Chapter 18
"If a man makes her uncomfortable, or even tries to, Dr. Dixit wouldn't hesitate to point it out.
She wouldn't wait a second before breaking his bones.
It doesn't matter if he is the CM or even a PM—that is Akansha Dixit for you.
.. Or should I say, Mrs. Akansha Shaurya Singh Shekhawat," Shaurya said. Shweta’s eyes widened at what he had just revealed.
"S...Sir... You are married?" Shweta asked, shock evident in her voice. It was the first thing that escaped her lips after processing what she had just heard.
That explained his undeniable attraction toward Dr. Akansha Dixit.
And here she was, assuming he had ill intentions toward that woman—when in reality, he looked at her as though she was his entire world.
Shweta silently cursed herself for letting a misunderstanding overshadow years of knowing her boss.
"Married to the most wonderful woman, Mrs. Gupta," Shaurya said, a quiet pride settling on his face at the mere thought of calling Akansha his wife.
"But sir..." Shweta began, but Shaurya shook his head.
"I'm not willing to share anything more about my personal life, Shweta. I hope you respect that. One more thing—no one knows about this, and we would like to keep it that way for now. I didn’t reveal this because you accused me of something so cheap, or to make you stay, but because you genuinely cared for a woman, and your selfless, brave confrontation deserved an explanation.
You are free to get transferred back and start looking for your replacement—but the work should not be affected in any way.
If it is, you know me," Shaurya said, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Shweta tried hard not to let the fear show on her face. She knew exactly how Shaurya reacted when work was compromised.
"No, sir... that won’t be necessary. I would like to continue in my position. I deeply regret the inconvenience caused, and also my words. I sincerely apologize and promise it won’t happen again," Shweta said, genuinely remorseful.
Shaurya gave a brief nod and dismissed her.
As soon as she left, realization began to sink in. He didn’t regret telling Shweta—but the thought of what would happen when Akansha found out about this terrified him. Separated or not, he was still afraid of his wife. In fact, she was the only person on this earth he feared.
For now, he trusted Shweta to keep his secret.
Otherwise, nothing could save him from being beaten to a pulp by his estranged wife.
Ouch—the word "estranged" hurt far more than the thought of getting beaten by her.
When would that word disappear? When would he be able to call her his wife openly again?
The irony wasn’t lost on him.
Five years ago, he had every right to call her his in front of the world—and she had wanted that too. But he chose not to. And now, when he was desperate to claim her, he knew she would hate being known as his wife.
He was well aware that if his relationship status became public, it would turn into a major scandal—a serious threat to his political career. But that wasn’t what worried him.
His only concern was Akansha.
The scrutiny, the judgment, the names people would call her—he knew it would make her life miserable.
And knowing her, she would never allow him to protect her.
He needed to find a way out soon, because now that he had found her again after all these years, letting her go was not an option.
He would pursue her all his life if needed—but how long could he keep this hidden?
And more importantly, would she ever become his again?
Would she ever forgive him?
He closed his eyes, wishing his mistakes could simply disappear. The countless errors he had made pricked him relentlessly, every single second.
Would his guilt and regret ever end?
No.
He knew they wouldn’t.
But his determination to give his wife every happiness she deserved was far stronger. He would do anything for that.
A week later, Shaurya began campaigning for the upcoming elections.
Though the elections were still more than half a year away, he wasn’t in favor of last-minute aggressive campaigning that would disrupt his responsibilities as Chief Minister. Instead, he structured his schedule carefully, dividing his time to cover the entire state systematically.
But more than strategy, there was another reason.
He wanted to keep himself so occupied that he wouldn’t have even a single moment to think about his wife—who was avoiding him as though her life depended on it. Because if he stayed in the Secretariat, he knew he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from seeing her.
He had already made a fool of himself in front of his immediate staff by visiting the education department wing more often than necessary.
