Ch41Kathas Sacred Truth #2
she surrendered to his wishes and was married off to Naresh Bedi. But the morning right after the wedding, a storm hit the Bedi household it was discovered that Katha was already pregnant".
Rivanya's breath caught completely in her throat.
"Terrified that Naresh Bedi would instantly divorce and humiliate Katha, my father frantically transferred a massive portion of our ancestral properties and wealth directly into Katha's name," Nanaji whispered, his hands shaking.
"It was pure, unadulterated greed for that massive wealth that motivated Naresh Bedi to accept the compromise. He agreed to give you his family name, and soon after, you were born, my sweet Rivu. But the torment didn't stop there. The moment you turned five years old,
Naresh Bedi brought his mistress, Sumitra, directly into the family home. Unable to bear the crushing weight of that ultimate humiliation and grief, Katha suffered a sudden heart attack... and she left us forever."
Nanaji lowered his head into his palms, his shoulders shaking with a final, bitter truth. "But deep down in my heart, I have always felt that her heart attack wasn't natural. There was something else... a darker conspiracy behind her death. But that secret went straight into the grave with her."
The ground beneath Rivanya completely dissolved.
The sheer magnitude of the horror she had just heard was a physical blow to her senses.
Her strength failed her entirely, and she dropped heavily to the floor, sitting numb and senseless in absolute shock.
Seeing her slide into a completely unresponsive state, Dhara let out a panicked cry, running forward instantly to wrap her arms around Rivanya and hold her up.
Dhara pulled Rivanya tightly against her chest, her own voice cracking with panic. "Rivu, please, hold yourself together... breathe!"
The heavy, painful revelation left a piercing ache in everyone's chest.
Standing in the corner of the room, Sandeep felt a sudden, uncontrollable rage boil over.
Driven by absolute fury, he smashed his fist directly into a nearby ceramic vase.
The decorative piece shattered into sharp fragments, and blood immediately began to ooze from his split knuckles.
The family gasped in terror. Vasudha bolted across the room, weeping as she desperately grabbed his bleeding hand.
Sandeep didn't even flinch at the physical pain, his chest heaving with rage as he glared at his father.
"It was because of Dadaji's toxic, backward mindset that I packed my bags and left this house years ago! And behind my back, my sister had to endure so much horror? Papa, why on earth did you keep me in the dark about all this?
How could you quietly stand by and let Didi's life be systematically destroyed?!"
Nanaji lowered his head, completely broken and reduced to a shell of a man as the tears flowed freely.
"That was my greatest sin, Sandeep... my absolute failure to stand up against my own father. And my children had to pay the bloody price for my cowardice. It forced you to abandon your home, and it demanded the ultimate sacrifice from Katha, who paid for it with her very life."
Sandeep sharply turned his face away, his jaw locking as he tried to hide the silent, agonizing tears streaming down his face.
Nani maa, trembling from head to toe, choked out through her sobs, "We couldn't save our Katha... we couldn't protect our own child. But we absolutely lacked the courage to leave her final, sacred blessing in the clutches of a monster like Naresh Bedi.
That is precisely why we pulled you away and brought you to Kashi, Rivu. But even then, the dark shadow of Naresh Bedi's name refused to leave your side. Under the false pretense of being a father, he ruthlessly exploited you,
manipulating you emotionally until he forced you into an arranged marriage against your will..."
Rivanya sat frozen like a ghost on the cold floor, her eyes completely vacant.
The trauma was so immense she didn't even know how to begin processing it.
Seeing her unresponsive state, Nanaji dragged his fragile body forward.
He dropped right in front of her, clutching her feet as a heavy, broken sob escaped his chest.
"Rivu, beta... please forgive me," Nanaji begged, his voice dripping with pure despair. "I am the real killer of your mother. I failed to protect my own child. But please, beta, do not hate your Nanaji... if you hate me, I will literally die of guilt."
The sight of her grandfather at her feet snapped Rivanya out of her trance.
Horrified, she immediately pulled his hands away from her feet, wrapping her own fingers around them as fresh tears burst from her eyes.
"Nanu! What on earth are you doing? And how could you even think for a single second that I would ever hate you? You are my absolute strength, Nanu. You and this family are all I have. You raised me exactly like your own daughter... please, never utter such words again."
