Chapter 38 #4
The photo included him, Suman, and Akansha together with the caption:
'Forever grateful to our cupid ??'
It didn't take a genius to understand what had happened. Still, Aakriti confronted Akansha directly. But Akansha casually dismissed her pain.
"Dilip loved Suman. He wasn't right for you anyway", Akansha said strictly. "Forget all this love-shav nonsense and focus on your studies. These things are stupid and useless. Stop wasting both your time and mine."
"These things are stupid in my case, but right in your sister's?" Aakriti questioned furiously.
"Don't forget you are talking to your professor. Go to your class right now", Akansha warned sharply.
That day her mood was already ruined because of an argument with her mother, and Aakriti's accusations only worsened her temper.
But the final blow came from Dilip himself. He approached Aakriti personally to introduce Suman to her.
"It's high time you choose your idols properly", Dilip mocked. "You stopped talking to me just because Professor Akansha said something against me. Honestly, I'm grateful to her for helping me get rid of you..." Aakriti looked at him in disbelief.
"But let me tell you something", he continued cruelly. "She's not as noble as you think she is. For her family and sister, she sacrificed all those so-called values you admire so much in her."
Aakriti broke down completely and ran away crying.
"Why did you say all that to her?" Suman asked uncomfortably.
"Shut up", Dilip snapped. "It was important to show her her place. You have no idea how scared I was till last week. She was obsessed with me, and I was terrified her family would forcefully marry me to her."
"But nothing like that happened, right?" Suman argued. "My di helped us. She made Aakriti leave you. Then why did you insult her? What if Aakriti complains to her family about my sister now?"
"Oh? Suddenly you care about your sister now?" Dilip mocked sarcastically. "Since when did you start loving that rude woman?"
"I'm just grateful for what she did for me", Suman sighed quietly.
"Relax", Dilip smirked. "Your sister is strong enough to handle things even if something happens."
Then he added coldly,
"This is just a small payback for all the torture she put me through in this college."
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"The way she mocked my love... my feelings..." Aakriti whispered brokenly. "I was betrayed by the people I admired and loved the most."
Hatred burned in her eyes.
"I want her to feel the same pain. I want her to understand how it feels when someone calls your love stupid."
Shaurya and Dev's blood boiled hearing everything. But Shaurya still wasn't ready to deceive a woman in love. No matter how furious he was, he refused to manipulate someone's emotions deliberately.
He decided he would stop Dev from executing any reckless revenge plan at any cost.
But then one day, everything changed. Akansha stormed into the hospital.
At that moment, Shaurya had briefly stepped out to discuss Aakriti's discharge formalities with the doctor.
Akansha, meanwhile, was furious after learning Aakriti had attempted su**ide. According to the information she received, Aakriti was trying to stop Suman and Dilip's marriage by this act.
"What's all this?" Akansha demanded the moment she entered the room.
"Leave. I don't want to see you", Aakriti said coldly, turning her face away.
"Stop this stupidity", Akansha snapped angrily. "Dilip is marrying Suman and they are happy together. Destroying someone's happiness may be easy, but the sin won't spare you or your family. I never expected this from you, Aakriti..."
"Please... leave", Aakriti whispered, clenching her fists tightly.
She was already mentally fragile and unstable.
But Akansha was too furious to understand that.
Suman's engagement was finalized, tensions at home were worsening, and Akansha's father had collapsed due to the stress surrounding everything.
"I want to end this once and for all", Akansha warned harshly. "Don't stoop so low as to destroy someone's home just because of your stubbornness. And don't repeat this mistake again. Next time, I won't stop with a warning."
Then she walked away.
------------- Warning: Mention of Self-harm, please don't read if it triggers you --------------
Aakriti clenched her fists desperately, scratching herself repeatedly to control the urge to hurt herself.
But eventually, the urge won.
She grabbed the knife lying beside her and tightly pressed its sharp edge against her palm.
A relieved sigh escaped her lips as blood slowly trickled down her hands.
Shaurya walked back toward her ward after finishing his discussion with the doctor. For the first time in weeks, he felt slightly relieved because the doctor had finally approved Aakriti's discharge.
But the moment he entered the room, his blood froze.
Aakriti was losing consciousness with a satisfied smile on her face, the knife still clutched tightly in her bleeding hands.
--------------------- Warning ends-------------------
"AAKRITI... Damn it!" Shaurya screamed.
