Chapter 37 #3
"I understand your anger toward him... but honestly, I don't understand how he got this lucky despite all his sins," Dev said, looking at Siya lovingly.
"Shaurya had a daughter? An actual angel? Fine, I agree he did good work for the people... but itna bhi nahi ki usko beti mil jaaye. (But not so many good deeds that he deserved a daughter.) Saala, kaise ho gaya yeh? (Seriously, how did this even happen?)"
He muttered the last part under his breath, but unfortunately for him, Akansha heard everything and burst into laughter seeing him stare at Siya with pure adoration and jealousy.
She knew very well how badly Dev wanted a daughter. He had spoken about it many times before and always hoped Rachna's second child would be a girl.
"Dev... are you jealous of Shaurya? You?" Akansha laughed.
"Haan yaar, bahut zyada. (Yes yaar, extremely jealous.) Look at that angel," Dev whined dramatically.
At that exact moment, Siya broke her chocolate into two pieces and handed the bigger piece to Ishaan, who happily accepted it with a huge grin.
"Itni pyaari beti kaise mil gayi usse? (How did he get such a cute daughter?) And look at my son... shamelessly eating the bigger piece."
Akansha laughed harder at his antics.
"Shut up, he's just a kid," she defended Ishaan immediately.
"A kid older than Siya, but still look at him..." Dev muttered, staring at his son with disappointment.
"You seriously haven't changed at all, Dev," Akansha chuckled.
"Can... can I hold Siya once?" Dev asked carefully.
Akansha smiled softly and nodded.
"Siya... come here, baby," Akansha called out.
Both kids immediately ran toward them.
"Siya... say hi to Uncle Dev. He's Dadda's best friend," Akansha introduced.
"Hi..." Siya replied cutely before suddenly asking, "Mumma... whele is Dadda?"
"He'll meet you tonight," Akansha answered.
Siya instantly brightened up.
"Papa... will Uncle Shaurya come home today to meet me and bhai?" Ishaan asked excitedly.
"No, Ishaan. Your Uncle Shaurya will go to his own home today," Dev replied while glancing at Akansha.
"My dadda..." Siya said possessively, making Dev smile at the little princess.
"Of course he's your dadda," Dev agreed gently while kneeling before her. "But he's also Ishaan and Ivaan's uncle. Just like I'm your uncle but their dadda."
Then his eyes sparkled mischievously.
"And umm... I'm like your genie. You can ask me for anything, and I'll get it for you."
Siya gasped excitedly hearing the word genie. Shaurya had told her stories about Aladdin and the genie multiple times.
"Thanku... you very nice," Siya said sweetly.
When Dev opened his arms, Siya immediately hugged him, making him emotional instantly.
"Oh my God... now how will I stay away from you? Your magic hug made me so happy," Dev said, kissing her forehead.
"Hehe... magic hug..." Siya giggled proudly. "I know magic?"
"Yes, of course you do," Dev nodded seriously, making her giggle harder.
"Dadda says I am magic unicon..." Siya declared proudly.
Both Dev and Akansha smiled at her adorable pronunciation.
"Cutie... come, we'll play," Ishaan said, dragging Siya away, though the little girl still waited for Akansha's permission before leaving.
"See? THIS is why I want a daughter," Dev complained dramatically. "How did you both get such a sweet child? You look like a scary devil, and he is an a**h*le, so how?"
Akansha immediately looked around before smacking the back of his head hard.
"You can say anything to your idiot best friend, but dare you call me a devil again and I'll kill you, stupid."
"Woman, you've become more violent with time," Dev muttered dramatically, rubbing his head.
"Now leave before someone sees us and gets suspicious," Akansha warned.
"Okay... but thanks for letting me meet Siya. Rachna and Ivaan would love to meet her too. I would genuinely be happy if you both visited someday."
"You know how complicated things are right now, Dev. Your best friend has already made my life difficult enough. I can't take risks anymore."
"Trust me when I say this, Shaurya is doing everything possible to protect you and Siya. He is ready to sacrifice literally anything for both of you."
Dev paused briefly.
"I know trusting him is difficult for you... but don't judge him only by what you know he did to you. There are many things he did that you still don't know about."
Akansha stared at him silently. She knew he wouldn't say anything further.
