Chapter 33 #2
“You were a terrible father,” he continued.
“The best thing you ever did for Keya and me was to walk away. Because of that, we found people who loved us. Who believed in us. And we’re better for it.
You can live the rest of your life knowing that your children will never think about you.
We won’t even mention your name to our children. ”
Keval stared at him, speechless for once. Akash nodded to the officers.
They pulled Keval away, dragging him outside. Shauna exhaled. The threat of his father was finally gone. This time, hopefully, forever.
For the first time since this nightmare had begun, she could breathe.
Kabier and Sameer reached her.
Kabier enveloped her in a quick hug. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’m fine.”
Sameer pulled her to him, putting his arms around her. “You scared me. Don’t ever put me through that again.”
She gave him a warm smile.
“I’m sorry,” Sameer said. “For a minute, I believed what you said to Akash. I should have trusted that you loved him more than you loved Sehgal Media.”
“I love him more than anything in this world,” she said. “More than the company. More than every person on the planet. He is everything. I’d choose him first, always.”
Sameer smiled. “I’m so happy to hear that. Go to him. He is waiting for you.”
She turned to Akash, only to find him surrounded by his friends.
Dheer, Vir, and Nirvaan had closed in around him, pulling him into quick hugs, clapping his back, relief evident on their faces.
“I can’t believe you both came here,” she heard Akash tell Dheer and Vir.
“When Nirvaan messaged us about what was happening, we called Rhea and she told us everything,” Dheer said. “We simply couldn’t stay away.”
“We’ve got your back,” Vir added. “Always.” Then his gaze shifted, landing on Shauna. He gestured her forward. “I knew this idiot was going to take any amount of risk when it came to you. We just had to be here. We couldn’t wait on the sidelines.”
“None of us could,” Nirvaan said quietly.
Shauna felt her chest tighten as she looked at all of them. She smiled. “Thank you… all of you. For being there for us. It means more than you know.”
They exchanged glances, smiles passing between them. Then, without another word, they stepped back one by one, giving her and Akash the space they both needed.
Akash turned to her, and she leapt into his arms, holding him close.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean anything I said to you on the phone.”
“Shauna—”
“He forced me to break up with you,” she continued, “and I did it so you wouldn’t come here looking for me. I didn’t want to put you in danger.” A tear slipped down her cheek. “I love you so much.”
And then she burst into tears.
“Hey,” Akash whispered, holding her close and kissing her hair. “Shauna, it’s okay. I’m here now. I believe you. That’s why I came for you.”
He wiped her tears and told her everything that had transpired after her phone call to him.
“I can’t believe that you came for me, even after I was so cruel to you,” she sniffed.
“I love you, Shauna. And I believed in your love for me,” he said quietly. “My heart refused to accept your words.”
A sharp ache spread through her chest at his words, stealing her breath. He took her hands in his, and she winced. Anger and pain flashed across his face as he saw the wounds on her hands.
“God, I hate that man,” he said. “I’m so sorry you’re hurt.”
She touched her forehead to his. “It’s over now.” Something crossed her mind. “You know, I think I know where that necklace is.”
Akash lifted his head. “What? Where?”
She tipped her head in the direction of the sunroom, his favorite place in their new home.
“There.” She looked at Akash. “Your father kept saying he buried it in the east side of the lawn. But what he didn’t realize was that you had extended the house on that side. That’s why he couldn’t find it anywhere else.”
Akash’s eyes widened. “Fuck… we’ll have to tear the sunroom down and redo it.” He grimaced. “I really liked that space.”
She held his hands tighter. “We’ll build it again and make it better. Together.”
“Together,” he promised. “Always together.”
She gave him a brilliant smile. She was so grateful for him in every way.
His thumb brushed over her knuckles, distracting her.
“I spent so long believing I couldn’t have you…
that you were never meant to be mine. That loving you would always come with losing you.
” He lifted her hand and placed it against his chest, over the steady, desperate rhythm of his heart.
“I don’t even have words for what I felt when I learned you were in danger.
Losing you would end me. I love you so much. ”
Shauna’s eyes shimmered, her fingers pressing hard against his chest. “From now until the end of time, you are mine and I am yours. But be warned, I am rude, difficult, and stubborn.”
He chuckled, clearly remembering the exact words he’d thrown at her all those weeks ago when she had gone to her grandfather’s office to claim a leadership role in Sehgal Media.
She leaned closer, a wicked smile playing on her lips. “And be prepared. I will call you an asshole when you annoy me.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “I look forward to it, sweetheart. I so look forward to it all. And I will love you through it all.”
“You are mine, Akash… you are my always. My home. My forever. My beginning… and every ending I’ll ever choose.”
She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. Pure joy flooded through her as she tasted his smile.
Everything she had lost… had finally found its way back to her again.