Chapter 40 #4
'Yes... that same man almost died protecting you while making sure not even a scratch reached you.'
Dev desperately wanted to say it aloud. But he stopped himself. Because he knew she wouldn't believe him anyway.
"I can only request you, Akansha", Dev said quietly. "But trust me on one thing..."
His eyes hardened dangerously.
"Whoever tries to destroy my best friend... I'll fight every single one of them alone if I have to. And forget maligning his character... people will have to cross me first even to reach the air he breathes."
With that, Dev stormed out of the house.
The silence left behind felt unbearably heavy. Akansha slowly sat down, pressing her fingers against her aching forehead.
"Ansha... don't worry", Richa said immediately. "I won't spare Shaurya. I'll destroy his career."
"Shut up, Richa!" Akansha snapped instantly. Her sudden anger shocked Richa. "Did I ask you to do any of this?" Akansha stood up furiously. "And why are you so determined to ruin him? He didn't cause those riots. He isn't the kind of man you're trying to portray him as."
Then her voice cracked slightly.
"And before planning against him, did you even stop to think that he is Siya's father? Siya loves him so much. What do you think will happen to her if you start publishing disgusting things against her father?"
Richa looked at her helplessly.
"Akansha... after everything he did to you, you still expect me to stay quiet?"
"Don't put this on me", Akansha cut her off sharply.
Her expression turned serious.
"You always wanted to bring Shaurya down. Right from the beginning of your career. I understand your concern for me now", Akansha continued. "But before learning the truth about Siya, you still hated him. You still wanted to destroy him."
Her brows furrowed painfully.
"I never understood why." Then she looked directly into Richa's eyes. "Shaurya always worked for people. He was a far better leader than most politicians... better than everyone, including Dev." Her voice softened unconsciously while speaking about him.
"He was the best Chief Minister this state has ever seen. But your obsession with bringing Dev Bisht to power never allowed you to acknowledge that."
She folded her arms tightly.
"And now that you know what happened between us, your professional stubbornness has simply become personal hatred."
Richa sighed deeply because every word Akansha spoke was true.
"Akansha... you and Siya are my family", Richa said quietly.
"Maybe Shaurya is a good leader, but he wasn't a good husband.
" Her voice trembled emotionally. "You suffered because of him.
Even though I never knew the complete story, the little you told me about your ex-husband was enough to hate him.
And now that I finally have a chance... I want him to pay for your pain. "
"Shaurya is Siya's father, Richa", Akansha said firmly.
Then she dropped the truth.
"And he isn't my ex-husband. We were never divorced."
Richa froze completely. Akansha let out a tired breath.
"And I don't want you to take revenge on my behalf.
You're my family too. I never want you ruining your own life because of me.
" Then her tone turned serious. "And Shaurya is too powerful, Richa.
If you think one tweet or one announcement about abandoning his pregnant wife can destroy him completely, then you're wrong. "
She shook her head.
"Shaurya won't accept defeat that easily. He'll continue fighting. And despite everything, there are still huge chances he'll return to power again. So stop this madness. And more importantly..."
Akansha's eyes softened slightly.
"Shaurya can be many things... but he isn't vile. He is genuinely a very good leader. This state and its people need him. He is far better than Dev too. Even Dev himself knows that."
Richa sighed deeply, knowing they would never fully agree on this matter.
"Okay... it's late", Richa muttered finally. "Let's sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a huge day."
"You go ahead", Akansha replied softly. "I'll come in a while."
Richa hugged her tightly before walking toward the bedroom.
Once she left, Akansha sat there alone, lost in Dev's words.
He wasn't wrong. If she and Shaurya stood together publicly, the damage would reduce drastically.
It would be safest for Siya too. Should she consider it?
Maybe after elections she could move out again with Siya?
But the very thought made her chest tighten painfully.
No.
Her heart refused.
She still hadn't forgotten the darkness she lived through after marrying him.
He had shattered her brutally. Not once after marriage had he openly shown her love.
She tried endlessly to save their relationship, but he never responded to her efforts.
His betrayal had wounded her too deeply.
No... she couldn't go back to him. Not even temporarily.
