Chapter 33 #3
"Haan baby, that's Mumma and Siya's secret na? How will Dadda know unless you tell him?", Akansha said while coming to his rescue.
"You tell him", Siya ordered stubbornly.
Akansha sighed dramatically before turning toward Shaurya.
"Place one hand on your heart and hold your ear with the other one... then repeat after me", she instructed. Shaurya obediently followed every instruction while staring at her expectantly."Repeat after me", Akansha continued.
Internally, she still felt hesitant about sharing their silly little pledge with him. What if he laughed at it? But then she instantly dismissed the thought. If he laughed, she would personally break his teeth.
"I, Siya ke Dadda(Siya's father), am very very sorry for disappointing the world's cutest baby, my baby Siya..." Shaurya's smile widened instantly hearing the adorable pledge. "I promise I will never repeat it again, and I will come meet her every other day."
He repeated every single line obediently after Akansha. Yet Siya still continued glaring suspiciously.
"Now what, baby? Dadda ne bol toh diya?(Dadda already said it right?)", Akansha asked.
"Mumma... Dadda... promise... per... per...michion(permission)", Siya struggled to say.
Akansha's eyes widened immediately. She was about to refuse her daughter outright. But before she could speak, Shaurya immediately understood what Siya wanted and continued the pledge himself.
"And if someday Dadda cannot come meet the sweetest, cutest, and best daughter in the world because of work..." His voice softened further. "then Dadda will first take his daughter's permission before leaving."
That finally melted Siya completely. Her angry expression vanished instantly as she jumped straight into Shaurya's arms.
"Mamabear... lecord kiya?(Did you record it?)", Siya asked excitedly.
Akansha nodded while smiling softly.
"Achaaa... so this was a mother-daughter conspiracy against me, huh?", Shaurya teased while tickling Siya with his beard, making her burst into loud giggles.
And just like always, hearing his daughter's laughter filled Shaurya with indescribable peace.
The video ended there. And instantly, Shaurya missed his daughter all over again. Unable to control himself, he called Akansha during Siya's lunch break hoping to speak to his daughter for a few minutes. But the moment she picked up accidentally, his entire heartbeat lost rhythm.
"Shaurya... Bacha... one more time I see you pulling Ronit's hair, I'll give you homework", Akansha warned some student softly.
She had only picked up the phone intending to silence it after it started ringing repeatedly, but unknowingly she answered the call.
And unfortunately... It was Shaurya. The moment he heard his name leave her lips with that softness, his heartbeat spiraled uncontrollably.
It had been more than five years since she last spoke his name like that.
The last time had been before she discovered the truth about his intentions.
Even after realizing those words weren't meant for him, his heartbeat refused to calm down.
Only Akansha possessed the power to create absolute havoc inside him with nothing more than her voice. Meanwhile, Akansha instantly realized what happened the moment she heard his breathing turn uneven. She silently cursed herself before controlling her emotions again.
"I was in class. Is something urgent?", she asked coldly now, her usual emotional walls returning instantly. Her cold tone finally pulled Shaurya back to reality.
"Um... no. I just wanted to talk to Siya. I'm missing her", he admitted honestly.
Akansha sighed.
"Your daughter studies in a school, Shaurya. This isn't a picnic spot. You can talk to her after school hours. Just because I teach in the same school doesn't mean you can take advantage of it. Wait till evening like every other father."
Shaurya looked visibly hurt. Yet even now, his tone remained soft.
"Other fathers haven't missed four years of their daughter's life. Other fathers don't stay away from their daughters. And other fathers don't carry the burden of an entire state." He paused before pleading softly, "So please... try to understand my situation."
"No, Shaurya. And I'm busy, so don't disturb me again", she replied before disconnecting the call.
Just then, one of her colleagues, Bharti, noticed her standing outside the classroom with her phone.
"Akansha ma'am... kabhi toh kaam kar liya karo(work at least sometimes)", Bharti taunted sarcastically.
"Excuse me?", Akansha asked sharply.
"I wish I could excuse you", Bharti continued mockingly. "Tell me one thing... despite taking so many leaves these past few months, you still have the audacity to waste class time on your phone instead of teaching? Honestly, I don't understand how Mr. Joshi even approves your leaves."
