I hurriedly opened the envelope and there was papa's reports inside it. I opened the reports with shaky hands and glanced at maa with unsure eyes.
My heart was loudly pounding inside my chest and my brain was making up worst scenarios. Keeping my fear aside, I started reading it.
The reports fell from my hands and I sat on the bed in shock, my mind went numb as I took sometimes to process the words which were written on the paper.
Lung cancer.
My papa was suffering from lung cancer..
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THIRD PERSON'S POV
Sunlight hit her face like everyday but this time the joy and the smile was missing from her pale and dull face. Her big brown eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks were tear stained and her lips were deep red, the consequences of crying whole night on her fate.
"I never asked for anything. I never wished for anything then why are you punishing me? All I ever asked you was to keep my parents happy and healthy and what you did? Why god why?" Her words were reaching her own ears, she could feel the pain in her voice.. in her each sentence but the problem is that no one else can hear her not even her parents.
The truth was too scary to believe but the fact that now she will have to live with this bitter truth was making her more restless and it was breaking her inch by inch slowly slowly. 
Last night, she only cried firstly because her father's sudden medical condition secondly because of him, the devil who came like a storm in her life and destroyed every thing and now lastly the truth that her father is suffering from cancer.
Her fragile heart couldn't take these shocks, the wet pillow was a proof of her agony, the dream catchers in her room were witnesses of her pain. The walls of her room saw her crying all night hugging the teddy beer her father gave her, but her parents were still unknown to her pain and miseries.
Her father knew that he was suffering from a disease a really bad disease but still he tried to act like everything is fine, he is fine but obviously we can't hide the truth for so long and this is exactly what happened yesterday.
The smile on her father's face never faded even after seeing her cry like a child hugging him but he showed her that he is strong and now she has to be strong for her mother and for him. Her father wants to live the little life he has without any pain and regrets. 
Her father's words were still echoing in her ears.
"Will you help me, beta? I want to forget this fact that I am suffering from cancer. I want to act like everything is as usual and I am perfectly fine. Will you help me forget this thing?" Dhiraj asked with hopeful eyes and forwarded his hand for her to hold.
Tears were brimming in her eyes seeing her father like this, but she held his hand and her heart clutched in pain the moment his hand met her. His hand was so weak and veins were prominent.
She immediately hugged her father and again she had a meltdown, her mother was watching the two most important persons of her life with teary eyes. She was crying for her love, her husband, she was crying for her daughter. 
Dhriti splashed cold water on her face but she didn't shiver or anything in this cold morning of Shimla, she didn't even switch on the geyser as her mind was already occupied and honestly she doesn't care anymore if the water is cold or hot because her heart and her soul were numb. 
Tears started flowing again from her eyes as she splashed more water on her face to make the tears mix with the cold water. She didn't know what will she do now. A devil is behind her and he will harm her family if she says no to his proposal. She doesn't know how to tell this thing to her parents who were already suffering badly.
She knows him well and to what extent he can go to take whatever he likes, she doesn't want him to do anything bad to her parents.
She dabbed her face with the towel and blinked her eyes rapidly, after doing her business she exited her room with a tight smile on her face which was not coming from her heart.
"PAPA" she shouted in enthusiasm as she saw her papa cooking in the kitchen, he was trying to act normal like nothing happened.
Her mother was sitting on the dinning chair watching her husband acting like a normal healthy man.
"Dhriti, come and drink this juice" her heart filled up with warmth hearing her father's voice, he ordered her to finish the apple juice like everyday. He knows she doesn't like apple juice but obviously it is good for health so she has to drink it.
If it would be any other day she would have made a disgusted face looking at the glass but today was different. Today she looked at the juice filled glass with love and pain. Love that her father put in the juice and pain of losing him one day.
Not like her father couldn't see the puffiness and redness in the eyes of his wife and daughter but he didn't say anything. Honestly he doesn't know what to say, he doesn't know how to deal with this bitter truth. He just wants to forget it, he wants everything to be like the way it was few days ago.
He was missing the giggles of his daughter which used to fill the house he was missing the glaring and scolding of his wife. He was missing those old days.
"Papa, this is really yukky" He chuckled looking at his daughter's efforts to make everything normal like before, he took a promise from her that she will act like nothing happened at all and his daughter was acting perfectly but deep down he knows that this acting will soon come to an end.
"By the way, what's for breakfast?" Asked Dhriti looking in the kadhai like she always do.
"I made lauki." came her mother's voice which made the father daughter duo let out a frustrated breath. 
"No...not again" her father said looking at his wife.
"Are you complaining?" Dhriti smiled seeing her mother's face. 
She was acting really perfectly but there was a sadness which was filled in air and they could feel it....
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