Chapter 20: A New Beginning

It was a bright Monday morning. The living room was filled with the usual chaos — school uniforms scattered on the sofa, lunch boxes being packed, and little feet running around with mismatched socks.

Poornima stood near the kitchen counter, gently holding her slightly visible baby bump. She smiled as she packed Ayan's favorite paneer paratha and Aradhya’s fruit slices. Her glow was unmistakable — not just of pregnancy, but of a woman loved, secure, and cherished.

“Ammaaa! Where’s my water bottle?” Ayan shouted from the living room, struggling to wear his shoes.

“Next to your bag, kanna! And tie your lace properly, not like last time, okay?” Poornima replied, laughing.

Veeresh walked in, holding Aradhya’s tiny shoes in one hand and a hair clip in the other. “This little madam wants to wear butterfly clips and sparkly socks. She says it's her first school day and she must look 'twinkly'.”

“Twinkly means pretty, Appa!” Aradhya corrected him with a wide grin.

Poornima watched them, her eyes softening. Veeresh knelt down to put the shoes on Aradhya, then kissed her forehead. “Ready to make friends, my little twinkly star?”

Aradhya nodded and kissed his cheek. “Dada, I’ll make you proud!”

Veeresh turned to Poornima and smiled — a smile full of love, pride, and a silent thank you for the family they had become.

He walked to her and placed his palm gently on her stomach. “And now this little one is joining the madness. I’m the luckiest man alive.”

She looked into his eyes, blushing slightly. “We’re lucky, Veeresh. To have Aradhya, Ayan… and now this baby.”

He leaned in and whispered near her ear, “Do you think it’ll be a girl with your smile or a boy with my dimples?”

Poornima giggled. “Either way, it’ll be deeply loved.”

Ayan ran to her and hugged her belly. “Amma, the baby will play with me too na? And I’ll teach ABCD!”

Aradhya followed and placed her hand gently on the bump. “I’ll share my toys too, promise!”

Veeresh looked at his family — the two kids he adored, the woman who changed his life, and the tiny life growing inside her. In that moment, his world was whole.

They stepped out together — Ayan proudly holding Poornima’s hand, Aradhya gripping Veeresh’s finger tightly. A perfect family walking into a new chapter.

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Scene ends with Veeresh looking at Poornima as the wind blows her saree slightly, and he thinks,

“She gave me a home, a heart, and a forever. And now, she’s giving me a world.”