Chapter 28: The Difference He Could See

The night was still.

Too still.

The kind of silence that makes even the smallest sound feel louder.

And then it came.

A sudden cry.

Mannat.

Sharp.

Restless.

Both of them woke up instantly.

Veeresh sat up first, his senses alert. He reached for her without thinking, lifting her carefully into his arms.

“It is okay,” he said softly, trying to calm her.

But Mannat did not stop.

Her cries only grew louder, her tiny hands moving restlessly, her face turning slightly red.

Veeresh tried again, adjusting his hold, patting her gently.

“She cries like this sometimes,” he said, more to explain than anything else.

But nothing changed.

Poornima was already watching.

Observing.

Understanding.

“Give her to me,” she said quietly.

Veeresh looked at her for a second.

“Do you know why she is crying?” he asked.

Poornima held his gaze.

“Yes,” she said simply.

There was no hesitation in her voice.

No doubt.

Something in that made him pause.

Then he handed Mannat to her.

The moment Poornima held her, her expression softened completely.

She brought the child closer, her hand gently moving over her back.

“It is okay,” she whispered, her voice calm, soothing.

Then she looked at Veeresh.

“Turn that side,” she said gently.

He understood.

Without questioning, he turned away, giving her space.

Poornima adjusted herself, holding Mannat securely, and began feeding her.

Within moments,

The crying stopped.

Just like that.

The room fell silent again.

But this time, it was filled with something else.

Peace.

Mannat relaxed in her arms, her tiny fingers curling gently, her breathing settling into a soft rhythm.

She was content.

Safe.

Veeresh turned back slowly.

He saw it.

Everything.

The way Poornima held her.

The way she looked at her.

No hesitation.

No difference.

Just care.

After a while, Mannat drifted back to sleep.

Poornima gently moved her away, adjusting her position carefully so she would not wake again.

She wiped the corner of her mouth softly.

Then she leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

“Sleep, Mannu,” she whispered.

The name came naturally.

Like she had always said it.

Veeresh watched quietly.

He did not interrupt.

He did not speak.

He simply… observed.

After a moment, he asked, his voice low,

“How did you know?”

Poornima looked at him.

“Aryan used to cry like this,” she said. “So I know.”

That was all.

No explanation beyond that.

No pride.

No display.

Just truth.

Veeresh said nothing after that.

He lay back slowly, his gaze still on her.

Poornima had already closed her eyes, her hand still resting lightly near Mannat, as if even in sleep, she would not let her drift too far.

Veeresh’s mind did not quiet.

It moved.

Replayed.

The way she understood without being told.

The way she soothed without effort.

The way she fed Mannat, not as someone fulfilling a role,

But as someone who cared.

And one thing became clear to him.

There was no difference.

Not in her touch.

Not in her care.

Not in the way she held them.

She treated Mannat the same way she treated Aryan.

With the same warmth.

The same instinct.

The same love.

Veeresh closed his eyes slowly.

For the first time,

He was not just thinking that she could be right for Mannat.

He was seeing it.

Clearly.

Without doubt.

And that realization stayed with him,

Long after the night grew quiet again.