Chapter 44
Things had never been easy for Akansha at home, not even as a child.
Her father, Vasant Dikshit, worked as a clerk in a semi-government office.
For years, he waited for his position to become permanent.
He dreamed of securing a proper government job one day and held onto that hope patiently.
.. but before it could happen, paralysis struck him. Soon after, he lost his job as well.
Akansha was still in primary school then. Even at that age, she stood out everywhere. Bright, disciplined, and exceptionally talented, especially when it came to teaching. Her school teacher was the first to notice it.
While other children spent their lunch breaks playing, Akansha would sit with juniors and help them study. And somehow, despite being just a child herself, she taught with remarkable patience and clarity.
Impressed by her, one of her teachers asked Akansha's parents to send her home after school so she could assist in tutoring younger children. In return, the teacher paid Akansha's school fees, prepared her for Olympiads, and even gave her a monthly allowance.
That was how Akansha started earning... while still being a child herself.
Jaya Dikshit always wanted a son. But after seeing their financial condition, Vasant never wanted another child after Akansha. He wanted to give his only daughter a stable life. However, once Akansha started contributing financially, Jaya convinced him otherwise, and Suman was born.
Vasant believed things would get easier soon. He thought he would eventually free his little daughter from responsibilities that were never meant for her shoulders. Instead, the burden only increased after Akash was born.
Without even realizing it, Akansha slowly became the provider of the family.
She spent most of her school years giving scholarship exams, participating in competitions, and chasing monetary prizes.
Every achievement of hers had a purpose attached to it.
Every extra effort meant another expense covered at home.
One responsibility after another kept landing on her shoulders until carrying them became her normal.
And while her responsibilities kept growing, her relationship with her mother slowly weakened.
At some point, Jaya stopped looking at Akansha as a daughter and started seeing her only as a source of income.
Her father was different. Vasant was the only person who spoke to her about things beyond money.
He asked about her interests, her dreams, and what she wanted from life.
Many times, he apologized to her for the burdens she carried because of him, but Akansha never blamed him for anything.
She knew very well who was actually driving the family decisions.
Akash, meanwhile, grew especially close to both his father and Akansha. Since he was studious too, Akansha spent hours teaching him. Suman, on the other hand, had no interest in academics and stayed mostly around their mother, learning household work and spending time with her.
That difference shaped them all. Akash learned to value Akansha's sacrifices the way Vasant did. Suman learned to take them for granted the way Jaya did. For Akansha, home slowly became less of a comfort and more of a suffocating mountain of responsibilities.
And after Suman's marriage was finalized, things became even worse. Nothing she did felt enough anymore. Her mother constantly made her feel inadequate... as though she was failing the family despite exhausting herself for them every single day.
The biggest reason behind the taunts was Akansha refusing a high-paying job offer after her master's degree. Instead, she wanted to pursue a Ph.D. and become a professor. Child psychology fascinated her deeply.
For a while, she almost gave up on that dream for her family's sake, but Vasant stopped her. He encouraged her to continue her studies, and that decision became another reason for conflict inside the house.
Jaya not only taunted Akansha for it, but insulted Vasant as well. That was something Akansha couldn't tolerate. So eventually, she joined as an assistant professor.
She knew the job would consume most of her time and leave very little space to focus on her Ph.D.
thesis, but she had no choice. Every time she considered quitting and fully focusing on her research, reality dragged her back.
Responsibilities didn't decrease. They only multiplied after Suman's engagement.
Akash even offered to take up a part-time job to help her financially, but Akansha firmly refused. She wanted him to focus entirely on his studies and UPSC preparation instead of sacrificing his future like she had.
Then came the incident that changed everything. After Suman's engagement, Dilip manipulated Akansha with lies about Aakriti. He claimed Aakriti was pretending to attempt suicide just to stop the wedding.
