40 | he knows
_________________________________________
I have handled billion-dollar deals.
I have sat through board meetings where one wrong decision could cost hundreds of crores.
I have negotiated with people twice my age.
I have stayed calm during market crashes.
But apparently...
One phone call from a doctor was enough to completely destroy my ability to think.
The moment I heard her name, I paid attention.
The moment I heard the rest...My brain stopped working.
I don't even remember how the call ended. I just remember staring at my phone like an idiot.
Then smiling.
Then smiling even more.
Then realizing I was smiling alone in my study room.
Like a psychopath.
I should have been working.
Instead I was sitting there imagining a tiny version of Avantika running around the house.
God help me.
Maybe a tiny version of me.
Hopefully not.
One Avantika is already difficult enough.
Two would be dangerous.
I was still thinking nonsense when I looked toward our room.
Toward her. And suddenly only one thought remained.
I need to see her.
That was it.
I practically ran toward her.
The moment I entered the room, there she was. Standing in front of the mirror. Looking at herself seriously.
As if she was solving some national-level crisis.
I didn't even think.
I just picked her up.
Spun her around.
Then immediately remembered what the doctor had told me. And nearly had a heart attack.
I put her down so fast.
"Are you okay?"
The look she gave me...I knew I sounded insane. But I couldn't help it.
I was happy. So ridiculously happy.
My chest felt too small for it.
And the funniest part? She had absolutely no idea why.
Then came the difficult part.
Pretending.
Because she hadn't told me. If she knew, she hadn't told me.
And if she didn't know... Then I definitely couldn't be the one to tell her.
I wanted that moment to belong to her.
I wanted her to tell me.
So I acted normal. Or at least I tried.
Apparently, according to her face, I failed miserably.
The next morning only made things worse. She woke up before me.
First red flag.
Avantika waking up early voluntarily?
Impossible.
Then I found that tiny toothbrush. And immediately understood. Or at least I thought I understood.
I was so happy I made the mistake of teasing her.
Big mistake.
Huge mistake.
She called me a madman and left. I was still confused about what exactly I had done wrong.
Then breakfast happened.
And suddenly there was a tiny paratha on my plate.
A tiny one.
Placed very deliberately. Right next to my normal parathas.
I looked at it.
Then at her.
Then at it again.
And for one beautiful second...
I wanted to tell her.
I wanted to say-
"I know."
"I know, baby."
"I know about our little one."
But I stopped myself. Because I wanted her to have that moment.
So instead... I ate the tiny paratha.
In one bite.
The way her face fell afterward...
God.
It took every bit of self-control I had not to laugh.
Then Siya started laughing.
Which almost made me laugh.
And suddenly everyone was looking at me as if I was the stupid one.
Which, to be fair...
Maybe I was.
Because I had spent the entire morning pretending not to understand what was happening.
Meanwhile, my heart had already accepted it.
Accepted the possibility.
Accepted the dream.
Every time I looked at her... I smiled.
Every time she looked away... I smiled.
Every time she got annoyed... I smiled.
Because since I found out the good news...
Nothing else mattered.
Not work.
Not meetings.
Not stress.
Not misunderstandings.
Nothing.....Only her.
And the secret she didn't know I already knew.
And honestly?
Waiting for her to tell me was becoming harder every minute.
The entire day she refused to talk properly.
The entire day she glared at me.
The entire day she sat with her arms crossed like a tiny dictator.
And the entire day I had to pretend I didn't know why.
God.
This is difficult.
Very difficult.
Especially when every five minutes I remember that phone call.
That report.
That smile I couldn't stop. And then I look at her.
And suddenly I want to tell everyone.
My parents.
Ruhi.
Krish.
The board of directors.
The security guards.
Random strangers on the street.
Anybody.
Everybody.
But I can't.
Because this isn't my news to share.
It's hers.
So I keep waiting.
waiting ... And apparently getting tortured in the process.
---
At dinner, things became even worse.
She sat directly across from me. Which sounds harmless.
Until you realize that every time I looked up-
There she was.
Pouting.
Annoyed.
Refusing to look at me.
And every single time, my brain immediately went:
"Mother of my child."
Which almost made me laugh into my food. I had to drink water three separate times to hide my smile.
Ruhi definitely noticed.
Krish definitely noticed.
Dad definitely noticed.
Mom was too busy recovering to notice.
Thank God.
Because if Mom found out before Avantika told everyone herself... I think she'd announce it to the entire country.
---
That night wasn't any better. Avantika marched into our room.
Ignored me.
Ignored my existence.
Ignored basic human communication.
Then dramatically turned away from me and went to sleep. Or pretended to sleep.
I know she was pretending. Because every few minutes she'd move slightly to check whether I was looking.
And every single time- I was.
Which only made her more annoyed.
I almost laughed.
Again.
I'm starting to see a pattern here.
---
The next morning, I made a decision.
If I was going to be around for everything... Then I actually had to be around.
Not stuck in meetings.
Not trapped in offices.
Not flying across countries.
Around.
Present.
So before anyone woke up, I called the board.
Then the legal team.
Then finance.
Then operations.
Then HR.
Then about twenty-seven other people.
By the time breakfast should have happened, I had already turned everyone's schedule upside down.
A temporary CEO would handle daily operations.
I would still make major decisions. But I was done spending sixteen hours a day in office buildings.
For once... I wanted to prioritize something else.
Someone else.
---
Of course, when Avantika came downstairs and saw half my office being moved into the house, she looked completely horrified.
"Why are you doing this?"
Because I want to be there.
Because I don't want to miss anything.
Because the idea of missing even one moment already bothers me.
Because I'm already excited about things that haven't even happened yet.
But obviously I couldn't say any of that.
So instead I said, "Just felt like it."
The look she gave me...
God.
If looks could kill, Vardhan Group would need a new chairman.
---
Then Siya nearly ruined everything.
That girl has become entirely too dangerous.
One suspicious question from Avantika and Siya immediately jumped in to defend me.
Not suspicious at all.
Very subtle.
Excellent acting.
Ten out of ten.
Definitely didn't make Avantika more suspicious.
Not at all.
---
The funny thing is... Everyone thinks I'm acting normal.
I'm not.
Not even remotely.
I'm running entirely on excitement.
Every time Avantika walks into a room, my attention automatically follows her.
Every time she eats something, I notice.
Every time she looks tired, I notice.
Every time she complains, I notice.
And then I have to pretend I don't.
Which is exhausting.
---
At this point, I have only one problem.
My wife.
The woman who apparently spent days leaving clues.
Tiny toothbrush.
Tiny paratha.
Tiny hints.
And somehow still hasn't actually said the words.
Meanwhile, I'm over here pretending to be clueless while secretly planning the next year of my life.
Honestly?
I don't know which one of us is crazier.
Probably both.
But if she doesn't tell me soon... There's a very real possibility that I accidentally tell her that I already know.
And that would ruin the surprise.
So for now...
I wait.
I smile.
I get glared at.
And I wait some more.
Though judging by how suspicious she's becoming...
I don't think this secret is surviving much longer.