*Aahil Pov*

I calmly sat at the dining table and saw Dad walking towards the table with determination. I sighed and started serving dinner myself, which is every day's work as Mridula stopped doing it.

I didn't mind her that she stopped as I never just wanted her to do that work. However, I haven't even wanted her to stop just because she is angry or disgust with me.

"Did you hear about this?" Dad asked, sitting at his place with muscle twitching in his jaw.

"Yes! I got to know about it this morning." I replied and took my first bite.

"And you are sitting here having your food?" he asked like he can't believe I am having my food.

"I thought it is dinner time." I replied, glancing at Mom who is frowning at us along with Tajwar Bhai and Mridula.

"What happened?" Mom asked us, and I shrugged before continuing to have my food.

"Nipuna is going to give a speech to his father campaign day after tomorrow, and it is not a surprise regarding what she is going to talk." Dad replied shaking his head.

"That girl!" Mom said, shaking her head, and I frowned but didn't comment.

"You need to call her and settle this. Otherwise, your career is doomed." Dad said, and I sighed looking at him.

"People know whom to vote and whom to not." I said again shrugging.

"No! She is a woman and to top off that pregnant and your wife. This is more than worse, Aahil." He said in a hard tone.

"Let me have my food." I said in the same tone before staring at my plate, and no one said anything but just left the table after finishing their food while I stayed to enjoy my food more.

"Don't you have anything to say to me, today? Like 'I need to go and sleep so finish it fast'?" I asked her still half more to finish eating.

"Losing a career is not a small thing." She simply replied, standing at the opposite side of me with arms folded.

"You are feeling bad for me? That is a new thing." I said with a surprised tone.

"I know!" she mumbled but didn't move.

"Last week, I pleaded her to forgive me, and she did, but is willing to point out my mistake. What else should I do? Cut my nerve?" I asked her frowning.

"That is taking the matter too far away. Why do you want her to forgive you? You got what all you want right?" she asked shrugging.

"Do you women have a secret community where you all share what to say in a particular situation?" I asked her remembering Nipuna saying the same thing.

"You didn't answer my question. Now, you need not even to worry about a baby as Nipuna will never let any of us to even come near her." she stated, and I shook my head.

"I want that baby to be mine okay? I want that with my whole heart, but I did not want to get my hopes again like last time." I said out loud, and she seemed a little surprised but nodded.

"How do you know that your father is your father?" she asked and I frowned at her stupid question.

"My mom must have told me." I replied shrugging.

"What if she didn't say that, and you met him?" She continued to ask.

"He would have been a stranger." I replied, not understanding where she is going.

"So, even after being your father, he needs your mother to reassure you that he indeed is. Which means nothing else matters except the mother to trust the man to be a good father to her baby and the baby's trust in the mother. It doesn't matter whether the baby is with the biological father or not, but it does matter for it to be with someone who will be there to protect forever." she said and stared at me while I stared back at her with wide eyes.

"Just wanted to know about all the logical things." She added shrugging before walking inside the kitchen while I sat stunned in my chair.

I stood up and climbed the stairs, reaching my room and sat in the chair before thinking about Mridula's words. When did she become so good at talking that much? I thought, shaking my head and continued to think about her words.

"I don't know where Dileep is. He is not lifting the phone at all, and you are not behaving properly for the past one month. What is happening?" Mom asked the next day at the dining table.

"I am fine!" I replied, frowning and stood up to leave.

"What happened because of which you are behaving so distant, Aahil?" she asked stopping me.

"Nothing!" I replied and walked away to reach the office soon.

"What happened?" I asked the secretary.

"Everyone is thinking to take away your ticket because of tomorrow's event." he replied fidgeting with the file.

"Ok!" I said, nodding at him, and he immediately left.

I haven't even entered the room, but just returned to my car not wanting to be here. I drove around the city and reached the home to see no one around making my way to the room.

I just lay on the bed and drifted off into sleep not liking to think about anything else around me.

"You can join me and help with my work after you lose everything." Dad started the day before I took a bite of my breakfast.

He didn't stop these comments even while we were having dinner yesterday, and now they are becoming more. I glanced at him with a glare and then at Mom to see her looking down.

"You could have at least called her, Aahil. She is your wife, and you could have now come to a compromise. Their campaign will be in a few hours." He continued, but I tried to block his words completely.

I glanced at Tajwar Bhai who is surprisingly sitting with us for breakfast as he never stayed until this time without going to his work early in the morning.

