Chapter 26 #2
Protecting the people and destroying the games of those who endangered public welfare.
The Swaminathan couple welcomed Shaurya warmly.
He and the Governor soon walked toward the latter’s study to discuss a few important matters. Since Shaurya was leaving for campaigning, there were certain crucial portfolios he wanted His Excellency to keep an eye on.
A few ministers in the cabinet were uncertain about securing a second term under Shaurya’s leadership, and they were desperately trying to make the most of their remaining tenure by filling their pockets—something Shaurya wanted to stop at any cost.
But he could not trust anyone except Mr. Swaminathan for this task.
The foremost reason being that nobody would suspect the Governor.
Another reason was the authority Mr. Swaminathan held.
As the constitutional head of the state, he had every right and responsibility to know what was happening within the government, which made his involvement appear completely natural.
After dinner was arranged, they resumed their discussion at the dining table before Mrs. Padma Swaminathan joined in with her casual yet insightful inputs regarding state affairs.
“I wanted to appreciate your wonderful work regarding the ‘SHe City,’ Madam. I heard you played a major role in promoting the MSME-DIs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises – Development Institutes) within the global city. Your strong presence and support encouraged many women to come forward and establish their businesses. The thoughtful initiatives you took are truly commendable,” Shaurya praised sincerely.
“I wanted to do a lot more, Shaurya, but time wouldn’t favor me,” Mrs. Padma replied with a smile.
“I sometimes wish you were married. Your wife would have helped me with all these things. You young people have fresher ideas than us. And considering how smart you are, I’m sure you will choose an incredible woman as your partner—someone whose thoughts and goals align with yours. ”
Hearing about marriage, Shaurya froze for a moment, but the latter part of her words brought a small smile to his lips.
It was true.
He had found an incredible woman for himself.
Unfortunately, he had lost her because of his own foolishness.
But now that she was back in his life, he was determined to do everything possible to make her stay.
“Hm... Looking at that smile, it seems you already found her?” Mrs. Swaminathan teased gently.
Shaurya only smiled faintly without saying anything.
There were too many things left unresolved before he could even think about taking that step again.
Akansha still needed to know countless truths—why he had done certain things, why he had remained silent at crucial moments, and the reasons behind several painful decisions.
At the same time, he needed to know everything that had happened in the past five years of his wife and daughter’s life.
No matter how much he tried to justify Akansha’s actions logically, his heart still struggled to accept that she had hidden Siya’s existence from him.
That wound was too deep.
Especially after everything they had shared.
Yes, he had made unforgivable mistakes. He had broken her trust and hurt her deeply, but despite all that, he had never stopped protecting her.
He had shattered her heart, but he had always safeguarded her dignity.
Her well-being had always remained above his own.
Of all people, she should have known he would protect her and their child at any cost.
Yet she believed the exact opposite merely because of a few venomous words he had spoken before his mother.
Hearing those words, she erased everything she knew about him and walked away forever while carrying his child.
How could she?
Shaurya pushed away the storm of thoughts the moment he felt Mr. Swaminathan’s palm on his shoulder.
“Are you alright?” the older man asked, concern evident on his face.
Shaurya internally cursed himself for getting lost in his thoughts.
“Yes, Sir. Absolutely fine,” he replied with his infamous pleasant smile—the same smile that always concealed his inner turmoil beneath a mask of calmness and confidence.
After dinner and a few more important discussions, Shaurya finally left for his residence.
Once he freshened up, he discussed the next day’s campaign plans with his security team. After that, he spent some more time with Mr. Sharma signing urgent documents that required his immediate attention.
Only after finishing everything did he finally lie down.
But sleep came to him only in fragments.
A restless couple of hours later, his day began once again.
--------
Akansha came to know about Shaurya’s campaigning a couple of days later when she saw him on the news.
Almost every major channel was covering his campaign rallies, and the public response toward him was overwhelmingly positive, further strengthening his party’s chances of securing a second term.
Shaurya’s popularity in the state was unmatched.
