13-04-2026, 12:00 PM
(This post was last modified: 13-04-2026, 12:02 PM by heygiwriter. Edited 1 time in total. Edited 1 time in total.)
Chapter 99: The Name and the Fall
The next day, Suriya returned home looking utterly exhausted. His eyes were sunken, his shoulders heavy with defeat. He barely had the strength to face anyone. The morning newspaper had splashed his photo across the local section with the damning headline: “Fitness Businessman Accused of Money Laundering.”
Rohan, playing in the living room, picked up the newspaper and ran straight to Anandhi.
“Mummy! Uncle’s photo is in the paper!”
Anandhi took the paper from his small hands, her chest tightening at the sight of Suriya’s tired face staring back at her. She folded it quickly and knelt down to her son’s level.
In that moment, a quiet but firm decision settled inside her.
She now knew, deep in her heart, that Suriya was the biological father of little AaRa. There could be no other reason for Madhavan and Rahul together to sabotage medical record of a baby. The blood group revelation, the timing, everything had confirmed it for her. She couldn’t bear the thought of only the youngest child calling him “Appa” while Rohan and Riya continued calling him “uncle.” It would feel odd, inconsistent, and unfair as the children grew older. At the same time, she had no intention of rebelling openly against Rahul. She still wanted to remain his wife, to keep the family structure intact for everyone’s sake.
She would do the right thing softly — giving Suriya a quiet, shadow-like place in the children’s lives without hurting Rahul’s pride.
“Don’t call him uncle anymore,” she said gently but firmly. “Call him Appa… or Periyappa. He is your father’s brother. Calling him uncle is not right, especially now when he is going through such a difficult time.”
Riya, the eldest, who would soon enter 4th standard, looked surprised.
“Ayo… Appa uncle ilaya? Periyappa correct ah?”
Anandhi stressed calmly, “Short ah ‘Appa’ nu kupdunga… illa full ah ‘Periyappa’ nu kupdunga.”
Rahul, who was standing a few feet away arranging some documents, froze. A sharp jolt of jealousy stabbed through his chest. Appa? She’s asking my children to call him Appa? The word burned in his mind like acid. He had spent months trying to erase Suriya from their lives, and now she was willingly giving the man a fatherly title right under his roof. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, but he said nothing.
Anandhi didn’t glance at Suriya’s eyes. She casually finished speaking and walked away to attend to little AaRa, who had started fussing in the cradle.
Among the storm raging around him, Suriya felt a strange, unexpected warmth bloom in his broken heart. For the first time in weeks, something felt like relief.
That evening, when they were alone in the bedroom, Rahul finally asked in a low, controlled voice, “What was that about? Asking the kids to call him Appa or Periyappa?”
Anandhi looked at him steadily. “He has lost so much now. His name and photo are all over the papers. I thought at least the kids could give him some relief and respect. If this is wrong, I’m sorry. I will still advise it.”
Rahul forced a smile and nodded. “Cool… cool. No issues.”
But deep inside, jealousy and anger churned violently. She’s giving him my children. She’s letting him take a piece of my family right in front of me. No i need to threw him out now, there is no need for mercy.
Almost a week passed. The children slowly started adapting. Rohan began calling Suriya “Periyappa” comfortably, while Riya sometimes slipped into the softer “Appa.” Suriya never corrected them. Each time he heard the word, a small flicker of warmth appeared in his tired eyes.
By the end of the month, Rahul decided to follow through with Madhavan’s advice.
One morning, he sat with Suriya and said calmly, “It’s time. Transfer the house documents fully under Anandhi’s name.”
Suriya didn’t argue. He had no fight left. He didn’t want Anandhi or the children to suffer because of the frozen accounts and endless legal cases. On a quiet day, he went with Rahul to the registrar’s office and signed over his share without hesitation. The house now belonged entirely to Anandhi.
When they returned home, Anandhi stood at the door. She looked at Suriya with soft, conflicted eyes and said quietly, “It’s just a name transfer. You can be with us anytime. The kids have started calling you Appa and Periyappa… Please don’t take anything to heart.”
Suriya gave a small, tired nod.
But as they stepped inside the house, two security officer officers were already waiting in the living room.
A key supplier had registered a strong complaint against Suriya for supplying defective goods and financial irregularities. The officers wasted no time. They read out the charges and handcuffed Suriya right there in front of everyone.
Anandhi stood frozen, one hand flying to her mouth in shock.
As the officers led Suriya toward the door, a single, devastating thought pierced her heart:
I know you are her real father… and yet I didn’t reveal it to you. I stayed silent for so long, thinking I was protecting everyone. But I’ve only made everything worse. I know for a long something was happening behind you, yet i failed to warn you. i wanted to protect Rahul and my family, yet again i failed you....
Tears streamed down her face as the security officer van drove away with Suriya. She felt utterly helpless. Suriya had no one — no real friends, no real family left to support him. Everything he had built, everything he had sacrificed, seemed to have gone in vain.
Rahul stood idle a few steps away, watching the scene with no visible emotion. Deep inside, he told himself coldly:
Sorry Suriya… you are a gentle man, a good human. But that same goodness keeps me in constant fear. I have to do this to keep my family with me. If you had exited gracefully, I wouldn’t have let this happen.
Anandhi looked at Rahul, expecting him to say at least “Don’t worry, I’ll get you a lawyer.” But he simply stood there and watched Suriya being taken away in the security officer jeep without a single word.