Hearing her pure, unconditional reassurance, Nanaji pulled her into a fierce, emotional embrace.
Locked in his arms, Rivanya's remaining walls crumbled, and she dissolved into a fit of breathless, gut-wrenching sobs.
Watching her break down tore through the heart of every single person standing in that room, leaving everyone in tears.
After a long time, Rivanya managed to pull back slightly, wiping her wet face with a trembling hand as she forced herself to ask the most critical question. "Then, Nanu... who is my real father? Where is he right now? Does he... does he know anything about any of this?"
Nanaji looked down in sheer helplessness, his shoulders slumping completely.
"Beta... everything back then happened with such terrifying speed and chaos.
Before I could find out, the wedding was forced upon her.
I... I never managed to find out the name or identity of the man Katha loved.
I don't know who your biological father is.
"Hearing this, the very last fragment of Rivanya's hope shattered into absolute dust. She stared at him, her voice dropping into a hollow, broken whisper. "Then... how will I ever find out who I am? How will I ever find my father?"
Nanaji had no answers left to give. He merely bowed his head, his shoulders shaking as his quiet, heavy tears continued to wash over his wrinkled hands. Seeing him completely break down, Nani maa stepped forward through her own tears, gently rubbing his back to anchor his shattered composure.
Rivanya sat in a contemplative silence for a lingering moment, trying to piece together the fragments of the puzzle.
Suddenly, a realization struck her, and she looked up at her grandparents.
"But Nanu... if you don't know anything, why did Mumma explicitly mention her Dada-Dadi Naresh Bedi's mother and father in her final letter? Why did she write that the answers to all my questions are waiting with them?"
Nanaji paused, a sudden spark of recollection cutting through his grief.
He wiped his eyes and nodded slowly. "Because... they are likely the only ones who know the complete truth. Naresh Bedi's parents are genuinely beautiful, righteous souls, Rivu. After that chaotic wedding, they supported Katha at every single step. They stood by her like real parents. In fact,
when the truth of the pregnancy came to light, they were so disgusted by Naresh's behavior and greed that they cut all ties with their own son. They took Katha away with them to their ancestral home in Indore and took care of her with absolute devotion throughout her pregnancy. To this day,
they fiercely consider you their real granddaughter, Rivu. For Katha's sake, they permanently turned their backs on their own blood."
Sandeep's jaw tightened, his voice laced with deep skepticism and residual anger.
"And what guarantee do we have that they didn't take Didi away just to protect their own interests, Papa? For all we know, they might have hidden her in Indore just to shield their so-called family reputation from the prying eyes of society!"
Rivanya shook her head softly, her expression turning quiet but absolute.
"No, Papa. I know deep down that their love for me is entirely real. We have all witnessed it. Because of the sudden wedding and the chaos that followed, I haven't been able to speak to them in a very long time, but now the hour has come. I have to find out the truth of my existence."
Sandeep stepped closer, his face etched with fatherly worry.
"But beta, you cannot forget that at the end of the day, they are Naresh Bedi's parents. A mother and father will always harbor a blind spot for their own son. Why would they willingly help you uncover a secret that could destroy their son's remaining reputation?"
Rivanya looked up at her uncle, her eyes burning with an unyielding conviction.
"Because they value truth over blood, Papa. There is absolute righteousness in them, and deep down, you know it too. If they didn't care about Mumma, why would they abandon their billionaire lifestyle, leave half their fortunes behind, and choose to live like ordinary,
simple individuals in Indore all these years?"
Hearing her flawless logic, Sandeep's arguments died in his throat.
He fell entirely silent. He couldn't deny her words; over the years, he too had caught glimpses of the immense, pure adoration Naresh's parents held for Rivanya a devotion that was entirely untainted by fake pretenses or corporate greed.
A heavy silence descended upon the room as Sandeep Mamaji looked at Rivanya, his expression clouded with deep concern.
After a long, quiet pause, he spoke with a trembling voice, "Rivanya beta, look at me and tell me the absolute truth. If you do not want to live with Rudraksh, you don't have to force yourself into this marriage. I have already lost my sister to a forced relationship, and I refuse to lose you too.
If you wish, we can initiate a divorce right now."