Hours passed while she sat lost in thoughts. Then sometime in the early morning, her phone buzzed.
"Open the door." The message was from Dev.
She frowned before walking toward the entrance.
"What now?" she muttered while opening the door.
But the moment she saw multiple files in Dev's hands, she paused. Dev walked inside silently while she locked the door again and followed him.
"What are all these?" she asked suspiciously.
"Shaurya's medical reports", Dev answered quietly.
Akansha frowned.
"Reports from the riots... and also from the time he was almost killed."
Akansha stood frozen.
"What the hell are you even saying?" she asked in disbelief. "Are you drunk?"
Dev let out a bitter laugh.
"Oh trust me, I genuinely want to be. The kind of stress you and your husband give me makes me want to drink and pass out somewhere." He rubbed his forehead frustratingly. "But unfortunately, I don't have that luxury."
"Dev..." Akansha started again.
But he immediately stopped her.
"Please just hear me out first, Akansha."
His tone softened.
"After that, I won't force you to change your decision. You and Shaurya are mature enough to decide your own future."
Akansha reluctantly nodded.
"When Meera Pathak visited Shaurya's ancestral house, Virendar Shekhawat introduced you as a caretaker."
Akansha's jaw tightened instantly remembering that humiliation.
"And yes, you were absolutely right to feel hurt because Shaurya stayed silent", Dev admitted immediately. "He was wrong there."
Then Dev's expression darkened.
"But he had no choice. That same evening, Shaurya stormed into Virendar's study and confronted him over the way he spoke about you.
He wanted to strangle Meera for disrespecting you", Dev continued.
"But he couldn't react openly. Shaurya always acted impulsively when it came to you.
.. and that impulsiveness became life-threatening.
Virendar Shekhawat wasn't normal, Akansha.
The man was furious seeing Shaurya take your side.
From that very day, Shaurya doubled your security. "
Akansha stared at him blankly.
"We both handled your protection. If Shaurya wasn't available, I personally took responsibility."
"I had security around me?" Akansha asked in shock.
Dev laughed dryly.
"You did. In fact, your security was tighter than Shaurya's own.
He was terrified for your safety because he knew exactly what his parents were capable of.
" Akansha's breathing slowly turned uneven.
"If you remember carefully... those were the same days when he stopped you from leaving the house.
" Dev continued, "That house was the safest place for you.
His men watched over you twenty-four hours a day there. "
Akansha looked shaken.
"He told me he was clipping my wings... that it was part of his retribution."
"Because he had no other explanation to give you", Dev replied immediately.
"I told him countless times to reveal the truth to you, but he was scared.
" Dev clenched his jaw. "His mother was a threat too.
As long as she believed there were differences between you both, you were relatively safe.
But the moment those differences disappeared.
.. things would've become dangerous. And Shaurya couldn't stay home all the time either.
So he thought he'd tell you everything once he settled the situation properly. "
Then Dev sighed.
"But things spiraled when you rebelled against him and secretly went to meet Akash."
Slowly, Dev revealed everything. How Shaurya tried shifting her elsewhere. How repeated attacks and explosions ruined every plan. How things became worse day after day.
And how Shaurya got fatally injured while stopping the goons his father sent to kill Akansha from reaching her.
And how Shaurya got fatally injured while trying to stop the men his father had sent from reaching Akansha. The same men were ordered to kill her, and Shaurya had stood between them and his wife, taking the attack on himself before they could even get near her.
Then finally Dev opened one of the files.
"This video was secretly recorded by my men as evidence."
He handed the phone to her. The moment Akansha saw the blood-covered body of Shaurya, her entire body froze. Her fingers instinctively covered her mouth. Her heartbeat spiraled uncontrollably. That careful man...
The same Shaurya who hated even minor scratches on his body... Had almost died protecting her. Dev's words echoed inside her head repeatedly. He was trying to stop them from hurting her.
For the first time, genuine fear crawled through her body. Until now, she never truly believed her father-in-law posed a real danger to her life. Cruel? Yes.
Manipulative? Definitely.
But murderous?
No. She never imagined that.