Late at Night – Vikram's Thoughts
It was clear to me that Suhani and Tara must have voted for a baby girl. Prithvi and Dadi were obviously rooting for a baby boy. Which left only two wild cards — Dadaji and Tara's mother. One of them had clearly voted "boy," which explained why the household had ended up in a tie.
The great gender war continued, and tomorrow the final decision about the baby shower theme had to be taken.
Vikram turned toward Tara, but she was already asleep, breathing softly. He smiled, leaned down to kiss her gently on the forehead, then bent to press a tender kiss against her baby bump.
"I know you're a girl," he whispered. "Goodnight, my princess."
With that, he carefully kept his distance and closed his eyes.
---
The Next Morning – 11 a.m., Living Hall
The hall looked and sounded nothing less than a battlefield. Voices clashed, arguments flew like arrows, and chaos reigned supreme.
Vikram finally lost his patience.
"EVERYONE, KEEP QUIET!" he shouted.
For a moment, silence descended. All eyes turned to him. But exactly one minute later, the chatter began again, louder than before.
No one values me in this house anymore, Vikram muttered in his head, exasperated.
Five minutes later, he stood up.
"If you had taken my vote into account, this tie wouldn't even exist."
The entire family fell silent.
Prithvi smirked. "Bhaiya is right. And I already know which side he'd vote for. A boy, of course! We need a boy in this family. I want someone I can share all the 'boys-only' fun with."
Vikram glared at him.
"Prithvi, ever since you entered this house, I decided I never wanted another boy in this family. I can't handle another one of you."
The hall burst into laughter.
Tara, unable to resist, chimed in. "Mr. Suryavanshi, to be honest, even I can't imagine a baby boy when I look at you."
"What?" Vikram blinked.
The entire room turned serious and stared at Tara.
"Because if Prithvi's endless scandals have made him infamous, then let's not forget—" she turned to her husband— "you've committed your fair share of legendary scandals too. You're no saint, Mr. Suryavanshi."
Prithvi doubled over with laughter. "Exactly, bhabhi! He's done bigger scandals than me—just smarter ones. He hides them well."
"Enough," Vikram snapped, getting to his feet. "I'm done for today."
Tara quickly stopped him. "Sit down, Mr. Suryavanshi."
"I'm going to my room, Tara. Nobody here values my words anyway."
"I said sit down."
Grumbling, Vikram sat. The whole room exploded into laughter, Prithvi laughing so hard that he fell off the couch.
"I've never seen Vikram Suryavanshi like this before!" he gasped between fits of laughter.
Vikram's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Stop, Prithvi. Or I'll gladly bring back the old Vikram Suryavanshi—and that won't take me long."
The hall went quiet again. Vikram finally declared:
"My vote matters too. I'm the father. And my vote goes to a baby girl."
"Thank you, jiju!" Suhani exclaimed, grinning.
Vikram got up and turned to Tara. "You've been sitting in one position for too long. Come, you need to rest."
Dadi nodded in agreement. "Yes, Tara. Vikram is right, go and rest."
Vikram added firmly, "And no more of this gender war. The baby shower theme will be pink."
Dadi's eyes welled up. "Alright, Vikram. Whatever you say."
"Dadi!" Prithvi cried dramatically. "You've switched teams? Not fair!"
Vikram shot him a cold look. "One more word, Prithvi, and my fist will happily land on your face. I mean it."
And just like that, the real Vikram Suryavanshi had resurfaced.
---
Later In Their Room
Tara lay on the bed, while Vikram paced restlessly. Finally, he stopped.
"Will you ever truly forgive me? You've said it a hundred times already, but then you always bring it back again. Who forgives like that?"
Tara looked at him calmly. "Vikram, you blackmailed me into this marriage. Whenever I remember that, the anger comes back."
Vikram sat beside her, cupping her cheeks gently. "And I've told you more than two thousand times now—I did it because I loved you. That's the only truth that matters. I loved you then, I love you now, and I'll love you forever."
"Fine," Tara said softly, wriggling out of his grip. "But stop holding my cheeks like that."
He reluctantly pulled his hands away.
"Vikram," she continued, "I have forgiven you. Otherwise, do you really think I'd still be here? Do you think I'd be pregnant with your child?"
"Then what was all that in the living hall?" he demanded. "You were practically announcing my sins in public!"
"That was just a wife's taunt, Mr. Suryavanshi. Get used to it—you'll hear them for a lifetime."
Vikram groaned. "Great. Now I know exactly how my life is going to go."
---
Baby Shower Day
"You look beautiful, Tara," Vikram whispered, holding her hand.
"Thank you, Mr. Suryavanshi. Now stop staring at me and let go of my hand."
"Why should I?" he teased.
"Because these are the very lines that got me pregnant . Look at my belly!"
Vikram chuckled. "Yes, it's growing beautifully."
"Stop smiling!" Tara scolded. "You have no idea what I struggle with every day."
"I do, Tara. More than anyone else."
She softened. "And yet, I'm happy. Because every day, I can feel our little one inside me."
Vikram kissed her forehead. "Come on. Everyone's waiting."
---
At the Venue
Prithvi, in full dramatic mode, grabbed the mic.
"I protest this injustice! Nobody listened to me. A baby shower in pink? This is discrimination against men!"
The crowd chuckled.
Vikram and Tara entered just in time. Vikram walked straight up to Prithvi and gave him a light slap on the head.
"This is exactly why people don't want another boy in this family—because they're terrified he'll turn out like you."
Prithvi rubbed his head, sulking. "Bhaiya, this hall is glowing pink because of you! Pink is only for girls!"
"Idiot," Vikram shot back, "pink is Suhani's favorite color. The gender is still a question mark. Now stop the drama and enjoy."
He turned to the videographer. "And edit out all of Prithvi's melodrama later, understood?"
Prithvi sighed. "Fine. But I just want a baby boy so I can retire from business and spend my days playing cricket with him. I always wanted to be a cricketer. But this family forced me into business!"
"That's exactly why nobody wants a boy, Prithvi," Vikram snapped. "I took charge of the business at 25. And you? You're already planning your retirement."
Prithvi wisely stepped aside, knowing he couldn't win.
Later, when the guests were asked to cast their votes—boy or girl—the majority leaned toward girl.
The reason? Almost identical.
"We can't handle another Vikram Suryavanshi. One is enough. His temper alone is legendary."
The hall roared with laughter.
Vikram's heart sank, both amused and wounded. So this is how they take revenge on me—by ganging up together.
Prithvi clutched his stomach, laughing until tears ran down his face. "See, bhaiya? Even the world knows! A mini-Vikram would be a disaster!"
Vikram growled. "Get out of my sight, Prithvi, before I decide to test my temper right here and now. The guests I can't hit—but you, definitely."
Prithvi scurried back to the stage.
In a quiet corner, Vikram sipped plain water, watching his family laugh, dance, and celebrate. Dadi basked like a celebrity, Suhani and Tara's mother laughed openly, even Dadaji was enjoying himself.
And there was Tara—glowing, radiant, laughing with everyone, though carefully avoiding Vikram eyes for the last two hours.
Fine, Vikram thought. They all trolled me today. But as long as they're happy… I'm happy too.