"His betrayal is a wound I'll never heal from, Dev. Nothing he does can erase that."
Dev's eyes filled with regret.
"I'm sorry..." he said softly.
Akansha frowned.
"Why are you apologizing? You always tried warning me about Shaurya. It was my blind trust that stopped me from understanding your hints."
"Shaurya was against the entire plan from the beginning," Dev admitted quietly, making Akansha frown. "In fact, he stood like a wall protecting you from every possible deception despite his anger toward you... because deceiving a woman felt wrong to him."
"What do you mean, Dev? Tell me clearly—"
Before he could answer, Siya suddenly ran toward Richa, who had arrived to pick them up.
"Sir..." Richa greeted Dev politely.
"Hi, Richa," Dev greeted back with a formal smile, though she could clearly sense the serious conversation happening between him and Akansha.
Akansha immediately looked away.
There was absolutely no way she could tell Richa that Dev was Shaurya's best friend.
"Sir..." Richa started again, about to ask why he was there.
"Richa, Mr. Bisht's younger son studies here," Akansha quickly explained before Dev could answer.
"Oh! Sir, this is my best friend Akansha. She's also a teacher here, so you don't have to worry about your son. She's extremely helpful. Please let me know if there's ever any issue."
Richa smiled warmly, though suspicion still lingered in her eyes.
And Dev immediately understood he needed to handle it carefully.
"Sure, thank you for saying that. Actually... can I speak to you for a minute, Richa?" Dev asked politely.
Richa nodded. Both of them stepped aside while Akansha watched silently.
"I know she's your best friend," Dev began carefully, "but she was also very close to the Chief Minister once. Even back when Shaurya was just an MLA, she used to meet him regarding curriculum revision work, and now she's part of the CR committee too."
Then he lowered his voice slightly.
"Maybe you can try finding out something about the CM's wife through her?"
Richa immediately understood what Dev was trying to do. And why Akansha had looked uncomfortable when she arrived.
She couldn't even imagine what would happen if Dev discovered that Akansha herself was the woman the Chief Minister married.
"Oh... I didn't know that," Richa replied naturally. "Though yes, I knew she's part of the CR committee now. I'll try finding out something, sir."
Dev nodded, picked up Ishaan, briefly met his son's teachers, and finally left.
On the way home, Richa told Akansha everything Dev had said. Akansha understood immediately how cleverly Dev had diverted Richa's suspicions. Still, guilt settled inside her.
Richa was her best friend, yet she was forced to hide the biggest truth of her life from her.
But perhaps it was safer this way. Because Shaurya and Dev had protected this secret since childhood.
If it ever came out, not only would their political lives collapse, but their personal lives would shatter too.
And worst of all...
Aakriti's life would once again fall into danger.
Even today, Akansha still couldn't understand one thing — Why had Shaurya trusted only her with that truth despite everything between them?
And what exactly was Dev about to reveal before Richa interrupted them?
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That night, after dinner, Richa left for her home and about an hour later, Shaurya arrived.
"Dadda..." Siya squealed happily and jumped on him the moment she saw her father.
"Hey, my unicorn... how are you?" Shaurya asked, picking his daughter into his arms.
"Magic unicon..." Siya corrected him sternly, making him chuckle at her cuteness.
"My bad... magic unicorn," he corrected obediently. "Had your dinner, my dear little magician?" he asked, tickling her stomach gently.
"Yech... yech... dadda..." Siya answered between giggles. Then suddenly she cupped his cheeks. "Dadda... you ate dinner?"
That simple question hit Shaurya harder than anything else.
Even his mother had never cared enough to ask whether he had eaten. Akansha used to... before she learned about his betrayal. After that, even she stopped asking, though somewhere deep down, he knew she still cared.
But hearing his little daughter ask him with so much affection made him realize exactly what he had missed all these years.
"Uhu..." Shaurya shook his head dramatically.
Technically, he really hadn't eaten dinner yet, but he mostly wanted to see how his daughter would react.
"Hawww... dadda!" Siya gasped in horror. "Itna late... aapka peti dard karega na? (It's so late... your stomach will hurt, right?)"
She scolded him exactly the way Akansha scolded her. Shaurya stared at his daughter's adorable drama in amusement. Then suddenly Siya climbed down from his lap and marched toward the kitchen.
