Chapter 3
"Sir... Opposition leader, Mr. Dev Bisht wanted to meet you, but he has no appointment. Should we allow him in?" Shaurya's secretary asked through the intercom.
Dev Bisht... If it had been anyone else, his secretary would have bluntly refused, because she knew he disliked unannounced visits. Shaurya was a highly systematic man who preferred everything to follow order and schedule. But this was not just anyone. It was Dev — his best friend.
Yes, Dev was the Leader of the Opposition, and they sat on opposite sides in the Assembly and Parliament, but that had never changed their bond. Shaurya knew it never would.
"Let him in," Shaurya said.
His secretary nodded and left. A couple of minutes later, Dev walked into the Chief Minister's office.
Dev Bisht was a man in his mid-thirties.
His father was a businessman and a former Rajya Sabha member.
Dev himself had never been interested in politics, but that changed the day Shaurya decided to take charge of his father's political party — the largest and most influential party in the state, and one of the strongest in the country.
From their younger days, Dev and Shaurya had worked together for social welfare.
So Dev's decision to enter politics had not been difficult.
The two friends had always shared similar goals.
But there was one complication — Shaurya's father and Dev's father had always been political rivals, so Dev joining Shaurya's party was impossible.
Dev had wanted to contest independently, but it was Shaurya who suggested he join the opposition. At first, Dev had been shocked, but later he understood the thought behind it.
Shaurya knew corruption thrived most where power went unchecked.
He may not have been able to erase it entirely, but if he could control even part of it, the state would benefit immensely.
With Dev in the opposition, he knew someone trustworthy would question the government when needed and keep the system alert.
That did not mean Shaurya controlled Dev, nor would Dev ever allow that. Standing on opposite sides, both men only wanted what was best for the people.
They never hesitated to support or oppose each other when necessary. There had been many fiery arguments between them in the Assembly, each defending what he believed was right. Dev had openly opposed some of Shaurya's bills, not because they were bad, but because he believed the timing was wrong.
Very few people knew they were best friends. It was never intentionally hidden, but over time, revealing it publicly would have created needless controversy, so they quietly kept their friendship private.
"Yes, Mr. Bisht. What brings you here?" Shaurya asked in a professional tone.
"Abbe chup kar ja... Don't force me to hit you in your own office. It'll create unnecessary trouble for both of us," Dev muttered angrily.
Shaurya let out a slow sigh. He understood immediately — Dev had come as a friend, not as the Opposition Leader.
"Dev... This is my workplace. I discuss only work here. We'll talk later about personal matters," Shaurya said calmly.
"Shaurya... If you use that robotic tone with me again, I swear I'll bang your head on this table," Dev snapped.
"And yes, I know this is your workplace.
I wouldn't have come here if your actions hadn't forced me to.
Idiot... it's been more than a year since you even hung out with me.
Forget that — when was the last time you took a day off for yourself? "
"I talk to you frequently," Shaurya replied. "And as for leave... I am the Chief Minister of this state. I don't have holidays, Dev."
"Sure. I'm an MLA myself, and technically I shouldn't have holidays either.
But I am Dev first. Only when I take care of myself can I take care of my people.
The same applies to you. You haven't taken a single break since taking office.
That's not how things work, Shaurya. You need to take care of your health first — not just physical, but mental too.
By ignoring that, you're risking both your future and the state's. "
"I am taking care of myself, Dev. Don't make it dramatic. Just because I don't take breaks doesn't mean I'm neglecting myself. I'm happy with what I'm doing."
"Happy?" Dev laughed bitterly. "You? Your wife took your happiness with her the day she walked out. I knew that very well. So don't feed me this happiness nonsense."
"Dev, mind your language," Shaurya warned, his tone hardening. "You are in the Secretariat."
But despite the sternness in his voice, Dev's words had struck exactly where they were meant to. Deep inside, Shaurya's heart had tightened at the mention of Akansha.
"Ignore that topic as much as you want, but you and I both know what Akansha means to you... and how lost you are without her," Dev said.
Shaurya refused to respond.
His friend knew he was suffering. But in all these years, Shaurya had never admitted that he was incomplete without his wife.
