Chapter 30 #2
Akansha purposely claimed she was hungry, and because of that, Siya reluctantly agreed to let Shaurya feed her.
Otherwise, she had initially refused because she was still angry with him.
After lunch, Akansha took Siya to the bedroom for her mandatory afternoon nap.
"Mamabear...", Siya called softly while Akansha patted her gently to sleep.
"Hm...?", Akansha responded quietly.
"Dadda no lunch?(Dadda didn't have lunch, why?)", the little girl asked sleepily.
"Dadda wanted to feed you first. Now he'll eat, don't worry", Akansha replied softly.
That tiny piece of information instantly made Siya giggle happily.
After all, Akansha herself never ate without feeding Siya first.
And if her father was doing the same thing, then maybe... he truly loved her too.
But then another question entered her little mind. If he loved her so much... then why didn't he come to meet her all these years?
Slowly, those thoughts faded away as Akansha continued patting her gently, and within minutes, Siya drifted off to sleep.
After making sure her daughter was asleep, Akansha walked toward the hall. But instead of eating lunch himself, Shaurya was still standing in the kitchen.
"What are you doing there? Did you have your lunch?", Akansha asked while walking in.
"Yeah... Done...", Shaurya replied casually.
Only then did Akansha notice that he was baking cupcakes.
"For Siya?", she asked. Shaurya nodded immediately.
"Then what's this for?", she questioned again after noticing the sugar syrup beside him.
"Gulab jamun... your favorite", he answered softly.
His answer displeased her instantly.
"What's all this, Shaurya? Just focus on your daughter. Don't try reviving old memories... they will never return", she condemned him harshly.
"Calm down, Akansha... I only made it because Siya called me 'Dadda' for the first time today, so I wanted to celebrate it. You must have celebrated the day she called you 'Mumma' for the first time too, right?", he explained gently.
Instantly, Akansha felt guilty for snapping at him, especially after noticing how pale his face had become.
"We already celebrated this day long ago", Akansha said quietly.
Shaurya frowned in confusion.
"What do you mean?", he asked immediately.
"Your daughter's first syllable was 'Pa'. The second was 'Da'. And her first proper word was 'Dada'. We already celebrated that day", Akansha revealed, completely shocking him.
"Her first word was 'Dada'?", Shaurya whispered to himself emotionally. Akansha nodded softly.
At that moment, Shaurya badly wanted to hug her tightly and express how overwhelmingly happy he felt. But he stopped himself.
He knew it would make her uncomfortable, and he wanted to avoid doing anything that could upset her further.
"Finish this quickly and come to the hall. I want to show you something", Akansha told him before leaving the kitchen.
The moment she left, Shaurya plugged in his AirPods and started dancing around while preparing the desserts.
He was simply too happy. And this was one place where nobody would see him or judge him except Akansha. Well... he didn't mind Akansha watching him dance. That woman had already seen every version of him possible. There was nothing left to hide from her.
Well... except the truth that could hurt or destroy her, his conscience reminded him painfully.
After finishing his work in the kitchen, Shaurya walked into the hall and found Akansha adjusting some settings on the TV.
"What are you doing?", he asked curiously.
"Hm...", she responded while pointing toward the television screen.
The next second, Shaurya froze. On the screen was his ten-month-old daughter.
Tiny Siya was wearing a purple frock with a matching hairband while walking toward Akansha with the help of her pink baby walker.
From the background, he could hear Richa repeatedly asking Siya to say "Mama", but the baby kept mumbling syllables like "Pa" and "Da".
"Say 'Mama'... 'Mama'", Richa's voice echoed from behind the camera, clearly recording the video.
"Come here... come to Mama, Siya... come here", Akansha encouraged lovingly while extending her arms toward the baby.
Meanwhile, little Siya excitedly rushed toward her mother with her walker.
"Da... Pa... Dada...", baby Siya babbled innocently.
And at that exact moment, Shaurya felt as if his heartbeat stopped completely before violently resuming again.
The video ended with Akansha's visibly shocked face filling the screen.
Slowly, Shaurya walked toward the sofa and sat beside Akansha.
Without saying a word, he took her palm into his hands, kissed the back of it gently, and pressed it against his forehead gratefully.
"You don't know what you just gave me by showing this... Thank you... Thank you so much", Shaurya whispered emotionally.