In that moment, something inside Anandhi cracked.
The next day, Suriya returned home looking utterly exhausted. His eyes were sunken, his shoulders heavy with defeat. He barely had the strength to face anyone. The morning newspaper had splashed his photo across the local section with the damning headline: “Fitness Businessman Accused of Money Laundering.”
Rohan, playing in the living room, picked up the newspaper and ran straight to Anandhi.
“Mummy! Uncle’s photo is in the paper!”
Anandhi took the paper from his small hands, her chest tightening at the sight of Suriya’s tired face staring back at her. She folded it quickly and knelt down to her son’s level.
In that moment, a quiet but firm decision settled inside her.
She now knew, deep in her heart, that Suriya was the biological father of little AaRa. There could be no other reason for Madhavan and Rahul together to sabotage medical record of a baby. The blood group revelation, the timing, everything had confirmed it for her. She couldn’t bear the thought of only the youngest child calling him “Appa” while Rohan and Riya continued calling him “uncle.” It would feel odd, inconsistent, and unfair as the children grew older. At the same time, she had no intention of rebelling openly against Rahul. She still wanted to remain his wife, to keep the family structure intact for everyone’s sake.
She would do the right thing softly — giving Suriya a quiet, shadow-like place in the children’s lives without hurting Rahul’s pride.
“Don’t call him uncle anymore,” she said gently but firmly. “Call him Appa… or Periyappa. He is your father’s brother. Calling him uncle is not right, especially now when he is going through such a difficult time.”
Riya, the eldest, who would soon enter 4th standard, looked surprised.
“Ayo… Appa uncle ilaya? Periyappa correct ah?”
Anandhi stressed calmly, “Short ah ‘Appa’ nu kupdunga… illa full ah ‘Periyappa’ nu kupdunga.”
Rahul, who was standing a few feet away arranging some documents, froze. A sharp jolt of jealousy stabbed through his chest. Appa? She’s asking my children to call him Appa? The word burned in his mind like acid. He had spent months trying to erase Suriya from their lives, and now she was willingly giving the man a fatherly title right under his roof. His hands clenched into fists at his sides, but he said nothing.
Anandhi didn’t glance at Suriya’s eyes. She casually finished speaking and walked away to attend to little AaRa, who had started fussing in the cradle.
Among the storm raging around him, Suriya felt a strange, unexpected warmth bloom in his broken heart. For the first time in weeks, something felt like relief.
That evening, when they were alone in the bedroom, Rahul finally asked in a low, controlled voice, “What was that about? Asking the kids to call him Appa or Periyappa?”
Anandhi looked at him steadily. “He has lost so much now. His name and photo are all over the papers. I thought at least the kids could give him some relief and respect. If this is wrong, I’m sorry. I will still advise it.”
Rahul forced a smile and nodded. “Cool… cool. No issues.”
But deep inside, jealousy and anger churned violently. She’s giving him my children. She’s letting him take a piece of my family right in front of me. No i need to threw him out now, there is no need for mercy.
Almost a week passed. The children slowly started adapting. Rohan began calling Suriya “Periyappa” comfortably, while Riya sometimes slipped into the softer “Appa.” Suriya never corrected them. Each time he heard the word, a small flicker of warmth appeared in his tired eyes.
By the end of the month, Rahul decided to follow through with Madhavan’s advice.
One morning, he sat with Suriya and said calmly, “It’s time. Transfer the house documents fully under Anandhi’s name.”
Suriya didn’t argue. He had no fight left. He didn’t want Anandhi or the children to suffer because of the frozen accounts and endless legal cases. On a quiet day, he went with Rahul to the registrar’s office and signed over his share without hesitation. The house now belonged entirely to Anandhi.
When they returned home, Anandhi stood at the door. She looked at Suriya with soft, conflicted eyes and said quietly, “It’s just a name transfer. You can be with us anytime. The kids have started calling you Appa and Periyappa… Please don’t take anything to heart.”
Suriya gave a small, tired nod.
But as they stepped inside the house, two security officer officers were already waiting in the living room.
A key supplier had registered a strong complaint against Suriya for supplying defective goods and financial irregularities. The officers wasted no time. They read out the charges and handcuffed Suriya right there in front of everyone.
Anandhi stood frozen, one hand flying to her mouth in shock.
As the officers led Suriya toward the door, a single, devastating thought pierced her heart:
I know you are her real father… and yet I didn’t reveal it to you. I stayed silent for so long, thinking I was protecting everyone. But I’ve only made everything worse. I know for a long something was happening behind you, yet i failed to warn you. i wanted to protect Rahul and my family, yet again i failed you....
Tears streamed down her face as the security officer van drove away with Suriya. She felt utterly helpless. Suriya had no one — no real friends, no real family left to support him. Everything he had built, everything he had sacrificed, seemed to have gone in vain.
Rahul stood idle a few steps away, watching the scene with no visible emotion. Deep inside, he told himself coldly:
Sorry Suriya… you are a gentle man, a good human. But that same goodness keeps me in constant fear. I have to do this to keep my family with me. If you had exited gracefully, I wouldn’t have let this happen.
Anandhi looked at Rahul, expecting him to say at least “Don’t worry, I’ll get you a lawyer.” But he simply stood there and watched Suriya being taken away in the security officer jeep without a single word.
In that moment, something inside Anandhi cracked.
![[+]](https://xossipy.com/themes/sharepoint/collapse_collapsed.png)