Chapter 11
"A...A..." Shaurya fumbled. His breathing quickened; he tried to compose himself but it became extremely difficult. Mr. Sharma was astonished to see the ever-calm and composed Shaurya under so much stress.
"Akansha..." Shaurya called in a whisper.
But since the entire station was silent, she heard him—and everyone else did too.
She closed her eyes to compose herself before raising her head and looking at his face, into his eyes—the eyes she was so used to looking into, the eyes that once displayed her entire world.
But now? Those eyes meant nothing to her… or so she thought.
Shaurya stood up, and everyone around him looked surprised as he continued staring at Akansha with a flood of emotions on his face.
The surrounding crowd watched curiously, wondering how the Chief Minister knew her.
The DGP, Mr. Sharma, and Shaurya’s immediate staff were stunned to witness their Chief Minister losing composure for the first time.
But Ankit was the most terrified among them. If the CM discovered the truth, he would be destroyed. He could not even undo what he had done in the past few minutes. He closed his eyes, recalling how he had added Akansha’s name in the handwritten report in the DD (Daily Diary) entries.
Shaurya started walking toward Akansha, but Mr. Sharma’s tone stopped him.
"Sir..." Mr. Sharma called, as if trying to bring Shaurya back to his composure.
Hearing Mr. Sharma’s cautious tone, Shaurya looked at the women and their condition. He closed his eyes, regaining his senses. First, he needed to handle things as Chief Minister; only then could he deal with his emotions.
But, his heart kept squeezing with unbearable pain at the thought of his wife’s suffering all these years if she truly had been part of all this. Yet his mind still refused to accept what his eyes saw. He silently prayed it wasn’t true.
"Mr. Sharma, arrange shawls for the ladies," Shaurya said, his tone soft yet firm. Mr. Sharma immediately nodded and followed his order.
The women looked at him in awe at his gentlemanly behavior.
They wanted to take a picture with him, to remember and be grateful.
But there was one woman who had once been his woman—who was not impressed at all.
In fact, she wanted to run far away from him…
far, far away where even his memories could not reach her.
Shaurya walked toward Akansha and signaled her to move aside.
Though she wasn’t looking at him, she understood what he meant but couldn’t take a single step.
Her breath was stuck in her throat; she felt as if her entire body had paralyzed.
She never thought she would meet him again, especially in such circumstances.
Shaurya was more or less in the same situation, but her heart beat wildly with terror and hatred, while his was filled with anticipation, worry, pain, and love.
He observed her closely. She had gained some weight, her complexion had become slightly lighter, but she was still the same in many ways—except her eyes.
Earlier, they held pain and hope when she was with him; now they held nothingness.
They were ice-cold, and he was terrified by the absence of emotion in them.
He noticed her crumpled cotton kurti and leggings.
His eyebrows creased at the scarf on her head that was covering her face, especially her temples.
He couldn’t see her full hair, but he sensed it had shortened slightly.
Strands of hair stuck to her face due to the humid air in the confined space.
His hands itched to push them back into place—he knew they irritated her, they always had.
He didn’t understand why she wasn’t fixing them, not knowing she was actually hiding the slap marks given by that bas***d Shekhar.
What if he saw the marks? She doubted he would react, but she didn’t want to risk it.
Shaurya cursed himself for getting lost in staring at her instead of focusing on the situation.
"Akansha… come with me… please," he said softly.
Gasps echoed around them. She lifted her eyes to glare at him, but the ocean of emotions in his eyes shocked her. They were moist, as if he was barely holding himself back from pulling her into his arms.
She mentally scoffed at her own thoughts. Him and affection? As if. The woman who once craved his love was long dead. The woman standing before him now only hated his existence and wanted nothing to do with him.
She didn’t want to create a scene, so she walked with him to a side. They were still within hearing distance of everyone; even a slightly louder tone would be audible in the packed station. But in a low voice, their conversation would remain private.
"A…Akansha…" Shaurya called. He struggled to even pronounce her name without pain. His heart ached terribly, and having her so close made it harder to control himself.
She kept looking away, avoiding his eyes.
