Chapter 33
"Dadda... I lub you(I love you)", Siya squealed excitedly the moment they stepped into the hall. The little girl looked overjoyed to see her father because she hadn't expected him to come, especially after he had told her he was busy and wouldn't be able to make it.
Akash stood frozen hearing his niece call Shaurya "Dadda."
When did this happen? And how? Was this why Akansha had called him a few days ago? He had texted her saying he was busy and would call back later, but work never gave him the chance to.
"Siya... weren't you sleeping?", Akash asked his niece carefully.
"Mamu... hehe... Dadda kissie me... I woke up", Siya explained excitedly. "Magic kissie."
Akash's expression hardened slightly. He clearly wasn't happy with these developments.
"Siyu... it's already past your bedtime. Mumma won't like this, you know that right?", Akash tried convincing her gently.
He wanted Siya to go back to sleep so he could properly talk to his ex-brother-in-law about how all this happened and how Siya had reacted to learning the truth.
Shaurya instantly understood Akash's urgency.
But deliberately, he didn't help him. He wanted to spend at least a few more minutes with his daughter.
After that, he would personally put her to sleep before leaving so her routine wouldn't get disturbed.
"Mamu... pwease... I bought giphts for Papa. I want to give him them and then ninniee", Siya pleaded adorably.
Before Akash could stop her, she quickly ran toward her drawing table and returned holding the sunglasses and greeting card she had bought for Shaurya.
"Dadda... this is for you", Siya said proudly while handing him the gifts.
Shaurya instantly lit up with excitement. These were the first gifts his daughter had ever given him.
"You chose these yourself, baby?", he asked emotionally while looking at the sunglasses and the beautifully decorated greeting card.
"Yes Dadda... you like it?", Siya asked curiously while staring at him expectantly.
"This is beautiful, Siya... You made Dadda so happy. Thank you so much, bacha."
His voice softened further.
"Dadda will wear them for you."
Without wasting another second, Shaurya immediately wore the sunglasses, making Siya clap excitedly.
"Dadda... you are pwetty(pretty)", Siya praised proudly.
Shaurya burst into laughter at his daughter's innocent compliment.
"Thank you, my baby. But my Siya is the prettiest", he replied lovingly while hugging her tightly.
Siya giggled happily in his arms. After chatting with her for a while, Shaurya slowly started walking around the hall while carrying her in his arms, gently patting her back to make her sleep. Within a few minutes, Siya drifted off peacefully.
He quietly carried her back to the bedroom and carefully made her lie down beside Akansha. After softly shutting the bedroom door behind him, Shaurya started walking toward the exit. But Akash's voice stopped him.
"When did all this happen? My Siyu was calling you 'Dadda'..."
Akash's tone carried visible hurt.
"She is MY niece."
"I understand your pain, Akash", Shaurya replied calmly. "But I'd like to remind you... Siya is MY daughter. And every daughter calls her father the same."
"Yes... but do you even deserve that title?" Akash asked bluntly. "Excuse my language, sir, but do you even know what all my sister and Siya have suffered through these years? How are you suddenly a father now when you were never there for her before?"
Shaurya sighed deeply. But he didn't interrupt him.
"I know you think I don't deserve it, Akash", he admitted quietly.
"And honestly... I accept that I gave the worst pain possible to your sister. I am guilty of it... and I always will be."
His eyes hardened slightly as he continued.
"For a man who works eighteen to twenty hours a day and constantly thinks about how to improve other people's lives... peace becomes the biggest reward for the mind, and sleep for the body."
A bitter smile appeared briefly on his lips.
"But my regrets snatched both peace and sleep away from me long ago."
His voice lowered further.
"I know I deserve even more pain for hurting Akansha and my daughter... but unfortunately, there is no punishment greater than this already."
For a few seconds, silence filled the hall. Then Shaurya continued firmly.
"All I have now is my little one. I want to give her the world. I want to care for her... share Akansha's responsibilities."
His tone grew stronger.
"And while doing all this, I'm not trying to compensate for what I did to Akansha. This is simply my responsibility as a father, and I will fulfill it."
He looked directly at Akash now.
"I know you believe I don't deserve even a glimpse of Siya. And I won't try to convince you otherwise because I don't need to."
His next words carried absolute finality.
"It's Akansha's decision whether I get to meet our daughter or not. No one except her has any say in that."
