Raghavan and Meera, though aware of the growing gap, comforted themselves with a shared belief.
"He is young," Meera said, her voice full of hope. "Children don't understand. But one day, when we reveal everything, he will know."
"Yes," Raghavan agreed. "He will see how we lived simply so he could live richly. He will love us more than ever."
Their love, unexpressed, had been converted into numbers in ledgers, into locked cupboards, into hidden boxes. They mistook sacrifice for affection, money for memory.
And so, the years passed. Arjun graduated, married a woman named Kavya, and moved to the city. Visits home grew fewer. Phone calls became shorter. Yet Raghavan and Meera waited with unwavering faith: the grand reveal would bring him back.