad. I will slap you' she says pointing her index finger at him, Randhir gulps seeing the fury in her eyes

'If you want to come for breakfast then come, else don't bother' Sanyukta says haughtily flipping her hair to one side and turns to leave, Randhir notices the back of her kurtha wet and transparent, he should apologize to her.

Everyone is sitting in the living room, Randhir watches Sanyukta and Kishore happily chatting. Sanyukta is sitting on the armrest of the sofa and has her arm around her father, Kishore places his hand on her head and blesses her, they continue to talk something. Randhir goes into his dreamland

Randhir is sitting on the sofa dressed in an orange Kurtha, his grey hair neatly combed, he is busy reading his newspaper

'Sanyukta, how much more should I wait for my tea...' he yells adjusting his thick-rimmed black glasses on his nose.

'Sanyukta...'he yells feeling agitated, he had asked her for tea, hours ago, what the hell is she doing?

'Papa'

Randhir hears a soft voice of a girl after few minutes. He moves his newspaper and looks ahead. There is a girl standing dressed in a white and red Anarkali, she has almond shaped chocolate brown eyes like his, cute nose like Sanyukta and pink lips like his. She has her long hair tied in a braid. She has the most beautiful smile; she is carrying a tray with a cup of tea.

'Beta, keep it here' Randhir says lovingly

The girl smiles and places the tray and forwards him the cup, Randhir smiles. His daughter looks so beautiful, his heart fills with pride.

'Papa, there something I need to talk to you about...' the girl says nervously fidgeting with the end of her dupatta

'Haan, beta' he says taking a sip of his tea

'Papa, I want to...I...I...have...a boyfriend...I love him and he loves me a lot....'

Randhir chokes.

'Randhir...what are you doing?' Sanyukta asks jerking him from his dreamland

'Stay away from that loafer else I will lock you in your room' he yells stunning everyone present in the living room.

Randhir looks around embarrassed, he is sitting in the living room with Kishore, Ankit, Vidhushi, and Sanyukta. He touches his face, there is no glasses nor any wrinkles. He shakes his head feeling relieved.

Randhir and Sanyukta are sitting on a swing in the backyard, their fingers entwined

'Sanyukta...I had a very bad dream' Randhir confesses

Sanyukta looks at him curiously

'I dreamt, we have a grown-up daughter and she...she has...a boyfriend' Randhir says, he shudders as he completes his sentence.

Sanyukta giggles

'So' she says casually

Randhir's jaw drops open, how can she be so cool about it?

'You are okay with it?' Randhir says in disbelief

'Yeah so, it's normal. We too were boyfriend and girlfriend before we married' Sanyukta says and wraps her arms around his.

Randhir jerks his hand 'Meri baath alag hai Sanyukta, I will not tolerate my daughter bringing a guy and introducing him as her boyfriend. I will not let any guy come close to her, I will break their legs...I will save my daughter from all bad boys...'Randhir says walking away from Sanyukta and back into the house.

'What happened to him? pagal' Sanyukta says smiling at his cute antics.

1 week later,

Randhir and Sanyukta are working in the lab together, Randhir places his hand over hers. Sanyukta looks at him. He is simply looking at her lovingly, Sanyukta isn't able to read his expressions. She lowers her lashes feeling shy, the intensity of his look making her go weak in the knees. Randhir places his hand on her cheek and she slowly looks at him

'Sanyukta...' he whispers, his eyes still glued to her. Sanyukta nods smiling

'I hope our kid turns out to be just like you...beautiful...mature and someone who loves their family and respects their parents' he says, this is something he wanted to say to her for so long.

Sanyukta held his hand

'And intelligent and smart like you' she says kissing the back of his palm, Randhir smiles sadly

'I wish our kid doesn't turn out to be like me' he says sadly, Sanyukta frowns.

'Randhir, why are you saying like that?' Sanyukta says sounding concerned

Randhir looks at her, Sanyukta notices tears in his eyes 'I was never a good son, Sanyukta' he sighs, Sanyukta takes his face in her palms and looks directly into his eyes.

'No...No (she shakes her head) you are not a bad son, the circumstances weren't in your favour...you are the best son, best boyfriend...best husband and you will world's best father too' she says, she leans forward and kisses his forehead lovingly. She then hugs him.

Randhir hugs her back, he knows Sanyukta is saying all this just to make him feel better, but he knows the truth.

'Sanyukta, its getting late. you go and sleep' he says looking away from her, Sanyukta places her hand on his but he jerks it away

'leave me alone' Randhir says dryly.

Sanyukta decides it's better to leave him alone for now

'Okay...I love you...good night' she says and pecks corner of his lips

'Love you too' Randhir replies still not looking at her. Sanyukta sighs and leaves.

Once she leaves, Randhir takes out his phone from his pocket, going through his phone gallery he stops on finding his family photo. There is his mother, Renuka Saniyal, holding him, he was a toddler then. He is frowning. His father, Harshvardan standing next to his wife and his son. His parents smiling at Randhir from behind the screen.

They seemed so happy, everything looked picture perfect but in reality, nothing was perfect...in fact, it was anything but perfect.

Randhir's eyes well up with tears, he slowly caresses the photo

'I am sorry mom....' His lips trembles, a teardrop falls from his eyes 'I am sorry, dad' he says, bringing his phone to his lips and he kisses the photo.

He looks at the photo again, a teardrop falls on it.

Randhir wishes he could go back in time and change everything. He could go back to the time when his mother had been pleading him to forgive her, if he had acted maturely and forgiven her, given her a second chance, then maybe...just maybe she might have been alive and here with him. Caring loving and protecting him.

Randhir wishes he could go back in time when his father had come to meet him in ISRC, had he shown a little sympathy and at least listen to what he had to say...then maybe...just maybe he would have convinced his father for a liver transplant and then his life could have been saved.

Randhir places his phone on the table and buries his face in his palms and begins to sob, all of sudden he is feeling lonely and very vulnerable.

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