Veins of Power, Threads of Fate

The morning was unusually still. Dew clung to the edges of leaves outside, and a soft breeze whispered through the windows. Inside the house, Ekta was trying to coax Adrit into eating mashed bananas while he flailed his tiny arms in protest, wrinkling his nose in absolute defiance.

"Adrit, just one bite," she pleaded, her voice tired but patient.

"No!" he squealed with a giggle, tossing the spoon.

Before Ekta could react, a familiar voice laughed from behind.

"Need some backup?"

She turned to find Rohan standing in the doorway, a paper bag in one hand and a smile that had slowly become part of her daily peace. He stepped in, walked straight to Adrit, and scooped him up in his arms.

"Now what did Mama do to upset my champ, hmm?"

Adrit babbled in response, his small fingers patting Rohan's cheek in recognition.

Ekta watched them - the effortless bond, the silent language they seemed to share. Her heart twisted - not with pain, but with a quiet longing she couldn't yet name.

Rohan sat down with Adrit on his lap and reached into the bag. "Look what I got - banana choco muffins. We'll share if you eat."

Adrit's eyes sparkled. He let out an excited squeal and finally opened his mouth. The spoon was accepted like it had never been resisted. Ekta blinked, part amused, part defeated.

"You're going to spoil him."

"Isn't that the point?" Rohan smiled without looking at her.

When the meal was done and Adrit settled on a playmat, busy with a wooden car, Ekta brought out two cups of tea. She sat beside Rohan on the small couch, knees brushing, a silence settling between them that didn't feel uncomfortable.

Rohan took a sip, then turned to her. "He's growing fast."

"Too fast," she murmured. "Sometimes I wonder how a year passed in a blink."

"Maybe because you were too busy being strong," he said softly.

Ekta looked away. Compliments still made her uncomfortable. She had been told so often that she wasn't enough - by silence, by betrayal, by love that had only half existed.

Suddenly, a small voice broke the stillness.

"Paa-paa..."

Both of them froze.

Ekta's breath caught. Her eyes snapped toward the playmat. Adrit sat there, looking up at Rohan, little arms raised, his face glowing with innocence and affection.

"Paa-paa!" he said again, louder this time, crawling toward Rohan with a toothy grin.

The mug slipped from Ekta's hand and shattered against the floor. Her heart felt like it had dropped with it.

Rohan blinked, stunned, completely caught off guard. "Did he...?"

"Yes," Ekta whispered, her voice trembling. "He just... he called you..."

"Papa," Rohan finished, his throat tight. "He called me Papa."

Adrit crawled into his arms, completely unaware of the emotional storm that had just erupted.

Ekta looked at them - the child in his embrace, the man who had stepped in silently, never asking for a place, never claiming it... and yet now, unknowingly, undeniably... her son had given him one.

Tears pricked her eyes. Not from sadness. Not even from joy. From confusion. From the fear of how real this was becoming.

"I'm sorry," she whispered suddenly, standing up. "I need... a moment."

She rushed to the kitchen, leaning on the counter, her chest heaving. Was this okay? Was she allowed to feel this way? Could she ever move on from a man who once destroyed her, to one who had slowly helped her rebuild?

She heard footsteps and turned. Rohan stood at the doorway, still holding Adrit.

"I didn't ask for this, Ekta," he said quietly. "But I won't deny how much it means."

She nodded, voice shaky. "I know. I'm just... scared."

"Then let me be patient with your fear," he said. "Let me stand beside you, even if it means never being 'Papa' again. I'll take whatever you can give. Because I care. For you. For him."

Ekta looked at him - really looked. And in that moment, she saw not just a man who loved her, but a man who had become home.

She walked over slowly, gently took Adrit in her arms, and looked down at her baby.

"Say it again, baby," she whispered, voice cracking.

Adrit blinked at her, then pointed to Rohan again with a wide smile.

"Paa-paa!"

Rohan smiled through the tears forming in his eyes. Ekta, holding their son - her son, but his in all the ways that truly mattered - said nothing more.

But in her silence, a hundred feelings bloomed. And in her heart, something whispered:

Maybe it's time to let go of the past... and let the future find its way in.