Chapter 28 #3
So deeply that there were moments when he had genuinely contemplated killing his own father without hesitation.
No.
No, Shaurya.
Don’t think about that now.
Not now.
He repeated the words inside his head desperately, trying to stop the spiral.
But the voices wouldn’t stop.
Akansha’s accusations had unknowingly triggered the darkest memories of his life.
“Shaurya... you are miserable.”
“You can do nothing.”
“You thought you could protect her by going against me? How na?ve.”
“I would’ve destroyed you too if you weren’t my son.”
“Stop caring about her... and she will survive.”
The voices overlapped violently inside his head like a cruel echo chamber.
No matter how hard he tried to steady himself, they kept replaying relentlessly.
His breathing gradually turned uneven.
Labored.
Heavy.
And Akansha noticed it immediately.
“What’s happening to you, Shaurya?” she asked, trying hard to conceal the concern rising inside her.
Panic surged through him at her question. She had noticed. Which meant his body had already betrayed him. He knew he wouldn’t be able to hold himself together much longer.
“Get out,” he ordered sharply.
The harshness in his tone startled even him, but he had no choice. He could not let her know about his suffering.
No.
Never.
Akansha pushed her chair back with force, the screeching sound echoing through the cabin as she stormed toward the door.
Shaurya released a shaky breath in relief. But the relief lasted barely a second.
Because instead of leaving, she locked the cabin door and hurried back to him.
“I’m fine...” he muttered, struggling to steady his breathing.
“Have this,” she said firmly, bringing the glass of water to his lips.
This time, he obeyed silently. Tears burned behind her eyes, but she forced them back immediately.
No.
She could not afford to weaken now. Being a psychologist, Akansha instantly recognized what was happening.
No matter how calm Shaurya tried to appear, his body language betrayed him completely.
Anyone else might have been deceived by his composed exterior — or rather, the facade he had perfected over the years.
But not her. Not for two reasons.
First, she knew him better than anyone else ever could.
And second, she had the professional knowledge to recognize the signs.
After a few more sips of water — and mostly because of the soothing way Akansha unconsciously rubbed his hair and back — his breathing gradually steadied.
The moment she realized what she was doing, she immediately stepped away from him, putting distance between them once again.
“What exactly just happened to you?” she asked, returning to her previous chair.
“Let’s discuss something else,” he attempted to divert the topic.
But both of them knew one thing very clearly.
Akansha was stubborn. And Shaurya was even worse. A trait their daughter had unfortunately inherited from both of them.
“Shaurya,” she said sternly, “you are answering me before we discuss anything else.”
“Why?” he asked quietly. “Do you care what happens to me? Would it affect you if something happened to me right now?”
She glared at him instantly.
“It concerns my daughter, Shaurya,” she replied coldly. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t care even if you died this very minute.”
The words sliced through his chest mercilessly. Over the years, he had witnessed her anger, arrogance, hatred, disgust, indifference, and coldness.
But never this ruthlessness. It destroyed something inside him. Yet outwardly, he remained composed. Because he had reached a point where he accepted everything she gave him — even pain — simply because it came from her.
He loved her too deeply to reject anything tied to her existence.
“Noted,” he said softly. “You don’t have to worry.”
Then he leaned back slightly before continuing calmly,
“What you witnessed just now was a panic attack. Nothing serious. Considering the kind of stressful profession I’m in, these things are normal.”
His tone remained steady, almost reassuring.
“You can relax. It won’t affect Siya in any way. And if you’re worried my mental state might somehow affect her, you can monitor every moment I spend with her. I won’t mind.”
His eyes held no resentment. Only exhaustion.
“And it’s not hereditary either, so there’s no concern about it being passed on to Siya.”
The casual way he offered her the right to supervise his interactions with their daughter made her heart clench painfully. He truly believed she considered him incapable of being a proper father. And perhaps she had made him feel that way repeatedly.
But all her bitterness came from the wounds he himself had created. Deep down, Akansha knew one undeniable truth. Shaurya would never intentionally hurt Siya.
Never.
In fact, she trusted him blindly when it came to their daughter’s safety. But she couldn’t let him know that.
Because the moment she softened completely, her own heart would become vulnerable again. And she no longer trusted him with that power.