We all listened for a moment and glanced at the door to see Dileep walking near us with a smile, and we all looked at him in shock.

"I need to tell you something, Mom." He said, and she nodded looking at him.

"I want to marry Amrin." The moment the words came out everyone stilled in their position and just glanced at Mom.

"Ok!" She simply said making all of us frown.

"I... we want your blessings." He added.

"I will call the pundit and ask him to give a suitable date for the wedding. Before that, I will arrange a big engagement." she said nodding at him.

"Mom! I want to marry Amrin." He repeated in shock, and I don't blame him.

"I know! I met her didn't I? Ask her if she is ok with Hindu wedding." She said and continued to have her breakfast.

"How are you so calm about this?" Tajwar Bhai asked her, and I saw the fury in his eyes.

"No one should move away from what their heart wants. His heart wants her, and I don't mind until they both are happy. Nothing should come between the love they have for each other, which includes the status and even the religion and many more things." she explained, and everyone stared at her like she is alien.

"Ok! I will go and inform her." He said after finishing the breakfast and walked away while we all sat in our places.

"Mom! You actually don't mean to accept Amrin right?" Tajwar asked with anger, and we all stared at him with confusion as he never talked this much.

"I mean everything." Mom replied in a small tone.

"I can't believe this." He said, pushing the chair away and walked away climbing the stairs in anger.

"Mridula! Try to make him understand." Dad said, frowning at the chairs.

Mridula stood up to leave, but Mom stopped holding her hand and gave another shock of the decade on the same day.

"She will not go anywhere. He is not a kid for someone to make him understand, and if he doesn't, then it is his stupidity. You sit and eat." Mom said, to which Mridula sat with shock covering her face, but she composed herself and finished her food.

I continued to stare at her and only her thinking what happened to her that she actually accepted Amrin and stopped Mridula like that. And then I repeated her words in my head.

*Nipuna Pov*

"I am so sorry, Amrin. I need to meet some other friends. We will meet another time." I said, lifting her call.

"No problem! I am still near the office building, so I will just walk back." she said and we hung up the call.

I rubbed my hands together, which became more than cold with all the nervousness, and I wish I am not going to do the thing which I have to today.

"We need to leave right now." Dad said, walking near the dining table when I was lost in my thoughts for a few hours.

"You said I have to tell my speech in the evening, right?" I asked him frowning.

"You became a hit, Nipuna. They would want to see you from beginning of the meeting." He replied and I frowned, getting up following him feeling glad that I at least finished my brunch.

Sitting on the stage, I waited and just waited until it is my turn and had to bear these people's speeches in which I am not comfortable with the dream of having a stool under my legs and a cushion behind my back.

Finally! I thought getting up and walked near to the microphone after glancing at Dad who nodded at me with a tight smile.

"As you all know my mom died when I was a small kid, and my dad was already in this field at the top position. He never had time for me like never for anything. I did everything to get his attention, but nothing worked as these politics is the only important thing in his life. I was sad and more than devastated." I said, and everyone stilled to hear my speech.

"What are you doing, Nipuna?" I heard Dad's angry voice.

"However, he finally decided to give me time and even spend time with his grandchild without any further obligations. I didn't want him to do it, but he is saying that to cover up all the mistakes in his parenting, he has to do this at any cost." I said and smiled at them.

"He wants to retire from politics. A proof to establish that I matter to him as a daughter, and he loves me more than his profession. He wants to show that he is a caring father." I said, and everyone clapped while I smirked before stepping away from the microphone to see him and his members with shock written all over their faces.

"How can you do that to me? You are my daughter." He said, stepping near me and held my elbow.

"I stopped being your daughter when you stopped being my father." I said removing his hand and walked away near to my car.

I should have only just told them the truth about how selfish he is and everything but what will I achieve from it? The people will lose more confidence in the politicians. And I cannot forget that he is still my father, and my mom would have never liked it if I do anything bad.

I shook my head and opened the door to the house before walking down the stairs and climbed them. I reached my room, but frowned, feeling something is wrong, but shrugged and opened the door to only stop in my tracks.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, but he stood quietly.

"Did you watch the meeting?" I asked him again.

"No! Do you know I wished with my every breath to be a great politician, one day?" he asked and I understood what is happening.

He thinks I sabotaged his career as he didn't watch the news and now is going to lash at me. Well, if that helps me to remove him from my heart, then I am more than up for it.

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I know everyone expected something like this so i don't have anything to say.. and guys the mridula's story will be there in this book itself after this series will finish... so dont worry...

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