Chapter 36 #2
Shaurya somehow managed to keep Akriti safe, but soon the attackers realized they had targeted the wrong woman. The moment they discovered Akansha was elsewhere, they immediately left to complete their actual mission.
At the same time, Shaurya received information from the security team he had assigned to Akansha that she had disobeyed his instructions and gone to meet her brother at a café.
He had to stop those men from reaching her.
At any cost.
Shaurya was never physically strong. He fought with intellect, not brute force. But the men in front of him weren't people who could be outsmarted easily. They were like machines that wouldn't stop until their mission was complete.
He tried everything possible to distract and delay them.
But failed.
Still, he fought them desperately, provoking them repeatedly so they focused on attacking him instead of leaving for Akansha. He knew crossing limits with such men could get him killed, but he had no choice.
He only needed to stall them until Dev arrived.
But during the fight, one of them stabbed him deeply.
Only afterward did they realize they had stabbed the son of the very man who hired them.
Virendar had strictly ordered them not to seriously harm Shaurya. He only wanted his son beaten badly enough to "learn his lesson" for protecting his wife.
Panicked, the attackers immediately tried taking Shaurya to the hospital. Before they could snatch the fallen phone back from him, Shaurya had already called Virendar and informed him that they had stabbed him.
The moment Virendar heard it, he ordered them to save Shaurya first.
Because despite everything, Shaurya remained his only political heir.
Luckily, Dev's team had access to Shaurya's GPS tracker.
That was how they tracked his location.
When a few attackers tried escaping midway to finish the unfinished job involving Akansha, Dev's men intercepted them. Initially, Dev assumed Shaurya had been kidnapped.
But once they stopped the vehicle and captured the men, Dev found Shaurya unconscious inside, covered in blood, with multiple stab wounds across his body.
For a moment, Dev completely froze.
Recovering from his initial shock, He quickly drove the same vehicle toward the hospital with the help of his men. And for the first time in years, Dev genuinely feared losing Shaurya.
"Why did you do this? Why, yaar..." Dev cried, holding Shaurya tightly during the drive.
After hours of critical treatment, Shaurya was finally declared out of danger.
But he was partially paralyzed and ordered complete bed rest for months.
"Akansha..."
That was the very first word he spoke after regaining consciousness.
"She's fine", Dev assured him immediately. "Ashwini shifted her to your ancestral property, and both your men and mine are protecting her. Relax. Not even a scratch reached her."
Shaurya's entire body visibly relaxed hearing that.
"Aakri..." he tried to ask next, but Dev cut him off.
"My men safely dropped her home. Now let's talk about you. What the hell was this, Shaurya? Do you even realize you could've died if we had reached even slightly later?"
"I didn't have any other option, Dev", Shaurya defended weakly.
"Bro, you're partially paralyzed and bedridden for months. Let's see how much Akansha serves you now", Dev snapped angrily.
He wasn't against Shaurya protecting Akansha.
He himself would've done the same.
But not at the cost of Shaurya's life.
"She would still take care of me", Shaurya said quietly. "Without even thinking whether I deserve her kindness or not. But I never wanted her to go through this trouble... not after everything I've already done to hurt her."
Guilt filled his eyes again.
"She has suffered enough, Dev. I want to avoid causing her whatever pain I still can."
Dev stared at him in disbelief.
"Do you even realize you practically sacrificed your life for her? People love their spouses, yes, but not everyone is insane enough to pull something like this. Honestly, I don't think Akansha would give up her life for you."
"Why would she?" Shaurya interrupted calmly. "For betraying her? For hurting her in the worst possible ways?"
His voice remained painfully honest.
"She has responsibilities — her parents, her brother. But for me... she is my only priority."
Then he added quietly, "As for Akriti, I know I can trust you completely. So risking myself wasn't difficult."
But Dev still shook his head.
"Akansha still loves me despite everything I did", Shaurya continued softly. "That alone shows what kind of woman she is. Not every love is measured by sacrificing life, Dev. Sometimes forgiveness means much more."
His eyes lowered.
"And for her, forgiving me is harder than dying. Yet she is still willing to do it someday. That makes her the best wife and life partner anyone could ask for."
Then a bitter smile appeared on his face.
"Unfortunately... I failed to become a good husband."
