Chapter 11: The Argument Continues

The silence in Devraj's study lasted for a few moments.

Veeresh rubbed his forehead in frustration.

Then he looked at his father.

Veeresh: "Dad..."

Devraj: "Hmm?"

Veeresh: "Out of all the women in the world..."

"Why that chudail?"

Devraj tried to maintain a serious expression.

But the corner of his lips twitched.

Devraj: "Mind your language."

Veeresh: "I'm serious!"

"Since school she's done nothing except argue with me."

"She'd find fault even if I said the sky was blue."

Devraj folded his arms.

Devraj: "And you were any better?"

Veeresh looked away.

Devraj: "Every time she spoke..."

"You had to prove her wrong."

Veeresh: "Because she was impossible."

Devraj: "No."

"You were both equally impossible."

Veeresh sighed dramatically.

Veeresh: "Dad, she's still the same."

Devraj smiled.

Devraj: "Good."

"Someone needs to keep your ego under control."

Veeresh rolled his eyes.

Veeresh: "Very funny."

Devraj's expression became serious again.

Devraj: "There's something else you need to understand."

Veeresh looked at him.

Devraj: "Poornima has two one-year-old babies."

"I know you already know that."

Veeresh nodded quietly.

Devraj: "If this marriage happens..."

"You must accept them wholeheartedly."

"They are innocent children."

"They are not responsible for what life has put them through."

Veeresh listened without interrupting.

Devraj: "I don't want them to ever feel like outsiders."

"I don't want them to think they are less loved because they were born before this marriage."

"They deserve security."

"They deserve affection."

"They deserve a family."

Veeresh spoke softly.

Veeresh: "I would never take my anger out on children."

Devraj nodded.

Devraj: "I know."

"That's why I can even think of this alliance."

He placed a hand on Veeresh's shoulder.

Devraj: "If you marry Poornima..."

"You don't just accept her."

"You accept her children too."

"They become part of this family."

Veeresh was silent for a long moment.

Finally, he said,

Veeresh: "Children should never have to pay for the decisions of adults."

Devraj smiled with quiet pride.

Devraj: "That's exactly the answer I expected from my son."

Veeresh looked out the window.

His thoughts drifted to his own son, Adwait.

He knew what it felt like for a child to be caught in the middle of adults' lives.

After a long pause, he spoke.

Veeresh: "If those little ones ever become part of my life..."

"I'll never let them feel unwanted."

Devraj's eyes softened.

Devraj: "That's all I wanted to hear."

The room fell silent once again as father and son stood together, each thinking about the children whose futures mattered most.