Chapter 20
"Dev... keep your back door open," Shaurya said the moment Dev answered the call.
Shaurya hung up without answering. Dev knew instantly—something was terribly wrong. Otherwise, his best friend would never act this impulsively.
Shaurya was already on his way, accompanied by a compact security team. He trusted very few people, even among his close aides, to keep this news contained.
The sky broke open. Rain lashed down violently, as if mirroring the storm raging inside him.
Throughout the drive, his mind circled only around Akansha and Siya.
Rage burned through him—how could his ex-wife hide their daughter all these years?
The possibility that he might have never known about her crushed his heart.
He knew Akansha would never have told him if fate hadn’t intervened. That thought alone fueled his anger.
At the same time, worry gripped him. The weather had turned brutal, and his daughter was already unwell. He wanted to be with her, to shield her, to take care of her. He had already instructed Akash to keep Siya indoors and safe. At least they had reached home before the storm hit.
It unsettled him—how quickly he had stepped into the role of a father.
Not even a day had passed since he learned the truth, yet everything in him had changed.
He remembered mocking Dev for being overprotective of his children.
He always insisted kids needed to fall, fail, and learn.
But now... now he wanted to protect his daughter from every possible pain life could throw at her.
"Sir... Mr. Sharma has spoken to the disaster management team. They’re preparing in case the storm worsens," Suraj, his security head, informed him.
"Good. Ask the concerned departments to monitor waterlogging as well. People shouldn’t face issues commuting to work, schools, colleges. Normalcy must be restored as soon as possible," Shaurya instructed.
Suraj nodded and moved to execute the orders.
They soon reached the rear side of Dev’s mansion. A tall compound wall stood between him and the one person he needed to speak to.
The back gate was open, but the passage was too narrow for vehicles. Shaurya stopped his security outside and walked in alone, refusing their insistence to accompany him with an umbrella.
By the time he reached the back door, he was drenched—rainwater streaming from his hair, soaking through his clothes. Dev stood waiting.
"What happened that you—" Dev began, ready to scold him for taking such a risk, for walking in the rain without protection.
But Shaurya didn’t let him finish. He pulled Dev into a tight embrace, his voice breaking.
"Siya is my daughter"
Dev froze. The words hit him like a shockwave. The rain, the soaked clothes—none of it mattered anymore.
His mind raced. That little girl—the one who had caught Shaurya’s attention at first sight—was his daughter? Why would Akansha hide something like this? She had been pregnant when she left... why hadn’t she thought about her child growing up without a father?
Dev knew his friend had made mistakes—serious ones—but most of them had come from a misguided attempt to protect her.
His methods had been wrong, but his intentions.
.. never malicious. Yes, he had hurt her—but denying him the knowledge of his own child?
That felt too harsh. Not just for Shaurya—but for the child as well.
He couldn’t understand it. Akansha wasn’t impulsive or reckless. She was composed, mature. What could have pushed her to make such a decision?
Anger flared inside him. How could she do this to Shaurya?
Dev tightened his hold, patting his back. Tears slipped from his own eyes at the sight of his friend’s pain.
"I’m here for you... always. We’ll fix this," Dev said firmly.
Those words steadied Shaurya. He pulled back just as Rachna walked in.
"What are you both doing here? Come inside. God, Shaurya—you’re completely drenched... and now Dev too," she said, taking in their state, a faint laugh escaping her.
"Done enjoying? Now please get two towels... and ask someone to switch on the heater in my study. We’ll sit there," Dev said.
"Oh, towels are here," Rachna replied, handing them one each before turning to Shaurya. "Go change. Your clothes are still in the guest room."
Shaurya nodded with a small smile. Before leaving, he glanced at Dev. Dev understood immediately and gave a slight nod—he wouldn’t tell Rachna anything until Shaurya chose to.
"You too go change," Rachna added to her husband. "And before you lock yourselves in that study, let Shaurya meet the kids. They’ve been missing him. I know it’s something important, but five minutes won’t hurt."
Dev kissed her cheek—then playfully bit it.
"Idiot! Just go," she swatted his arm.
"I will. It’s late—you go sleep. I’ll put the kids back to bed after they meet him," Dev said.
"Take care of him... he looked devastated," she said softly.
Dev swallowed hard.
"He is... he’s in deep sh*t," he admitted.
