When We Must Part (COMPLETE)

117 - 122

117

Randhir watched them with an expression on his face that reflected the heartbreak he was feeling inside. He stumbled inside the room, stepping over the shards of glass on the floor. His feet were bleeding, but he didn't feel that pain at all.

"Randhir!" Sanyukta gasped, standing up with Vidya in her arms.

Randhir continued to walk forward like a zombie until he reached Sanyukta. Then he reached out and took Vidya from her, in his own arms and turned his back to her. He walked out of the room with his daughter, leaving Sanyukta to watch him go with tears in her eyes.

"He's broken," Renuka whispered.

"I know," Sanyukta said painfully.

"Go and talk to him," Renuka said. "Only you'll be able to heal his wounds right now."

"I don't know. I might make them worse," Sanyukta admitted.

She went after him though, accidentally stepping on the shards of broken glass too, her blood mixing with his, on the way out. It hurt, but it wasn't as painful as the ache in her heart upon anticipating how difficult this would be for Randhir to bear.

When Sanyukta entered his room, she saw that he was kissing Vidya all over her face, tears in his eyes. Sanyukta locked the door behind her and walked up to him, falling on the bed next to him, her feet bleeding.

Randhir didn't turn to look at her, but he just stared at his daughter, caressing her face and holding her on his lap.

"Randhir," Sanyukta said, reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder.

He ignored her.

"Randhir, I know you're hurt...and you have the right to be. I didn't tell you," Sanyukta admitted. "But I didn't do this for myself."

Randhir turned to face her angrily.

"Of course you did. You're selfish. You wanted to save your marriage so you hid this from everyone," Randhir hissed.

"Randhir that's not why -" she started, her heart aching.

"It is why," he interrupted. "You are selfish. Just get out of here."

"Okay I am selfish. I admit I am selfish that I wanted the best for my daughter," Sanyukta replied painfully. "I agree, but it isn't your fault, so you don't need to be hurt."

"I can't believe this," Randhir said, staring at Vidya.

"Randhir your feet," she whispered, glancing down at his feet which were still bleeding. "Let me -"

"No," he interrupted.

"Fine. Then mine will bleed too," she told him stubbornly.

Randhir looked down at her feet, shocked. Upon seeing the blood on her feet, a pained expression took over his face.

Two hearts already bled together, but now the wounds of heartache were opening up outside.

118

Randhir placed Vidya on Sanyukta's lap and then fell to the ground to look at her feet. Sanyukta's eyes welled up with tears as she watched him lovingly hold her feet.

Where had this love been a year and a half ago when he forced himself on her? He loved her then too right? Then how could it have just disappeared?

Randhir noticed that there were shards of glass stuck inside her feet and he stood up.

"Wait here," he told her and took Vidya from her lap.

Sanyukta watched silently as he took Vidya out of the room. Randhir went back downstairs and gave Renuka the one year old, before getting a first aid kit and rushing back upstairs. His feet were soaked in blood and undoubtedly his footprints were all over, but that could easily be cleaned up.