Shaurya immediately stood up to follow her, but Akansha, who had been silently capturing the father-daughter exchange on her phone, signaled him to sit back down.
"But... she might hurt herself," he whispered worriedly.
"No, she won't. If she can't reach something, she'll call me," Akansha replied calmly.
And right on cue—
"Mamabear... come here!" Siya shouted from the kitchen.
Akansha handed her phone to Shaurya.
"Shoot from the corner... hide from her," she instructed softly before walking into the kitchen.
"Mamabear... put this in pate..." Siya ordered seriously, pointing toward the dal Akansha had made.
"And thich too..." she added, showing the rice.
Akansha quietly followed every instruction given by the tiny boss.
"Mamabear... this no hot... my dadda can't eat this," Siya complained worriedly, touching the bowl.
Shaurya's eyes filled instantly.
Damn.
His daughter truly was the best thing that had ever happened to him... after Akansha.
"No problem, dadda likes it this way. Go give it to him," Akansha said after checking the temperature.
For a second, Siya looked offended.
As far as the little girl knew, good food was always hot because both Akansha and Richa preferred eating it that way. Clearly, her mother was troubling her father.
Akansha instantly understood what was going on inside her daughter's tiny head and laughed softly.
"Sachhi Siyu... (Really, Siyu...) Dadda likes food with medium heat. Go ask him. If he wants it hotter, we'll heat it again."
Only then did Siya look convinced. Everything felt so new to Shaurya. The way Akansha understood Siya without words... The way Siya cared for him... God, this felt like bliss.
Akansha walked out first and took the phone from Shaurya while he quickly sat at the dining table.
A few seconds later, Siya slowly walked toward him carrying the plate carefully.
"Dadda... food okay?" she asked seriously.
Shaurya immediately touched the bottom of the plate dramatically, pretending to check the temperature properly.
"Yes, baby. Perfect."
Siya immediately turned toward Akansha and proudly showed her a thumbs-up, making both parents chuckle.
Shaurya started mixing the dal and rice, but Siya snatched the spoon from him and began mixing it herself. Rice spilled all over the table, but neither of her parents cared.
Her intentions mattered far more. Once she was satisfied, Siya took a spoonful and forwarded it toward her father. Shaurya ate it like it was the best meal of his life.
"Very tasty, my little magician... thank you," he said, kissing her tiny palm.
Akansha ended the recording right at Shaurya's wide smile.
"Dadda... I met uncle. Dev uncle..." Siya started excitedly. "He sooo nice... he said I know magic."
And just like that, the father-daughter conversation continued endlessly until Siya eventually fell asleep between them.
"Why were you calling me this evening?" Akansha finally asked after Shaurya tucked Siya into bed and quietly shut the bedroom door.
Instead of answering, Shaurya looked at her.
"Why didn't you pick up my calls?"
"I was working, Shaurya. I even texted you asking if it was about Siya, and you said no. So I didn't call back."
"Wouldn't you call back if it wasn't about Siya?" he asked quietly while sitting across from her.
"There's no point," Akansha answered coldly. "We only have Siya to talk about. Other than her, there's nothing between us."
Then her tone hardened further.
"And remember one thing... don't call me if it's not related to Siya. If you do, I'll block you. Take this as a warning."
Shaurya visibly swallowed the ache her words caused.
"I'm not stalking or harassing you, Akansha," he said softly. "You spoke as if I'm some roadside hooligan."
"Maybe not... but your presence does feel like harassment sometimes," she spat.
Shaurya went completely silent after that. A few seconds later, he stood up quietly.
"Please lock the door after me... I'm leaving."
And without another word, he walked out. Akansha released a deep sigh the moment the door shut behind him.
Just then, her phone pinged.
It was Dev.
"Was Shaurya there? He isn't picking my calls."
"He just left," Akansha replied.
A few seconds later another message came.
"Oh... hope you guys talked. He was worried about you. Meeting me after so many years might've brought back painful memories. I'm sorry... and thanks again for letting me meet Siya."
For one brief second, guilt pricked Akansha's heart. But it disappeared almost instantly...
Replaced once again by the bitterness she had carried for Shaurya all these years.