Chapter 17 #4
"I didn’t really understand parental love growing up," Akash admitted. "They loved me, yes, but it never felt like what I saw in you. You loved me more like a parent—you raised me with love, di. Whenever I think about my future, I imagine raising my kids the way you raised me."
"For me, you are my parent, the things you have done for me and later jij..." Akash stopped abruptly when he noticed Akansha’s face pale.
"Sorry... I mean Shaurya... whatever he did for me wasn’t a part of betrayal, di. He did it genuinely, and I will be forever grateful to him. But I wouldn’t forgive him for what he did to you..." he said.
Akansha gave a small nod.
"I gave him an earful today," she finally said.
Akash blinked, surprised. "You did?"
Then his face lit up.
"That’s amazing. He used to be approachable once, but in the last five years, he’s become extremely rigid.
He’s still compassionate with people’s pain, but with those who work closely with him.
.. he’s intense. Almost untouchable. A bloodsucker, No one really dares to question him anymore.
Hearing that you actually gave it back to him? Honestly, I’m happy."
Akash smiled.
"I love you for this."
Akansha let out a small laugh at his excitement.
"He seemed like a decent boss in the beginning," she said, "but looks can be deceiving. This is the second time I’m hearing how difficult he is as a boss."
"Oh, you have no idea," Akash said immediately.
"He literally calls at 2:54 in the night to check work progress. He’s the reason I don’t have a girlfriend. He took that promise too seriously."
Akansha stifled her laughter, already understanding exactly which “promise” her brother was referring to.
"Stay for five more minutes, please… I just need you in my arms," Shaurya said, tightening his grip around her waist.
"I was sitting in your lap for the past 45 minutes, Shaurya… let me go now. Akash will be here anytime," Akansha said, trying to get up.
"I didn’t know I have to deal with your third-wheeling brother more than you in this relationship," Shaurya groaned.
"Shut up. He has to study here, and don’t forget he’s the main reason I accepted this favor of yours," Akansha said.
"Favor? Akansha… it’s my responsibility to look after you and your family. Don’t call it a favor and hurt me like that," Shaurya said, making her roll her eyes at his dramatics.
"Then fulfill your responsibility properly. If you keep romancing his sister like this, my brother will never be comfortable studying here. So stay away," Akansha said, getting up and settling beside him again, keeping a careful distance.
"I swear, the day he decides to get a girlfriend, I’ll make it so difficult for him that he gives up on the idea altogether," Shaurya promised.
"Jiju yaar… why are you destroying my love life before it even starts?" Akash’s voice came from the doorway. "Take back your bheeshma pratigna right now."
And just like that, the peace vanished.
Akansha sighed inwardly. Usually, her boyfriend and brother got along well—but when they clashed on certain things, it always became her headache.
"Why do you pick up his call at such odd times?" Akansha questioned her brother.
"Oh, madam… I’m not in some private sector where I can ignore work calls after 7 PM.
I have to pick calls even on my deathbed.
And my boss on paper is the governor, and my actual boss—who I report to—is the chief minister.
So excuse me for the lack of privileges," Akash said, sounding visibly irritated.
"You studied 15–17 hours a day just to work 24 hours a day. I don’t understand the logic behind this," Akansha teased.
Akash shot her a glare that could’ve been lethal in theory, but in practice, lacked the courage to follow through. He was scared of his sister—and more importantly, he knew she was the only person who could intimidate his boss too.
"Okay, it’s late. Sleep now," Akansha said, taking the cups away.
"Can’t… there’s still a lot of work to wrap up. Can you get me one more coffee?" Akash asked.
"Okay," she said.
That was exactly when his phone rang.
Shaurya Singh Shekhawat.
Akash groaned before picking up, mentally cursing his ex-brother-in-law for destroying what little peace he had left.
"How is the winding-up going? I hope you remember everything needs to be finished by next week," Shaurya said.
"Yes sir. It’ll be done. Most of it’s already wrapped up… and the papers are being destroyed as well. Data is secured in the hard drive," Akash replied.
"Should I make the coffee stronger, Akash?" Akansha called from the kitchen.
Akash froze.
Sh*t.
Now he’d know where he was.
"You’re at her place or she’s at yours?" Shaurya asked immediately.
"I’m at hers," Akash admitted.
"What is she doing awake this late? It’s late. She needs to sleep," Shaurya said.
Akash exhaled sharply. Of course. Everyone else apparently needed sleep except him.
"We’re talking, sir. I’ll meet you tomorrow at your office?" he added quickly, hoping to end the call before things got worse.
"Fine. But don’t hang up yet. Take the phone to the kitchen. I want to hear your sister for a while," Shaurya said casually.
Akash’s eyes widened.
"What? Why? Weren’t you satisfied getting an earful today?" he asked before he could stop himself.
"She told you that?" Shaurya asked, a faint shift in his tone.
Akash hummed.
That was enough.
Shaurya’s lips curved slightly. So she had spoken about it. Even to her brother.
"What did she say?" Shaurya asked.
"Not much, just that she got so frustrated with you and gave you an earful," Akash said.
Shaurya smiled faintly. There was a hint of embarrassment in it, but also something softer—almost fond. Being scolded by his wife had never felt like humiliation to him; it felt like attention, like a thread still connecting them despite everything.