“Shaurya... I don’t think you’ll hurt Siya,” she admitted stiffly. “I know you could never intentionally harm her.”
Despite her rigid tone, the sincerity behind her words soothed something broken inside him. Her trust had once been the very foundation of his confidence. Hearing even fragments of it now felt like balm over old wounds.
“But,” she continued firmly, “I expect you to handle the unintentional consequences as well. End this issue as quickly as possible. I don’t want this rumor spreading any further.”
He noticed it instantly.
Rumor.
She had called it a rumor without demanding any explanation from him. Without questioning his loyalty even once. Despite everything between them, she still believed he could never love another woman. That silent trust gave him hope. A dangerous amount of hope.
“I will,” he promised with complete conviction.
This time, she simply nodded instead of prolonging the argument.
“Fine. Then check the tracker. I’ve labeled all my tasks and timelines in the Excel sheet. Please verify and approve it,” she said, her tone shifting back into formal professionalism.
“I don’t need a tracker,” he replied calmly. “I already know your workload, and your plate is full enough.”
He picked up the file beside him.
“I’ll assign the demonstration responsibilities to Mr. Khanna and Mrs. Arora. You’ll assist them when required. They’ll handle the PPT and data preparation as well.”
Akansha visibly relaxed for the first time since entering his cabin. But before she could fully settle into that relief, he added,
“However, you will still present the final demonstration along with them.”
She sighed inwardly but nodded anyway. Honestly, she was simply grateful he had reduced part of her burden. She rose from her chair to leave, though concern for him still lingered heavily inside her chest.
But she couldn’t ask him anything further. Not anymore.
So she silently turned toward the door.
“I’m absolutely fine,” Shaurya said behind her, his voice carrying deliberate confidence.
But she knew better. Something far deeper was hidden beneath that calm exterior. Still, for now, she chose to give him the benefit of the doubt. Without replying, she walked out of the cabin.
The moment the door shut behind her, Shaurya leaned back heavily and cursed himself endlessly. In all these years — despite the fear, trauma, pain, and haunting memories — he had never lost control in front of another person.
Never.
This was the first time someone had witnessed even a glimpse of his breakdown.
And maybe... just maybe... it happened because Akansha still made him feel safe enough for his fears to slip through the cracks.
Whatever the reason was, one thing became crystal clear to him now.
He had to be more careful from this point onward because he already sensed suspicion growing inside her and if she got even one more clue, Akansha would dig into the entire truth relentlessly.
And he absolutely could not let that happen.
---------
The week passed by quickly, and before Akansha realized it, Friday night had arrived. She had finally decided. Tomorrow, she would tell Siya the truth.
Since it was a second Saturday, the mother and daughter had already planned to spend the entire weekend together, and Akansha felt this was the best possible time to prepare her little girl before meeting Shaurya again on Sunday.
“Siyu... shall we go out for dinner?” Akansha asked softly.
“Mumma... moll?” Siya asked excitedly.
“Mall?” Akansha blinked in surprise. “You want to go to the mall? Why baby? My Siyu wants ghumi ghumi?” she teased lovingly.
But Siya shook her head.
“Game zone?” Akansha guessed again.
Wrong again.
“No mamabear... I want to buy a gipht(gift) for Sholya. He gave me cho many giphts(gifts), but I gave no gipht(gift),” Siya said seriously.
Akansha burst into laughter at her daughter’s adorable logic.
The little girl clearly wanted to buy something for Shaurya but was cleverly building excuses because she feared her mother might refuse. Akansha kissed her daughter’s chubby cheeks affectionately.
“We’ll definitely buy a gift for Shaurya. Chalo... let’s get ready. Today mumma will also take you to the game zone.”
As she spoke, an idea slowly formed in her mind regarding how to reveal the truth to Siya.
Her daughter loved simple puzzles and guessing games. Solving them made her feel proud and confident, and since this was such a huge revelation for her tiny mind, Akansha wanted to approach it gently.
Indirectly.
She wanted Siya to guess it herself before hearing the full truth. Maybe that way the shock wouldn’t hit her too hard. Honestly, Akansha believed Siya would mostly be delighted.
After all, she adored Shaurya already, and discovering that her best friend was actually her father would probably make her incredibly happy.