"Then become one now", Dev said immediately. "Tell her the truth. Tell her everything you're doing is for her safety."
"You already know why I can't", Shaurya replied.
Then after a pause, he added quietly, "And who said I gave up my retribution?"
Dev frowned.
"I only changed the method. Akansha deserved to be taught a lesson for what she did to my sister. But yes... the way I chose to punish her was cruel. The fact that I haven't had peace since the day I chose this path proves that."
His eyes filled painfully.
"I fell in love with the same woman my sister hated enough to want to die because of."
A humorless smile escaped him.
"And now both my sister and my wife hate me. Can life get any worse?"
"Yeah, it just did", Dev muttered dryly. "Wait till you fully experience being bedridden."
Shaurya shut his eyes in frustration.
But honestly, compared to the relief of saving Akansha's life, his physical pain felt insignificant.
"Dev... until I recover, keep Akansha at your place. And send Aakriti to the US with Rajnath uncle."
Dev stared at him, trying to see if he was joking.
He wasn't.
"How exactly do you expect me to convince your wife and sister?" Dev snapped. "Akriti was crying to come see you. I barely managed to stop her, and now you want me to send her abroad while you're lying here like this?"
Shaurya smiled faintly.
"My sister is only angry with me. Eventually she'll understand."
"First tell me how I'm supposed to handle your wife", Dev muttered irritably.
After hearing Shaurya's plan, Dev looked absolutely horrified.
"You want your best friend to die at your wife's hands?"
That finally made Shaurya laugh weakly.
Of course Dev feared Akansha.
Especially after the day she nearly slapped him for indirectly hinting about Shaurya's intentions.
And the worst part?
At that time, Akansha trusted Shaurya blindly.
That guilt still haunted him.
"Relax. She'll only kill me, not you", Shaurya teased weakly before turning serious again.
"I can't tell her the truth right now, Dev. This is about her life. I'd rather have her hate me forever than risk my parents killing her after learning the truth."
His eyes turned moist again.
Dev quietly patted his shoulder.
He knew Shaurya's mental pain far exceeded his physical suffering.
At such a time, most men wanted their mother or wife beside them.
But Shaurya didn't want to see one...
And refused to burden the other.
The next few days went into investigating the attack.
Eventually, Shaurya learned the complete truth — Virendar had ordered the attackers to injure him badly enough to stop him from protecting Akansha anymore.
That realization shattered something inside him permanently.
To Virendar, his own son was nothing more than a tool to continue his political legacy.
Nothing else.
And from that day onward, Shaurya fully understood one thing.
The safest place for Akansha was either his ancestral property under heavy protection or Dev's house until he recovered.
Yes, living under the same roof as his parents meant enduring endless taunts and humiliation.
But at least she would remain alive.
And for Shaurya, that was enough.
Unfortunately, in saving her life...He ended up losing her completely.
"That time, you were powerful, so I had to bow down. But now, you can't even imagine the kind of strings I hold, so don't even think of repeating history. If you do, you'll be digging your own grave", Shaurya warned coldly, shaking his head as if trying to stop the past from replaying in his mind.
"Shaurya... don't talk about power", Virendar replied dismissively.
"This one truth can snatch that power away from you.
And once that happens, how exactly will you protect them?
Instead of wasting time arguing with me, think of a solution.
Disown them. And since you already divorced her, there is no need to declare your marriage publicly. "
"I will not hide my marriage, Papa..." Shaurya started, only to be cut off again.
"Fair enough. Then we have another option", Virendar continued calmly.
"In fact, this could even boost your image.
History says rulers who sacrificed their families, especially their wives, for the sake of their people ruled the longest. Take Shri Ram for example.
.. Trust me, son, this still works in present times too.
Look at our former PMs and even our honorable PM. .."
His words disgusted Shaurya.
He instantly understood what his father was suggesting — using his personal life for political advantage.
"Do you really think you're worthy enough to take Bhagwan Shri Ram's name?" Shaurya snapped. "And don't even speak about PM Saab. On my request, he held back the probe against you, otherwise he would've destroyed you long ago. So keep your gyan to yourself. I'll do what I have in mind."
"Fine", Virendar replied coldly. "But don't say I didn't warn you. Whatever your agenda is, attend the party meeting after two days and make things clear to the MLAs and MPs."
With that, he disconnected the call.