And getting teased by his brother-in-law on top of that only added a strange kind of comfort to it.
If it were in his hands, he would have chosen more of these moments—more arguments, more scoldings, more of her presence in any form.
Just not this distance.
Never this distance from her.
"Oh. Now answer her question before she—"
Shaurya’s words were cut off as Akansha walked in and smacked Akash on the head.
"Are you deaf? Can’t you answer me? Now look what you’ve done—I made your coffee so bad it’ll ruin your night and your entire tomorrow," she snapped.
Then she noticed the phone.
Her expression froze.
Akash silently showed the contact name.
Shaurya.
Her posture stiffened instantly.
For a moment, she should’ve cared. He was the Chief Minister. She had just embarrassed her brother in front of him. Any normal person would’ve reacted.
But she didn’t. And that bothered her more than anything else.
Without a word, she gestured for Akash to drink the coffee and walked out calmly.
Silence settled on the line. Shaurya didn’t speak.
He didn’t need to. He could feel her distance even through silence.
"Will see you tomorrow, Akash," Shaurya said and hung up.
Despite everything she had said in the afternoon, his craving for her didn’t die; if anything, it only increased more.
If she said those words to him, if she could call their most beautiful night—the night he confessed his love for her—a mistake, a regret, then he could understand the amount of pain she might have gone through all these years.
She never regretted that night before, not when she got to know about his betrayal, not when he forced her to marry him, not even when he hurt her the most…
but she did it now. He couldn’t even imagine her struggles, her pain, and the kind of things she faced in these five years that got those words out of her.
Akansha guessed it right. If he were the old Shaurya, he would have definitely stayed away from her for at least a few days—until his ache dulled, until the hurt caused by her words faded.
But that Shaurya no longer existed. These five years without his wife had changed him.
If he got to stay with her for the rest of his life, any amount of pain was welcome—his craving to hear her voice now proved that.
Now, he held that boundless and unconditional love she had once wished for from him—a kind of love where he could overlook every mistake of hers.
He hadn’t been able to show it then, but now he had it.
The question was—was she ready to accept it now, or was she too broken to even think about him and his love anymore?
Shaurya welcomed the morning sunlight with open eyes.
He hadn’t slept a wink the previous night.
The disgust he had seen in Akansha’s eyes kept him awake—and it continued for a week.
He tried his best to get her to meet him, but she resisted firmly.
He asked Shweta to block his calendar every day, and Shweta knew exactly why.
Akansha worked in the same building, and Shweta had noticed her consistent efforts to avoid Shaurya. It didn’t sit well with her.
"Sir... I need to talk to you about my relieving. I want to rejoin the administrative wing. If you allow, I will shortlist some candidates for my replacement," Shweta said.
Shaurya rubbed his forehead. His head was pounding—it had been a week since he had gotten any proper sleep, and the restlessness of not seeing his wife—ex-wife—only worsened it.
"Mrs. Gupta... I already told you, continue till the elections. We will discuss this after that. If you still don’t want to continue, then we can look for your replacement," Shaurya said.
He rarely addressed her as Mrs. Gupta—that alone reflected his mood. But Shweta was done compromising. She didn’t want to work under him anymore, and she had made up her mind.
"Sir... I am not comfortable working here... Please understand," Shweta finally said.
Shaurya frowned.
"Wait. Did someone make you uncomfortable? Damn it, Shweta—why didn’t you tell me this earlier? What is wrong? Tell me. Trust me, I won’t let your name come out—I will handle this my way. Don’t be afraid," Shaurya said, rising from his seat.
If a woman who directly reported to him wasn’t safe at her workplace, how was he supposed to ensure the safety of the women in his state? The thought made him feel ashamed.
Shweta looked at him, surprised. All this concern, this instinct to protect—could it really be a facade? Or was she wrong? After all, he was a politician.
"I’m sorry, sir, but I wasn’t comfortable with your behavior with Dr. Dixit. I... I may be wrong, but... I saw Dr. Dixit getting uncomfortable every time she had to meet you. Sir... you always made sure every woman working under you felt safe, but seeing you behave..." Shweta trailed off.
Shaurya’s expression hardened. He didn’t like the accusation—not even a little. After everything he had done to ensure women’s safety, after years of working alongside women with complete respect, she still doubted him?
But then again, this was exactly why he had chosen Shweta as his assistant—her integrity, her moral clarity. If he wanted a corruption-free system, he needed people like her. The same values that made her loyal also gave her the courage to question him today.
Had it been anyone else, he wouldn’t have tolerated it. But this was Shweta—and she spoke out of concern, not malice. So he chose to let it pass.
"Did you discuss this with anyone else?" Shaurya asked.
She shook her head.
"Have you at least confirmed this with Dr. Dixit? If it’s true?" he asked again.
"I asked her many times, but she denied it. Still... I feel she’s hesitating to say anything," Shweta said.
"If a man makes her uncomfortable—or even tries to—Dr. Dixit wouldn’t hesitate to call it out.
She wouldn’t wait a second before breaking his bones.
It doesn’t matter if he’s a CM or even a PM.
That is Akansha Dixit for you..." he paused slightly, his gaze steady, ".
..or should I say, Mrs. Akansha Shaurya Singh Shekhawat. "
Shweta’s eyes widened at his words.