Chapter 39 #5
The moment his name came up, Akansha's entire expression turned icy.
"None of your business."
That reaction alone confirmed there was definitely something deeper involved.
"Akansha, you know how stubborn I am", Shaurya replied quietly. "I'm not leaving this house without knowing the truth."
Suddenly, Akansha grabbed his collar angrily, her eyes turning red.
"Do you remember what I told you the day I found out I was still legally married to you all these years?" she asked bitterly.
Shaurya's heartbeat instantly quickened remembering her exact words.
"You ba**a*d..."
"I signed those divorce papers and walked away believing we were divorced. What if during these five years I had dated someone else thinking I was legally free?"
Her voice trembled with disgust.
"That would've made me disloyal to both my husband and the other person. It would've been cheating. Do you even understand how disgusting that feels to me, Shaurya? It's a stain on my dignity."
Remembering those words again made him shiver harder than the rain ever did.
"You mean... you dated Jay?" Shaurya asked carefully, trying not to fumble.
"Jay is a doctor. Richa's cousin", Akansha replied quietly.
"When you completely shattered me, he was there helping me.
During Siya's delivery, things got extremely complicated.
I don't even want to revisit that day in detail, but Jay coordinated with his doctor friends and made sure I received treatment on time.
" Her expression softened unconsciously.
"He was kind to me. Patient with me despite my cold and rigid behavior. Every time he visited from Banglore, he spent most of his time with Richa, Siya, and me."
Shaurya listened silently.
"And honestly?" she admitted painfully. "The reason I slowly became comfortable with him was because he reminded me of you."
Shaurya froze.
"His kindness... his madness to serve people..." she continued softly. "Those qualities reminded me of you."
Then came the sentence that nearly stopped his heart.
"And one day... he proposed to me. He said he liked me. That he wanted to marry me... and accept Siya as his own daughter."
For a second, Shaurya genuinely stopped breathing. Did she say yes? Were they together? Was that why she reacted so violently after learning she was still married to him?
No.
No matter what, she was still his Akansha. Just the way no woman could ever replace her in his heart... no other man could truly replace him in hers either. He knew that.
Still... fear consumed him.
"And?" he finally asked quietly.
Inside, he prayed her next words wouldn't destroy him. No matter what she answered, he wouldn't stop loving her. But if she admitted being in a relationship with Jay... then perhaps his love simply wasn't enough.
"And I considered it", Akansha admitted honestly. A tear escaped Shaurya's eye instantly.
"I was exhausted with my life back then. I wanted a better future for Siya. I didn't want her growing up without a father." Shaurya silently swallowed his emotions.
"I asked him for time before answering. I genuinely tried to accept him... tried convincing myself to say yes." Then she looked directly into Shaurya's eyes. "But I couldn't."
Shaurya's heartbeat slowly returned.
"I realized I liked Jay only as a friend", she confessed softly. "And even that happened because I kept searching for you inside him."
Her voice cracked slightly.
"I hated myself for it."
So she refused him, Shaurya took a deep breath in relief.
"But when you later told me I was still legally married to you..." she whispered painfully, "I felt disgusted with myself. What if I had accepted him? What if I had actually entered a relationship with him?"
Her voice trembled.
"Do you realize how disturbing that thought is for me, Shaurya?"
But suddenly she stopped speaking altogether. Because instead of looking devastated... Shaurya was grinning.
"You refused him?" he asked again like an idiot. "You were never in a relationship with him?" His grin widened shamelessly.
"I knew it. You could never accept another man in your life."
Akansha genuinely wanted to slap him. Out of everything she said, this was what he chose to focus on. But then his next words quietly melted a tiny part of her anger.
"The possessive lover inside me is happy", he admitted softly. "But the husband I wanted to become for you... the responsible man I failed to become... he feels miserable right now."
His grip around her hand tightened slightly.
"I feel like a complete failure knowing I damaged you so badly that even after meeting a genuinely good man who was ready to love you and accept your child wholeheartedly... you still couldn't give him a chance."
Tears filled his eyes again.
"This only proves how deeply I wounded you."
Then slowly, he kissed the back of her hand repeatedly.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Akansha..."
"You are right", Akansha admitted quietly. "I was completely ruined." Then she looked away painfully. "And despite everything... I could never imagine myself with another man. Not even with you anymore."
Shaurya's expression fell slightly.
"The Shaurya I once loved ruined me for every man... including himself."
This time, Shaurya simply nodded silently. Because deep down... he already knew that.