Chapter 70: You Should Have Told Us

Aryan had the time of his life in the fields.

The moment they arrived, he jumped off the Bullet and ran around excitedly.

"Dad, what are we doing today?"

Veeresh smiled.

"Today you will work."

Aryan immediately looked suspicious.

"Work?"

"Yes."

A few workers nearby laughed.

Veeresh knelt beside him and showed him how to carefully spread fresh grass for the cattle.

Aryan watched attentively.

Then tried doing it himself.

The first attempt ended with more grass on him than where it was supposed to be.

The workers laughed.

Aryan laughed too.

Then tried again.

And again.

Until finally he managed properly.

"Dad! I did it!"

Veeresh looked at his son proudly.

"You did."

The praise made Aryan's face glow.

The rest of the evening passed happily.

They walked through the fields.

Visited the cattle shed.

Played near the river.

Aryan splashed water everywhere while Veeresh repeatedly warned him not to fall.

Then suddenly Aryan pointed excitedly.

"Dad! Frogs!"

Several frogs sat near the riverbank.

Aryan immediately crouched down to watch them.

Veeresh laughed.

"Nice, aren't they?"

Aryan nodded seriously.

Then looked at his father.

"Maybe I should take one home."

Veeresh immediately knew where this conversation was going.

"No."

"Dad."

"No."

"Just one."

"No."

Aryan sighed dramatically.

His frog mission had failed.

Later, one of the farmers roasted fresh corn for them.

Aryan happily sat beside Veeresh eating it.

"This is better than school food."

Veeresh laughed.

"Everything is better than school food according to you."

Aryan nodded.

"Correct."

Before leaving, Aryan picked one more fresh corn.

"This is for Mumma."

Veeresh smiled.

"Good idea."

As the sun began setting, father and son returned to the haveli.

The moment they arrived, Aryan carefully removed his shoes and placed them in the rack.

Then washed his hands and feet.

Only after that did he run inside.

"Mumma!"

Poornima smiled as he handed her the corn.

"This is for you."

Her eyes softened.

"You brought it for me?"

Aryan nodded proudly.

"Me and Dad."

Poornima kissed his forehead.

"Thank you."

The three spent the evening together.

Dinner was peaceful.

Filled with Aryan's endless stories about frogs, rivers, fields, and how he had become an expert farmer in one afternoon.

By night, everyone finally went to bed.

Aryan lay between Veeresh and Poornima as usual.

His favorite place in the world.

One arm around Poornima.

One hand holding Veeresh's fingers.

For a while, the room remained quiet.

Then Aryan spoke softly.

"Dad."

Veeresh looked down.

"Hmm?"

"Mumma."

Poornima turned toward him.

"What happened, beta?"

Aryan hesitated.

The excitement that had filled him all day suddenly disappeared.

His little fingers tightened around theirs.

"I want to tell you something."

Immediately both parents became attentive.

Veeresh gently stroked his hair.

"What is it, Aryan?"

The little boy looked down.

Then whispered,

"Dad... in school everyone teases me."

The words made both Veeresh and Poornima still.

Aryan continued.

"They laugh because I don't speak properly."

His voice trembled.

"And..."

Tears appeared in his eyes.

"They beat me also."

Poornima's heart shattered.

Immediately she pulled him into her arms.

"My baby..."

Aryan finally broke down.

The tears he had been holding for days came out all at once.

"I don't want to go to school."

His voice cracked.

"They say you and Mumma are not my real parents."

Poornima hugged him tightly.

As if she could protect him from every hurt in the world.

"Mumma and Papa understand you perfectly, beta."

Aryan buried his face against her chest.

Crying quietly.

Veeresh felt something twist painfully inside him.

He sat up immediately.

"Aryan."

The little boy looked at him through tears.

Veeresh carefully removed his shirt.

The moment the cloth moved away, both parents froze.

Red marks.

Several of them.

Some old.

Some new.

Poornima's eyes filled instantly.

"Oh God..."

Her hands trembled.

She quickly took ointment and began applying it gently.

Every mark felt like a wound on her own heart.

Aryan winced slightly.

Poornima's eyes became moist.

"Does it hurt?"

He nodded.

A little.

Veeresh was silent.

Too silent.

The kind of silence that appeared only when he was extremely angry.

But not at Aryan.

Never at Aryan.

At the people who had hurt his son.

Finally he spoke.

His voice calm.

Too calm.

"From when is this happening?"

Aryan looked down.

"One week."

The answer hit both of them hard.

One week.

Their little boy had carried this pain alone for an entire week.

Veeresh gently lifted Aryan's chin.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

Aryan's eyes filled again.

"They said if I tell you..."

His voice became smaller.

"...I am a cry baby."

Poornima immediately kissed his forehead.

"No."

She shook her head firmly.

"No, beta."

Veeresh moved closer.

His large hand rested gently on Aryan's head.

"Listen to me."

Aryan looked at him.

Tears still falling.

Veeresh's voice was steady.

"A cry baby is not someone who asks for help."

Aryan listened carefully.

"A brave person asks for help when something is wrong."

Poornima nodded immediately.

"Exactly."

Aryan's eyes moved between them.

Confused.

Hurt.

Searching for reassurance.

Veeresh pulled him into his arms.

Something he rarely did when Aryan was upset because usually Poornima got there first.

But tonight he needed his son to hear this.

"You never have to hide pain from us."

Aryan started crying again.

"But I didn't want you sad."

The words broke both their hearts.

Even now, he had been worried about them.

Poornima wiped away her tears.

"My baby."

She kissed his hair repeatedly.

"We are your parents."

"Your problems are our problems."

"Your tears are our tears."

"And your happiness is our happiness."

Aryan looked at them.

"Really?"

Veeresh nodded immediately.

"Really."

Poornima smiled through her tears.

"And one more thing."

Aryan blinked.

"What?"

She held his little face.

"Whether people understand or not..."

"Mumma understands you."

Aryan's lip trembled.

"Papa understands you."

Fresh tears rolled down his cheeks.

This time not from hurt.

But from relief.

The relief of finally telling the truth.

Of finally putting down the burden he had carried alone.

Veeresh kissed his forehead.

Poornima kissed his cheek.

And for the rest of the night, neither parent let him go.

Holding him between them.

Protecting him.

Loving him.

Making sure their little boy understood one thing clearly.

No matter what the world said.

No matter what anyone called him.

He would never face it alone.

Because he had a Mumma.

And he had a Papa.

And both loved him more than anything in the world.