Akansha simply nodded quietly.
It took him several moments to compose himself before finally asking the question that had been troubling his heart.
"Were you hurt? Siya's first word was 'Dada' and not 'Mama'... Did that hurt you?", Shaurya asked softly.
"You want me to answer honestly?", Akansha asked quietly.
And Shaurya nodded.
"I was a little upset... but not because Siya said 'Dada' first. I was upset because you weren't there to hear her say it", Akansha admitted quietly.
"At that moment, I felt a lot of anger and fury towards you.
I thought you didn't deserve her first word.
.. but then I composed myself because I didn't want my hatred for you to become a part of that important day.
So, Richa and I celebrated her first word without any negative emotions attached to it", she finished.
Shaurya nodded slowly, a proud smile appearing on his face. This was the woman he chose. His woman.
The woman he loved immensely even today... but sadly failed to keep beside him.
"How did you ever love a man like me?", he asked quietly.
Akansha's eyes narrowed instantly at his statement. To her, he had once been the best thing that ever happened in her life. People might think she was crazy for thinking that way after everything that happened, but even today, a part of her still felt the same.
Some of the happiest days of her life were spent with him.
Despite every reason he initially had to hate her, he was still the first man who made her feel truly and unconditionally loved.
Her father loved her too, but along with that love, she always saw sympathy in his eyes.
.. sympathy for everything she suffered because of his wife and daughter.
Her brother loved her deeply too, but beneath that love, there was always gratitude.
But Shaurya's love had once felt unconditional. Despite all the reasons he had to hate her, he still loved her. Yes, she hated him now. But she could never forget those days when Shaurya made sure her life contained nothing except happiness. And more than anything else, he gave her Siya.
Her lifeline.
"I loved a good man... a man who deserved my love and much more", Akansha said while staring directly into his eyes. "But one day... he suddenly disappeared."
The emptiness in her eyes terrified Shaurya.
"Akansha...", he trailed off helplessly.
"Let's talk about Siya. How are you planning to convince her?", Akansha asked, changing the topic immediately.
"I'll keep doing whatever I can... and I'll wait until my daughter forgives me", he answered honestly.
"Why did you tell her that you didn't come to meet her because of work? You know that would upset her even more, don't you?", Akansha questioned.
"Then what should I have said? I had to give her some reason, and this seemed like the best one. Also... I don't want her knowing the actual truth, at least not now. So this is better", he replied quietly.
Akansha had no response to that. He was ready to bear his daughter's anger.
.. even her hatred in the future... but he still didn't want Siya becoming upset with Akansha.
This was exactly the man she had loved. A man who always placed himself behind for the sake of his woman's happiness.
For her happiness. But then his thirst for retribution destroyed the beautiful life they could have had.
Though deep down, Akansha couldn't help wondering once again... Was retribution truly the only reason he caused her so much pain?
"Siya loves you a lot... She'll forgive you soon", Akansha said softly.
And for the first time in hours, Shaurya smiled with genuine hope.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Shaurya's eyes widened instantly.
"Damn it... Who is it at this time?", he muttered anxiously.
Akansha peeped through the peephole and immediately panicked upon seeing Richa standing outside. The moment she informed Shaurya, he visibly tensed.
"Look... I know she's your best friend, but I don't trust her at all. She can use anyone and anything to tarnish my image. I'll stay inside the room with Siya. Send her away quickly", Shaurya said seriously.
Akansha nodded because she couldn't deny what he said. Yes, Richa was fully capable of doing anything to defame Shaurya. And Akansha simply couldn't allow that to happen inside her house.
Her best friend might spare her and Siya, but she would definitely find some other way to damage Shaurya's reputation. And Akansha couldn't let that happen. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself before opening the door.
"Ansha... What took you so long? You better return my keys soon. I don't want to ring the bell like an outsider every time", Richa complained while settling comfortably on the sofa.
Meanwhile, Shaurya stood silently behind the bedroom door, clearly hearing their entire conversation.
"You do remember that I still haven't forgiven you yet, right? So no... you're not getting your keys back anytime soon. Now tell me why you're here", Akansha asked strictly.
At that moment, all she wanted was to somehow send her best friend away before she discovered Shaurya's presence inside the house.
"I am here to stay", Richa announced casually.