Chapter 35 #2
And then, barefoot and terrified, little Shaurya ran for nearly two hours carrying his baby sister in his arms before finally reaching Dev's house.
At that exact moment, Dev's father, Rajnath, was stepping toward his car to leave for the airport.
The moment he saw Shaurya standing there, trembling with a newborn in his arms, he immediately rushed toward him.
Though Shaurya initially refused to let anyone hold his sister, he finally handed her over once Rajnath promised to feed her milk because the baby had started crying weakly. Almost an hour later, Shaurya finally narrated the entire truth to both Dev and Rajnath. Both of them were left stunned.
At that time, Dev's mother had already been severely ill for years after Dev's birth, and Rajnath himself had practically raised Dev while his wife received treatment in the United States.
That night, Shaurya begged Rajnath to save his sister.
And after hours of discussion, Rajnath finally agreed.
Using his influence, he created a completely new identity for the baby girl.
Meanwhile, the gardener lied that the child had accidentally fallen into the well. Rajnath arranged for the body of a dead infant girl to be placed there, and when Virendar and Shobha discovered it, they believed their daughter was dead.
Soon afterward, Rajnath left for the United States with the baby.
And three months later, he returned with both his sick wife and the little girl whom Dev and Shaurya together named Akriti. Everyone believed Rajnath's wife had delivered the baby in America.
A few months later, Dev's mother passed away, and people blamed Rajnath for risking another pregnancy despite her weak health. But Rajnath silently accepted every accusation. And because of that, Shaurya always held immense respect and admiration for him.
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Weeks turned into months, yet Akriti still refused to reveal why she had attempted su**ide.
Neither Dev, Shaurya, nor Rajnath left her alone during that entire time. One of them was always beside her. They tried finding answers through other sources too, but nothing concrete came out. Then one day, while trying to cheer Akriti up, Shaurya casually mentioned Akansha's name.
And the moment he saw the pain and hatred that flashed across Akriti's face hearing it, he instantly realized something was terribly wrong. Finally, when Akriti told them the truth, Shaurya was left stunned.
"Shaurya..." Akriti cried hysterically. "You want me safe, right? You don't want me to hurt myself again? Then make her feel the same pain. Promise me... both of you promise me she will suffer exactly the same way I suffered. Only then will she understand what she did to me."
"Bacha... relax. We'll do whatever you want", Dev promised immediately.
But Shaurya shook his head.
"Akriti, beta... rest for now. We'll discuss this later", he said before storming out of the room.
Because no matter how angry he was, the idea of deceiving a woman... faking love just to destroy her emotionally... felt fundamentally wrong to him.
His values didn't allow it. Dev followed him outside after Akriti fell asleep.
"What the hell, Shaurya? Why didn't you promise her?" Dev demanded angrily.
"Do you even understand what she was asking us to do?" Shaurya asked in disbelief. "To deliberately deceive a woman, Dev."
"A woman who betrayed our sister's trust", Dev shot back immediately. "A woman who emotionally destroyed her, pushed her into depression, and made her hate her own existence."
Shaurya clenched his fists furiously hearing that. He hated Akansha for hurting Akriti.
But still...
"I'll punish her some other way. I won't let her live peacefully after what she did to my sister. But not like this, Dev. Never like this." Then he looked at Dev firmly. "I preach people to respect women. What kind of man would I become if I did this to one?"
"You may not do it", Dev replied coldly. "But I will."
"I won't let you."
"You're saying this?" Dev laughed bitterly. "Shaurya, you? I thought you'd do anything for Akriti."
"I would", Shaurya answered immediately. "You have no idea how much I hate Akansha for hurting my sister. But this?" He shook his head firmly. "No way."
"We're not physically ruining her or anything", Dev argued. "I just want her to experience the same heartbreak and betrayal she made Akriti suffer through. Trust me, I won't even touch her. But yes... I will definitely make her feel that pain."
And with that, Dev walked away. Shaurya decided he would speak to Dev later and somehow convince him that this wasn't the right path. But what he witnessed two days later changed everything.
And despite himself... he finally agreed to fulfill his sister's demand.
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"DADDA....."