He spun the story so convincingly, and in front of her entire family, that Akansha lost her calm for the first time. The situation worsened when Vasant collapsed from stress after hearing someone was trying to sabotage Suman's marriage.
That fear... that panic... pushed Akansha into acting impulsively.
Without verifying anything, she stormed into the hospital and lashed out at Aakriti while the girl was barely recovering. But later, when Akansha discovered that Dilip had manipulated everyone and lied about the situation, she immediately asked her family to break the alliance.
That decision created another storm at home. Even Vasant supported her.
"If Akansha feels this man isn't right for Suman, we shouldn't move forward with the marriage," he had said firmly.
But Jaya and Suman hated her for it. By then, Akansha had started hating going back home altogether. And strangely, every time she reached her breaking point, Shaurya appeared in front of her again... irritatingly persistent with his proposal.
She insulted him, mocked him, behaved arrogantly, pushed him away in every possible manner, and did everything she could to make him leave her alone.
But he stayed.
Shaurya did approach her for revenge but he stayed because he wanted to... he stayed because he genuinely fell in love with her.
Completely.
Hopelessly.
He thought about her constantly. Even when he denied it before Dev, deep down he had already accepted the truth. He loved Akansha Dikshit. And that terrified Dev.
The moment Dev realized Shaurya's feelings were becoming real, he begged him to stop everything immediately. Shaurya had never been interested in relationships before Akansha. He had never seriously looked at another woman, never emotionally attached himself to anyone.
Dev knew if Shaurya loved, he would love with everything he had. And that was exactly why Akansha shouldn't have been the woman he fell for. Because sooner or later, Shaurya would have to choose between love and revenge. And Dev knew that choice would destroy him.
For some time, Shaurya actually listened to Dev. He decided to step away before things went too far. Then that night happened. He went to see Akansha one last time from a distance before making his final decision.
But the moment he saw her sitting there... shattered, exhausted, and silently holding herself together... he couldn't walk away.
Her mother's words had finally broken something inside her.
After everything Akansha had done for her family, Jaya still accused her of being jealous of her own sister.
That accusation hurt more than all the years of burden and sacrifices combined.
She had ignored their behavior since childhood.
She kept tolerating everything, convincing herself that this was simply how they were.
But this time... it hurt. Deeply. For the first time in years, Akansha felt like crying.
Not because she was weak... but because she was tired.
And she knew if she broke down, there would be nobody beside her to hold her together.
She only had herself. So she sat there quietly, forcing herself to remain strong like always.
And then hope appeared before her in the most unexpected form.
"What went so wrong that my strongest girl is letting me see her cracks?" Shaurya asked softly as he sat beside her on the bench.
"Your?" Akansha snapped instantly. "I will break your teeth if you say that again. I am not your property, Shaurya Singh Shekhawat."
He shook his head helplessly at how quickly she transformed from a vulnerable girl into a woman surrounded by walls again.
"You know, when you call me by my full name, I genuinely get scared," he said dramatically. She rolled her eyes. "I'm serious," he continued. "And when I said 'my strongest girl,' I meant the strongest girl according to me... not that you belong to me."
Then his tone softened.
"Though I'd definitely like to claim that privilege too... if you ever give me a chance."
"Stop it," Akansha muttered. "Nothing is happening between us in this lifetime."
"Fine. I won't argue about that today," he replied surprisingly easily. "We'll fight about it another day. Right now, we'll talk about you." His eyes searched hers carefully. "What happened?"
Akansha looked at the distance he had deliberately maintained between them and gave a faint smile unknowingly.
For months, he had chased her relentlessly, yet never once invaded her personal space.
No matter how rude she became, he never lost his calm or crossed his limits.
Mistaking her silence for discomfort, Shaurya immediately stood up from the bench.
He thought she wanted more distance from him.
And since he was already sitting at the farthest edge possible, the only option left was to stand. So he did.
Quietly.
Patiently.
Not a trace of irritation crossed his face.