It was not because he was ashamed to confess how deeply he loved her or how badly he had fallen apart after losing her.
It was because he knew that if he allowed himself to acknowledge that pain even once, he might never be able to control it again. Dev knew that too.
"Leave all that. Tell me, how is Rachna? And the kids?" Shaurya asked, changing the subject.
Dev sighed at the obvious diversion, but let it go. He knew Shaurya would never willingly discuss Akansha.
"Yeah, they're fine. The kids wanted to see you. But like always, Rachna and I made up some lies. They're growing up now. Soon they'll realize we're just covering up the truth — that their Uncle Shaurya is too busy to meet them," Dev taunted.
"It's not like that..." Shaurya tried to explain.
But Dev had grown tired of hearing excuses from a man who had forgotten how to live.
"Two weeks from now, it's Rachna's birthday. The kids and I have planned a surprise for her. You are coming... or I'll permanently disown you, Shaurya. I'm serious this time," Dev said as he rose from his chair.
"Dev... Understand. My responsibilities won't let me take time off," Shaurya said.
"It's Sunday, Shaurya. And you know very well you can plan work accordingly.
I'm not asking you to disappear from duty completely.
You can stay available on phone, and the farmhouse is hardly two hours from your office.
So stop giving lame excuses. You are coming. I'm not listening to anything else."
With that, Dev walked out, leaving Shaurya in silence.
Dev and his family were the only people Shaurya still had in the name of family. Rachna was a close friend, and he could never bring himself to disappoint her or the children. After a long pause, he decided he would attend the party... but only for a short while.
Dev had always believed holidays should be normal even for a Chief Minister. If everyone else could rest, why couldn't he? It was not as if the system forbade it. Even governments encouraged leaders to maintain balance. But Shaurya's refusal had nothing to do with rules. It was personal.
He did not mind working seven days a week. His job was demanding, and he was willing to give it everything. More truthfully, work was the only thing that kept him functioning.
It was not as though he had a wife or children waiting for his time the way Dev did. And now, it was too late to dream of such things.
He had lost his wife long ago.
And children...? He could never imagine anyone else as the mother of his children except Akansha.
The woman he had brutally wounded.
The woman whose heart he had broken with his own hands.
A few memories rose uninvited in his mind, and his heartbeat turned uneven with regret.
He hated the man he had once been.
"Do you know what your shameless wife has done?" his mother began the moment he entered the house.
Shaurya was exhausted. The entire day had drained him.
He had been out in the scorching sun, walking through villages and towns, meeting people, listening to grievances, addressing local concerns, and reviewing pending issues in his constituency.
The elections were still more than a year away, but he never believed public service should begin only when votes were near.
The opposition mocked these visits as early campaigning. Shaurya knew better. To him, it was outreach — the duty of a representative who wanted to know the ground reality himself.
He had barely eaten all day. Fatigue was visible on his face. But his mother noticed none of it. Her anger toward Akansha stood above everything else.
"Ma..." Shaurya rubbed his forehead tiredly.
His eyes briefly moved to Akansha. For a fraction of a second, they softened. Then the familiar coldness returned. That one glance was enough to fill her eyes with tears.
She was a strong woman. His mother's accusations never truly frightened her. But Shaurya's indifference shattered her every time.
"What did you do now?" he asked harshly.
Akansha stared at him. No answer came. She knew speaking was useless.
"She stole money. The money I had kept in the kitchen," his mother accused.
This was not new. His mother found fresh reasons every week to insult her. Servants moved around nearby, and everyone could hear the humiliation.
"Ma... it wasn't a big deal. And what do you mean by she stole? She is the daughter-in-law of this house. She can take whatever she wants," Shaurya said.
Yes, he hated her. He had married her to punish her for what he believed she had done to his sister. But even in hatred, he would not allow falsehood to go unchecked or his family to openly disgrace his wife before the staff.
Akansha looked at him in shock. His defense, however small, still surprised her.
"It is stealing, Shaurya. She took it without asking, and the money was mine. But how would you understand? You are blinded by her. God knows what black magic she has done on you," his mother snapped.
He pressed his temples.