Shweta, who now understood the real reason behind those visits—to catch a glimpse of his wife, to speak to her, or simply to breathe the same air as her—couldn’t help but blush at this unexpected side of her boss. His quiet devotion and deep admiration for Akansha were impossible to miss.
It was sheer luck—and his carefully maintained image—that prevented others from noticing his obvious interest in one particular doctor from the curriculum revision committee.
However, Mr. Sharma wasn’t blind.
He had already sensed his boss’s undeniable attraction toward Dr. Dixit. He even suspected that they had a past, though he didn’t know the full story.
He had first noticed it at the police station.
The moment Shaurya saw her, something in him shifted. The fear, the tension—he looked like a man ready to destroy the world if anything had happened to her. That night, Mr. Sharma had seen his composed boss lose control more than once, until things became clearer.
And then there were his efforts to bring her onto the committee.
Though unconventional methods were never used, Mr. Sharma knew those efforts weren’t random. Still, Akansha had earned her place—her interview had proven that beyond doubt.
Akansha, on the other hand, finally felt a sense of relief when she learned about Shaurya’s frequent travel plans for campaigning.
That meant no more unexpected visits.
No more sudden encounters.
And somewhere deep down, she knew she was one of the reasons behind that decision.
He knew he wouldn’t be able to stay away from her if he remained nearby.
And he also knew—she wasn’t comfortable with it.
So, he chose distance.
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It had been a month since Shaurya left for campaigning, and he returned to the capital city just this morning.
He had thought the distance would help him divert his mind from his wife, but it only made things worse.
Every time he met people in pain, one thought haunted him—what if his wife had suffered like this too?
And that thought made him hate himself even more.
Despite meeting her several times after the five-year gap, he knew nothing about what she had endured during those years.
That realization unsettled him deeply. He desperately wanted to call his private investigator and uncover every detail of her life from the day she walked out on him—but he resisted.
He had promised not to run a background check on her, in exchange for the three meetings his brother-in-law had secured for him.
The temptation to secretly get the investigation done and hide it from her crossed his mind more than once. But this time, he wanted to do things right. If he was trying to earn her trust, then his efforts had to be genuine—not built on deception.
Throughout the month, while thoughts of his wife drove him close to madness, his conversations with his little friend brought him back to sanity.
Those few minutes of weekly phone calls filled him with renewed energy.
He decided he would meet her as soon as he returned—and now that he had, seeing his little Siya was next on his list.
But before that, he had to see his wife.
Even the thought of meeting her after an entire month made his heart race.
He pulled out a crisp blue striped formal shirt and paired it with light cream trousers.
Knowing how much his wife loved striped shirts, he had bought several over the years—but never wore them to work.
Given his image, he preferred plain shirts in professional settings.
But today was different.
Today, he wanted to look good for her. He wanted to impress her in every way he could.
He knew the emotional damage he had caused was far too deep, that their relationship was far too broken to be mended with something as small as this—but still, he wanted to try.
From wearing her favorite patterns to becoming the man she deserved, he was willing to do everything in his power.
"Dr. Dixit, good to go?" Dr. Rashid Khan, a senior researcher, asked as he walked up to her desk.
"Yes, Mr. Khan... The presentation is ready. I’ve also prepared stats for the probable questions Mr. Shekhawat might raise," Akansha replied, masking her uneven heartbeat perfectly.
God... why did he have to come here on the very first day?
He had just returned from campaigning. He could have taken up more pressing matters—but no. Of course, he had to come here, to see her, to disturb the fragile peace she had managed to build in his absence.
"That’s great, but we probably won’t need them," Dr. Rashid said casually. "The CM is visiting the Secretariat after a month—he’ll be tied up with appointments. He won’t be able to spare more than ten minutes here, so we should be fine."
Akansha nodded, a flicker of hope rising within her. He had worked with Shaurya for years—he would know him better, right?
But her own experience told her otherwise. Shaurya would never leave a discussion unfinished. He wouldn’t walk out of that conference room in under an hour—and enduring him for that long felt nothing short of torture to her.