Akansha stared at her calmly before responding.
"You tell me one thing, Bharti ma'am... why exactly should I answer your nonsense?
" Her tone turned icy. "You are neither my boss nor my superior.
I am not answerable to you in any way. But yes.
.. I do have one suggestion for you. Usually, I don't give people advice, but clearly you need it desperately. "
A cold smile appeared on her lips.
"'Mind your own business.' It keeps you away from unnecessary problems."
With that, Akansha walked back into the classroom, leaving Bharti fuming behind her.
Bharti and Akansha had never liked each other much.
Despite being a senior teacher with higher qualifications (according to her), higher salary, and responsibility over higher grades, Bharti constantly felt overshadowed because Mr. Joshi trusted Akansha with every major school responsibility.
And Bharti hated that. Unfortunately for her, Akansha was never the kind of woman who silently tolerated nonsense from anyone. She always answered back.
The only person she ever tolerated silently was her ex-mother-in-law.
And that too only because of her love for her husband.
Ex-husband, her mind corrected bitterly.
And with that thought came another realization.
She still hadn't collected the divorce papers from Shaurya.
Maybe she should speak to him about it later.
But immediately afterward, another thought hit her.
All he wanted was to speak to his daughter for a few minutes. Then why had she reacted so harshly toward him?
When the bell rang, Akansha went to Siya's class.
Usually, she never visited her daughter during school hours.
She had trained Siya to eat her lunch independently like the other children with the help of the caretakers.
So, seeing her mother in the middle of school instantly excited the little girl.
"Mumma...", Siya hugged Akansha tightly, and Akansha stroked her hair before gently pulling away.
"Had your tiffin?", Akansha asked.
Siya nodded proudly with a wide grin, making Akansha praise her softly, which immediately brightened the little girl's face further.
"Okay Siyu... Dadda called. He wanted to..." Akansha began, but Siya's excited squeal cut her off midway.
"Dadda!! I want to talk to him", Siya squealed happily.
Siya's class teacher, Rashi, looked surprised before glancing between mother and daughter.
"Okay... but before that, drink some water. You didn't drink water after lunch", Akansha said, noticing Siya's still-full water bottle.
Siya nodded quickly and rushed to drink water so she could speak to her father faster.
"Siya's father? I'm sorry for asking, but were you talking about her real father or... are you in a relationship?", Rashi asked hesitantly.
Akansha frowned slightly at the question. Who was Rashi to ask about her personal life?
"I'm sorry for stepping into your personal space, but Siya has been talking about her 'Dadda' a lot these days, and she never mentioned his name, so...", Rashi trailed awkwardly.
Akansha mentally appreciated both Siya's maturity and Shaurya's way of making their daughter understand things patiently.
"Siya's real father", Akansha answered crisply.
After all these years, Siya deserved to proudly claim her father.
"Oh! I thought he passed away...", Rashi blurted
Akansha instantly glared at her. She didn't know why the statement angered her so much, but even the thought of Shaurya being dead made something twist painfully inside her chest.
"No, he didn't. It's better not to assume things without proper confirmation, Rashi ma'am", Akansha replied coldly.
Rashi nodded immediately.
"I'm sorry. You never mentioned him before, so I assumed... I didn't know you both were together", she apologized softly after sensing Akansha's irritation.
"No, we live separately...", Akansha answered.
The moment the words left her mouth, Akansha frowned internally.
'Live separately?'
Why didn't she simply say they were separated? The way she phrased it made them sound like a normal couple living apart because of work. Akansha silently cursed herself but didn't correct it further, not wanting to embarrass herself unnecessarily.
"Oh... I hope he comes for the Father's Day celebration next month. Siya must be very excited, right? Last time she was so upset", Rashi said casually.
Akansha's expression immediately turned cold.
How could Shaurya possibly attend that? But at the same time, Siya would definitely feel heartbroken if he didn't. Last year had been easier because Siya barely had expectations from a father she didn't know.
But now things were different. Now she knew him.
And if Siya asked him to come, Shaurya would definitely attend without caring about the consequences.
His daughter could easily make him dance on her tiny fingertips.
So, Akansha instantly decided not to tell Shaurya about the event at all.
"No, he won't be able to make it. He'll be travelling for work", Akansha answered.