"And you can’t tell me what it is," she said, not asking but stating. She had seen the silent exchange between them.
Dev shook his head.
Rachna sighed... and nodded.
"Take care of him... I’m going to sleep. Wake me up if you need anything," Rachna said before walking away.
Dev changed quickly and took Shaurya to his sons’ room, waking them up. The boys groaned at first, annoyed at being pulled out of half-sleep, but the moment they saw their favorite uncle, all their grumpiness vanished. After spending a few minutes with him, Dev gently coaxed them back to sleep.
The two friends then settled into Dev’s study.
"You want a drink?" Dev asked.
Shaurya shook his head. "I’m afraid I won’t stop at one if I start... I want to numb myself so this doesn’t ache anymore," he said, pointing to his chest, his voice breaking.
"How did you find out?" Dev asked, pouring himself a drink. He needed it—watching Shaurya like this wasn’t easy.
"Akash... He came to my place, and Siya was there with me," Shaurya said, then went on to explain everything that had happened.
"Siya is my daughter... my blood... and I had no idea. My baby missed me all these years... her pain... how did she manage life without a father, Dev? At that age, she needed me... and I wasn’t there... I could never forgive myself," he said, his voice heavy with guilt.
Dev stayed silent. This was needed. For once, Shaurya wasn’t suppressing anything—he was letting it all out.
"Akansha... she... how could she not tell me she was pregnant? She left when she was carrying my child... I can’t even imagine what she went through.
.. she needed me... God... what have I done in my thirst for revenge?
" Shaurya ran his hands through his hair, his eyes burning with regret as memories flooded him.
"Shaurya... stop torturing yourself," Dev said quietly, but it barely reached him.
"Every time I think about how she hid my daughter from me, my blood boils. How could she? How dare she? She could have punished me in any way—I would have accepted it... but this? She took my daughter away from me... no father deserves this, Dev... no one..."
His voice trembled, but he still held himself together.
"I missed everything... my baby’s kicks.
.. Akansha’s sonography... taking care of her.
.. her cravings... being there for her..
. my child’s birth... her first word, her first crawl, her first step.
.. her first birthday... everything... I’ll never get that time back, Dev. .. it’s gone... I can’t bear that..."
Dev pulled him into a hug, his own eyes stinging.
At that moment, he wanted to blame Akansha, question her, demand answers—but he held back.
"Seeing you take care of Rachna during her pregnancy... I used to dream of doing the same for Akansha... but reality is... she didn’t even think I deserved to know my child existed..."
He let out a hollow laugh.
"No woman does this... not even one who hates her husband... my Akansha wasn’t like this... then who is this woman? I should hate her... but I can’t... every time I try, I just think about what she must have gone through... alone... raising Siya... and all it does is make me hate myself more."
"No... Shaurya... don’t go there. She wasn’t alone—Akash was with her," Dev said quickly.
"I don’t know... Akash said he met her only a few years ago... which means..."
His voice broke.
"...she was alone during her pregnancy."
Dev’s chest tightened. That possibility hit hard.
He knew Akansha. She wasn’t weak—but even strength has limits. And pregnancy... alone... after everything that happened? That wasn’t just difficult—that was brutal.
"Shaurya... calm down... we’ll figure something out," Dev said, steadying his voice. "The past is gone, yes... and it hurts... but you still have the rest of your life. You can make it right. Siya will have her father now... focus on that... not on what you lost, but on what you can still build."
Shaurya went still.
Future?
With the way Akansha looked at him now... with the hatred in her eyes... what future was even possible?
Would she ever agree to let him be part of their daughter’s life?
If that was possible, she wouldn’t have left in the first place.
"I don’t know, Dev..." he murmured, defeated.
Dev downed his drink in one go and leaned back beside him, the weight of the situation settling heavily between them.
"Have you asked your PI to dig into Akansha and Siya’s life over the past five years?" Dev asked. Shaurya shook his head, and Dev stared at him in disbelief.
"What the hell, Shaurya? Why? You should have ordered it immediately," Dev snapped, frustration evident.
"I promised I wouldn’t," Shaurya replied quietly. Dev let out a sharp breath.
"Your wife hid your daughter from you for five years, and you still care about a promise? Idiot... open your eyes. If Akansha could hide Siya all this time, she might be planning to disappear again. What will you do then?" Dev demanded.