However, Dev had improved drastically over the past five years. Though his chances of snatching the Chief Minister’s seat from Shaurya were slim, he was definitely prepared to give tough competition in several constituencies.
At the same time, corruption allegations against a couple of ministers from Shaurya’s existing cabinet were being aggressively promoted by the opposition party and the media channels associated with them.
Those thoughts eventually led Akansha back to Richa.
It had been weeks since she had spoken to her.
Forget speaking to her, she had not even asked Richa’s parents about her.
The sting of betrayal still lingered within her, but by now, she had accepted fate and come to terms with the reality that Shaurya knew about his daughter’s existence.
Earlier, even the thought of it used to terrify her.
But after accepting reality, her mind had become calmer, though countless uncertainties still clouded her thoughts.
The foremost among them was Siya.
How would her daughter react to the truth?
And when should she tell her?
It had been more than a week since Shaurya left for campaigning, yet he had not texted her even once.
He understood she needed space.
And though staying away from his daughter was perhaps the hardest thing for him right now, he still chose to do it—for the sake of his wife.
Even the thought of causing Akansha more pain than she had already endured felt sinful to him.
She had suffered enough.
He would not let her suffer anymore.
The disgust and repulsion he had seen on her face that day before she stormed out of his cabin remained imprinted in his mind. He realized she needed distance from him—lots of it—and he decided to give her exactly that.
Akansha understood perfectly why she had not received a single text from him all these days.
And honestly, she appreciated his thoughtfulness.
Yes, she truly needed space from him because she was emotionally exhausted.
For five years, she had grown used to his absence.
Then suddenly, he reappeared in her life and from that very day, his presence kept overwhelming her.
One glimpse of him and all their past memories would come crashing into her mind like a relentless reel.
Above that, every time she saw him, the guilt of not letting him know about his daughter consumed her.
Then one day, he discovered Siya’s existence.
She fled from him, only for him to bring her back again.
And then came the revelation that the cruel words she had believed to be his true feelings were actually an act he had put on to protect her.
That truth only intensified her guilt.
Despite his countless mistakes, he did not deserve what happened.
She had acted according to her circumstances and she still believed she had done what was necessary, but when she looked at everything from his perspective—or worse, from Siya’s perspective—she could not help feeling bad.
Amid all these emotional burdens, their constant interactions and Shaurya’s overwhelming presence only made her struggle worse.
Then came Meera Pathak.
Meeting her again, reliving those painful memories, and the conversation with Shaurya that triggered memories of her daughter’s condition from a few years ago pushed Akansha to the brink of uncontrollable fury and pain.
She was honestly glad Shaurya had seen the intense repulsion on her face and chosen to give her time.
Otherwise, handling him would have become even harder for her.
But she also knew it must have taken everything in him not to ask about his daughter or try to know about her.
That day, she had promised him he could speak to Siya after two days.
But before that could happen, the entire ‘Meera’ episode took place, and the very next day, he left for campaigning.
If he wanted, he could have called her and demanded to speak to his daughter since she had already promised him.
But he did not.
And she knew he was missing Siya terribly.
That was precisely why she thought of letting her daughter speak to him.
Not because her heart had softened toward him.
No.
It never would.
All she felt was a little empathy.
He had been understanding all this time, and he deserved the same in return.
That was all.
At least, that was what Akansha kept telling herself—and believing too.
Without thinking much, she called him.
The moment Suraj noticed the caller ID, he quickly handed Shaurya’s personal phone to him. Shaurya’s eyes brightened instantly upon seeing the contact name.
He picked up the call, but Akansha could clearly hear loud background noise. It barely took her a moment to realize he was amidst a crowd campaigning for the upcoming elections.
She immediately cursed herself for not considering that possibility.
“Hello... Hello... Can you hear me? I am so sorry for the disturbance. Give me a minute, I’m moving away,” he said quickly.
At the same time, Suraj was repeatedly asking Shaurya to stop. Moving among the public during campaigns was normal, but they still had to ensure the surroundings were safe.
Akansha heard Suraj’s worried pleas clearly.