The next few hours turned into chaos as doctors rushed to stabilize her condition. Later, Shaurya learned from the receptionist that a visitor had come earlier.
After checking the CCTV footage and recognizing Akansha, both Shaurya and Dev lost their temper completely.
"I'm sorry, sir..." the doctor said heavily. "We tried our best, but the blood loss was excessive. Her condition is critical. There are multiple complications, and we are trying to manage everything... but you should know this — she will never be the same again. Physically or mentally."
Dev followed the doctor to his cabin to discuss Aakriti's case further while angry tears streamed down Shaurya's face.
"This is clearly abetment of suicide", Shaurya's police officer friend said furiously. "We can arrest her under Section 306. Just say the word, Shaurya."
But Shaurya shook his head.
"No... I'll handle this my way."
Then he joined Dev and the doctor.
"We need to stabilize her mentally first", the doctor advised seriously. "She is suicidal right now. You people need to bring her out of this darkness. Keep her happy. Give her emotional support. Make her feel life is worth living again. Only family can truly do that."
Shaurya and Dev nodded silently before walking out of the cabin.
"My sister will get what she asked for", Dev said coldly.
Shaurya's eyes darkened.
"I'll make her fall in love with me", he said, a tear slipping down his face. "I'll make her feel the same pain Aakriti once felt. Maybe then... Aakriti will heal."
Dev understood immediately.
Despite all his hatred, Shaurya still wasn't ready to deceive another woman emotionally for revenge. That was why he chose to handle Akansha himself. Even then, Dev agreed reluctantly.
"Akansha Dikshit will suffer for this... She definitely will, Dev", Shaurya said bitterly.
Later, Akansha finally learned the truth.
Aakriti had genuinely attempted su**ide.
She wasn't trying to stop the engagement at all. In fact, she had no idea about Suman and Dilip's engagement ceremony in the first place. After the roka revelation and the sting of betrayal that came with seeing that post, she blocked every source connected to Dilip, Suman and Akansha.
Consumed with guilt, Akansha somehow got Aakriti's home number from one of her friends and called immediately.
"Namaste... Can I speak to Aakriti please?" Akansha asked nervously.
"I'm Rajnath, Aakriti's father. May I know who is speaking?"
"I... I'm Akansha... her professor", she answered hesitantly.
The moment Rajnath heard her name, rage consumed him completely. Dev and Shaurya had already told him everything that happened to Aakriti.
"How dare you call here?" he thundered furiously. "After what you did to my daughter, how dare you call this house?" Akansha shut her eyes painfully.
"I have enough power to send you to jail under abetment of suicide charges, but I didn't want to ruin your life", Rajnath continued angrily.
"Sir... I called to apologize", Akansha pleaded desperately. "I misunderstood everything. I deeply regret what happened. Please let me explain once..."
"I don't want to hear anything from you", Rajnath snapped coldly. "And don't ever call here again." His voice turned darker.
"Thank your stars my sons aren't home right now. If they found out you called, they would destroy you and your entire family."
Akansha froze hearing his words.
"From today onwards, don't you dare take Aakriti's name with your filthy mouth. Don't try contacting her or anyone from my family ever again."
Then he delivered his final warning.
"Consider this your last warning."
And the call disconnected.
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"We'll leave after dinner..." Akansha told him softly, and Shaurya nodded while holding his daughter close to his chest.
"Okay, Suraj will drop you", Shaurya said.
Akansha nodded.
"Dadda... Can I stay hele(here)... with you?" Siya asked, snuggling closer to him.
Shaurya was lying on the bed while Siya rested on top of him, her tiny head placed comfortably against his chest.
"Then Mamabear will be alone na", Akansha replied instead, knowing very well that Shaurya could never refuse his daughter anything.
"Mamabear will stay hele(Mamabear will also stay here)", Siya declared innocently.
But Akansha shook her head, making the little girl instantly turn toward her father with pleading puppy eyes.
"Dadda... Pwease(Please) tell mumma", Siya begged sweetly.
"My Siya doesn't want to go home?" Shaurya asked gently.
Siya immediately shook her head.
"Why, my bacha?" he asked again before kissing her forehead softly.
A faint smile appeared on his lips, but his heart ached silently.
At that moment, he simply wanted to hide his daughter in his arms so nobody could take her away from him. But he couldn't do that. And more than Siya alone, he wanted his wife too. Sometimes he genuinely failed to understand why fate was always this cruel to him.
First, it was his sister.