Then he added calmly,
"And if you have questions about why things reached this point... ask your sister."
Without waiting for Akash's response, Shaurya quietly walked away.
That night, Akash decided he would speak to his sister the next morning. But despite lying down afterward, sleep barely came to him.
The next morning, Akash woke his sister up with a cup of coffee. Akansha accepted it quietly and walked toward the hall so they wouldn't disturb Siya's sleep. But the moment she sat down, realization struck her. Her eyes widened instantly.
"Shaurya brought me inside?", she muttered. It wasn't even a question. It was a statement. Akash didn't bother responding. "Damn that man... Why couldn't he just wake me up? And how did I even fall asleep in the first place?", Akansha cursed herself irritably.
"A person falls asleep only when there is no fear left in their heart or mind", Akash replied pointedly, indirectly taunting her for trusting Shaurya.
And Akansha understood exactly what he meant.
"A person also falls asleep when they are extremely exhausted, and that's exactly what happened to me yesterday. Don't overthink anything else. Shaurya Singh Shekhawat is nothing but—"
Akash interrupted her midway.
"Yesterday, I heard Siya calling him 'Dadda'", he said directly.
Akansha released a tired sigh.
"I know. And that's exactly what I'm trying to tell you, Akash. To me, he is only Siya's father."
"That's exactly my question, Di. Why are you even allowing him to become Siya's father? He doesn't deserve that", Akash argued angrily.
"He IS Siya's father, Akash", Akansha replied firmly.
"And when it comes to deserving or undeserving... all I know is that my daughter deserves a loving and caring father, and she will get one."
Her tone softened slightly.
"But don't worry. Only Siya gets her father back. I am never getting back with him. He doesn't deserve a place in my life anymore."
Then her expression changed subtly.
"But Siya? She deserves him. And recently... I got to know that the thing which made me leave him during my pregnancy... wasn't even true."
Akash frowned immediately.
"I regret my decision after hearing the actual truth. I should have told Shaurya about my pregnancy."
She paused briefly before shaking her head.
"Hm... anyway, let's not talk about this anymore. I'm already stressed enough."
With that, she got up with her coffee mug and quietly walked away, leaving Akash deep in thought.
His sister had always been like this. Independent. Strong. And terrifyingly decisive.
The biggest problem was... Akash himself never fully understood the entire story because Akansha never properly explained why she suddenly left Shaurya back then.
She never shared her pain with anyone. Being the eldest child and growing up under difficult family circumstances had forced her to become emotionally self-dependent very early in life.
Even the truth about Shaurya's actual intentions behind marrying her wasn't revealed to Akash until much later. For months, Akash genuinely believed his sister was happy in her marriage. He assumed Shaurya married Akansha because he loved her deeply and would keep her happy forever.
He lived in that illusion for a long time. Until one day... it shattered completely.
After some time, Akansha got ready for school and prepared breakfast while assigning Akash the difficult responsibility of waking Siya up. And the younger Dikshit sibling struggled badly. Handling Siya for even thirty minutes after waking her up was an achievement in itself.
Akansha couldn't help smiling internally while watching Akash struggle.
Shaurya had managed Siya surprisingly well despite everything.
But then again, Siya adored him deeply. And the biggest advantage was that Siya was exactly like him.
Which meant handling her probably came naturally to Shaurya.
With his endless patience, he would soon master every little thing about their daughter.
After breakfast, Akansha finally rescued Akash from Siya-duty, making him sigh dramatically in relief.
Uff... handling kids is so damn difficult, Akash thought tiredly.
Later, he dropped both Akansha and Siya at school before leaving for work himself.
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"Sir... You called me?", Mr. Sharma asked respectfully while entering Shaurya's office.
"Yes, Mr. Sharma. Please sit", Shaurya said politely. Mr. Sharma sat down with a neutral expression, but internally he already felt nervous.
Whenever Shaurya personally asked him to sit down, it usually meant a long and exhausting discussion followed by endless responsibilities.
"Don't worry. This isn't about work", Shaurya said casually, almost as if he had read his thoughts. "I wanted your opinion on something."
Mr. Sharma straightened immediately.
"You have served as Principal Secretary for many years now. Your experience in administration and governance is unmatched. Based on that experience... help me analyze the challenges if I publicly announce my marriage and daughter."
Mr. Sharma stared at him in complete shock.