"Look at me," he pleaded.
She still didn’t. It was as if even a glance at him would break her. She had promised herself she wouldn’t be affected by him ever again, yet she hated how badly she was failing. His presence clearly unsettled her.
Shaurya sighed deeply. He understood she wouldn’t answer or look at him, so he asked the question that had been haunting him since the moment he saw her.
"Are… are you a part o… of them?" he asked.
His face betrayed fear and anticipation, though his back was turned slightly from the crowd. Only she could see it—but she didn't spare him a glance, she didn't want to...
His voice was filled with pain. For a moment, she wanted to look at him just to confirm if it was real, but she knew better. He could easily deceive her. She suppressed the thought, though a part of her heart still whispered that he had once loved her for real.
She refused to answer.
Shaurya lost his patience.
"MR. SHARMA..." he yelled.
Everyone froze. The man known for his calm composure had just raised his voice.
Mr. Sharma immediately walked toward them. Akansha took a deep breath and finally looked at Shaurya again. He understood her silently—she didn’t want anyone involved. He raised his hand, stopping Mr. Sharma mid-step.
Shaurya turned slightly and gave a side nod. Mr. Sharma understood and stepped back, staying alert.
Mr. Sharma nodded and moved away."
"Are you a part of them, tell me what happened... Akansha... I’ll be ruined... Don’t do this... Answer me... Please," he begged her.
He would be ruined knowing what she had gone through.
.. he would be ruined imagining her sufferings all these years if what he feared was the truth.
All these years, he thought she was living at least a peaceful life away from him, if not a happy one, because he knew he had ruined her chance at happiness and hated himself for it.
Hate was too small a word for what he felt toward himself.
At least he believed she was safe. But now all his assumptions were crashing down.
'Huh... Ruined? Of course, the CM's ex-wife was arrested for pro**itution... Of course, he would be ruined,' thought Akansha.
'Even if she was forced into pro**itution, I will try fixing her all my life, I will beg for her forgiveness, and if she ever gives me a chance, I would marry her again and keep her as my queen.
F**k politics, I will disappear taking her away from all the pain.
She deserves the world,' thought Shaurya. But he still hoped it wasn’t the case.
He hoped she was safe all these years and living a peaceful life.
"Akansha... I'm asking you one last time... answer me... or else I will have to force out the answers," he said sternly.
She raised her head and glared at him. How dare he say that? She would slap him if he tried to force anything out of her. And with what right was he even asking her all this? She wanted to question him, but her body refused to waste even a single word on him.
Seeing her sharp glare, Shaurya corrected himself.
"I mean... I will have to force the answers from the police," he said, this time his tone soft and controlled.
She didn’t respond. He sighed deeply and turned sideways to call Mr. Sharma, but he stopped when he heard her speak, making him turn back sharply.
"I will answer you, but you have to agree to my conditions first," she said.
Shaurya’s heart ached at her cold, emotionless tone. But still, something was better than nothing. Hearing her after five years soothed his bruised heart and soul.
"What are those?" he asked softly.
"No one should know about the past relationship we shared. Don’t try to help me out of this. I will find my own way," she said in the same flat tone.
"Why do you think I will agree to this after seeing you in such a vulnerable position?
" Shaurya asked, struggling to stay calm. He would take her out of this situation no matter what. As for their relationship, he was not ashamed to accept her as his wife—or ex-wife. If he ever hid it, it would only be because she wasn’t ready to be acknowledged as his, not for any other reason.
But her next words broke something inside him.
"Because it's beneficial for you. Any acquaintance with me will only ruin your reputation, career, and maybe yourself too. So do yourself a favor and leave from here," she said.
'I was ruined the day you left me,' he wanted to say but didn’t. He kept looking at her, hoping she would understand his unspoken words.
'I am sure you wanted to do the same, but I don't understand why you are standing in front of me and acting as if my pain matters to you,' she wanted to ask him. But she refused to waste her energy or words on him.
Yet one look from her was enough for him to understand what she meant. Hurt flashed in his eyes as her unspoken words sank in.
"You think so low of me?" he asked.