The moment Siya spotted Shaurya, she squealed loudly and ran toward him in her cranky half-sleepy mood.
Shaurya's heartbeat instantly accelerated. He quickly walked toward his daughter while Suraj immediately moved to shut the department doors. He was even about to switch off the CCTV cameras, but Shaurya stopped him with a small gesture of his hand.
He wasn't doing anything illegal.
He didn't want to hide this as if he had committed some crime.
It would only make his wife and daughter look cheap in front of others.
Moreover, the CCTV cameras had no audio recording, so their conversation wouldn't be captured anyway.
And in a few days, he was going to announce everything publicly himself.
Meanwhile, Mr. Khanna instinctively tried to stop Siya. He genuinely thought the little girl had mistaken Shaurya for her father because of her attachment toward him during the annual day event. But the very next second, everyone froze hearing Shaurya's words.
"Siyu... baby... slow down. You'll hurt yourself", Shaurya said softly while quickly walking toward her and lifting her into his arms.
Siya immediately wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder.
Even then, most people still assumed Shaurya was simply being affectionate toward a child.
After all, everyone knew he adored children, and many of them had already seen pictures of him with Siya during her school's annual day celebrations.
"Dadda... ninnie(sleepy)", Siya whispered tiredly.
"I know, bacha... sleep. Dadda is here... shhh...", Shaurya soothed softly while gently patting her back and walking slowly with her in his arms. He already knew why she was so cranky.
Siya always became irritable if her mandatory afternoon nap got disturbed midway, and now the sudden commotion and unfamiliar atmosphere had made her even crankier.
And with just those few words, the entire department understood the truth.
He was her father. Suddenly, everything started making sense.
The daycare setup at work. Akansha's unusual confidence while speaking to the Chief Minister.
The impossible approvals and extensions she somehow managed to get every single time.
"Where is Akansha?", Shaurya asked.
This was the first time anyone there had heard him address her simply as "Akansha." Usually, he always referred to her formally as Dr. Akansha.
At that moment, Shaurya himself was terrified of his wife's reaction. She would skin him alive for this disaster.
He had never expected Akansha to bring Siya to the Secretariat while he was there. They had discussed this possibility once, and although he had told her she could bring Siya if there was nobody to watch her at home, Akansha had outright rejected the idea.
Her exact concern had been this. She feared Siya might excitedly react to seeing her father's pictures around the Secretariat.
And being the Chief Minister, there were naturally photographs of Shaurya placed across various sections of the building. Not excessively like some previous CMs preferred during their tenure, but enough to remind everyone who held power.
Shaurya personally disliked that kind of visibility, but the party workers and supporters expected it.
"S-She was on a call...", Mr. Khanna answered awkwardly.
Internally, he cursed himself.
Just days ago, he had been planning to introduce Akansha to his son during a dinner hosted by the CM himself, completely unaware that she was already the Chief Minister's wife.
Well... maybe ex-wife.
Even now, Akansha had never clearly confirmed her divorce, and on the other hand, the Chief Minister himself had never publicly acknowledged his marriage.
Mr. Khanna honestly didn't understand what exactly was happening anymore. Before Shaurya could ask anything further, Akansha walked in after finishing her call with Richa.
The moment her eyes fell on Siya sleeping in Shaurya's arms and the entire CR team standing frozen in visible shock, she immediately understood what had happened.
"Dadda... tandi(cold)...", Siya mumbled sleepily.
Immediately, Shaurya's attention shifted from Akansha toward his daughter. Akansha quickly picked up Siya's small blanket and wrapped it around her while Shaurya carefully adjusted it so she wouldn't feel cold.
Once Siya drifted back into deep sleep, Shaurya carried her to the daycare room instead of waking her up. Right now, there were far more important things to handle.
After carefully making her lie down comfortably, he returned outside. Akansha stood there silently, absolutely furious. Furious because of what Richa had just told her. And furious because of what had happened moments ago. She immediately suspected Shaurya's involvement in this entire situation.
Otherwise why would he suddenly arrive there without informing her beforehand?
To her, it looked deliberate.
As if he intentionally wanted everyone to know that Siya was his daughter and she was his ex-wife. And after that, he probably wanted her to suffer the judgment and humiliation that would follow.