The Forbidden One

Chapter 6

It was dated 22 years back and the paper almost lost it's texture and was crumpled at edges, the ink was slightly faded, yet it looked perfect and intact. I moist smell of old papers hit my senses as soon as I opened the letter.

Hello again, Mr. Oberoi,

You might be thinking, why I am writing to you even after you accused me as a gold digger, assassinating my character. Don't worry I am not writing to blackmail you or reap your money, but to thank you for what you have done. You might be thinking why I am saying Thank you after what you have done to me, but let me tell you, it's because of what you have done that I got a chance to meet Shakti Sharma, a man with a golden heart, who took care of me throughout my pregnancy and who is willing to share his life with me, the man, who proved that not all men are sam, and gave my child his last name. Yes, I kept the baby, cause I am not a coward to run away from my responsibilities and I am glad about my decision of not aborting the child cause I fell in love with My baby girl the moment, she looked at me. I just want to let you know that you need not worry about me or my child coming back into your life, we don't have any thoughts of being in the life a man, who can't accept his responsibilities. I named my baby "Gauri", and I will raise her strong and powerful like Maa durga herself, she will be strong unlike me, who was naive and innocent enough to fall in the honey trap of the people. I am also sending the DNA samples of my baby, for you to make sure that she is in fact your child, it's not because I want you to support her, but to know the truth before accusing a woman, especially the one who's innocence you took.

Good bye, Mr. Oberoi. Hope we will never meet again.

With heavy heart, I opened another paper that was inside the envelope.

Both the samples of DNA matched.

Result - Positive

"That was the DNA report, I got after I sent mine and the baby's hair follicles to the lab. The tests were performed under the anonymous names cause I don't want the scandal." My father said in a low tone.

"She's your Daughter." I said in a heavy voice as I sat in the near by chair feeling my legs wobble.

"Yes, she is. All these years, I felt guilt about not being able to be near my daughter and have her call me as dad. But I used to feel happy knowing that she has someone better than me, a better man, who had the luck of having her and Pinky in his life."

"Why now?" I asked wanting to know, why after 22 years of Gauri's birth and three years after my mother's demise, he brought Gauri home.

"When I was in Kolkata last week, attending Mr. Rajveer Mukherjee's business party, I met Smitha Mukherjee his wife and Pinky's friend, in whose cafe Pinky used to work. She was shocked, seeing me after many years and then she berated me about how I left Pinky's side, when she was pregnant with my kid and what all Pinky went through."

"And in guilt, you reconciled with Mrs. Sharma, after apologizing to her?"

"I wish I could have done that, but it's too late now." My father rasped.

"What does that mean?"

"Pinky and her husband are no more." My father said as a tear escaped from his eyes. "They met with an accident last month and... " His voice broke.

I felt sad for Mr and Mrs. Sharma, and for Gauri.

"I could no longer stay strong, knowing my daughter was living alone in sadness, Omkara. I felt like it's the last thing, I could do to repent my mistakes. I went and met Gauri immediately. When I told her about me being her father, she was devastated, then I requested her to come home with me, after a lot of futile attempts she agreed to accompany me to Mumbai. I had been a coward once Omkara, running away from my mistakes and responsibilities but I can no longer do that, hate me but I can't abandon my daughter again."

" I could live with your hate but I can no longer live with this regret and guilt." My father said as he sat in his rocking chair, vulnerably.

"I can never hate you, Dad, not in this life." I said as I walked out of the room, every inch of my heart feeling heavy.

It's been five days since my father confessed the truth, the truth that I couldn't digest still. Five days since I had been holed up in my office, I no longer have the courage to go home and face the reality, where the only girl, I had ever felt close to my heart and the one with whom I imagined a life together, is my.... Hell, I can't even say that word, my mind still can't accept the fact. But the again I looked down at the DNA report which had positive written in it, which was a slap across my face.

"Argh___" I shouted aloud holding my head between my hands for the hundredth but the rage and frustration inside me won't go away.

The knock on the door reminded me that I was in my office in the middle of a working day, I smoothened my shirt and hair, trying to presentable.

"Enter." I said in my usual bossy tone and Mr. Roberts entered inside the cabin with a file, thanks to the sound proof walls.

"Sir, the intel you asked about the Sharma's." Mr. Roberts said giving the blue covered file.

"You can leave now." I said waving off my hand and my assistant left.

I opened the file that contained all the information about Sharma's.

Shakti Sharma - Doctor at Shimla hospital, aged 50, deceased.

Place of Birth - Tripura
Orphan.

Pinky Sharma - Owner of Arts and Crafts, Shimla. Aged 45, deceased.

Place of Birth - Darjeeling

Parents -  Parbati Sanyal
                  Debabrata Sanyal

Siblings - Raghubir Sanyal - Brother.

Gauri Sharma - Graduated in Business from Imperial College. Age - 22.

•No siblings

I tossed away the file as I found nothing that can help me. My phone pinged with a notification.

Hey O, going to Michigan to attend a meeting, can't make it for Sunday Lunch.

~ Rudra.

I have been staying in my office for past few days but now I have to go home tomorrow and face the reality.