Chapter 46 #3
Her words frustrated Shaurya further because this time he genuinely wanted to save Suman from a terrible marriage, yet Akansha refused to even hear him properly.
Their argument quickly escalated.
"Akansha, try to understand," Shaurya said, trying hard to keep his temper under control. "Even Aakriti confirmed it. Despite being in a relationship with your sister, he flirted shamelessly with her."
Akansha let out a mocking laugh, but Shaurya continued before she could interrupt.
"When she stopped talking to him after you warned her, he approached her again. He enjoys attention, Akansha. He is not right for Suman... Aakriti—"
"How much lower can you people fall?" Akansha cut him off coldly. "I know Dilip isn't exactly a perfect man, but he wasn't disloyal. Aakriti wanted him, that's why she is lying to you."
That immediately angered Shaurya.
"You've gone crazy," he said sharply before controlling himself again. "Let me make this clear, Aakriti doesn't even want Dilip Gandhi anymore. She is not the kind of person you think she is."
"I thought so too..." Akansha laughed bitterly. "Until she asked you to betray another woman for revenge."
"Akansha..." Shaurya closed his eyes for a second, exhaustion visible on his face. "Don't mix these things together. She regrets what she did. Just listen to me once."
"Why should I?" Akansha shot back instantly. "You're worse than your sister. At least she was honest about wanting revenge. You betrayed me while pretending to love me."
The argument spiraled further, and eventually Shaurya, exhausted by her stubborn refusal to listen, lost his temper and blurted words he regretted the very next second.
"I was right to seek revenge from you. You act impulsively without caring about the consequences. You are the reason my sister tried to commit suicide. I will never forgive you for that. You deserv—"
He stopped abruptly, horrified at his own words, but it was already too late.
Akansha had understood exactly what he meant.
For a second, she simply stared at him, disbelief and heartbreak flashing together in her eyes before she slapped him hard across the face.
"No, I didn't..." she whispered painfully. "I didn't deserve your betrayal."
Shaurya stood frozen, his palm slowly moving to his cheek, not because of the sting, but because he had finally become the very man she accused him of being.
"You know why I fell for you?" Akansha asked, tears trembling in her eyes despite her voice remaining steady. "Your constant efforts. You never backed away despite my arrogance, my rude comments... I did everything to push you away, but you stayed."
A hollow smile appeared on her lips.
"And I thought you were my forever. I thought you were the only man who could tolerate me, handle me, stay beside me no matter how difficult I became. But now I know the reason you stayed wasn't love... it was revenge."
Her voice cracked slightly at the last word.
"And knowing that you still think I deserved it..." she shook her head. "I have nothing left to offer you. This ends here, Shaurya. You started this story, but I'm putting the end card."
She walked away wiping her tears, leaving Shaurya standing there in silence.
He cursed himself for losing control. For hurting her like that. No... she didn't deserve his betrayal. She didn't.
The realization hit him with brutal force as a lone tear escaped his eyes.
Deep down, however, both of them knew this wasn't truly the end. Their fights had been ugly these days, but neither had ever been able to leave the other completely. A large part of it was because neither could imagine a future with anyone else.
For Shaurya, it had always been Akansha and no one beyond her. And for Akansha, despite everything, it was still Shaurya.
Suman eventually got married to Dilip, and a month later, the couple announced the pregnancy publicly. Akansha stayed away from Shaurya for months after that. She waited for her anger to settle, and slowly, with time, parts of it did.
Shaurya, however, never stopped caring for her.
No matter how hurt or furious he himself was, he always made sure she reached home safely. She would often spot him somewhere near her college or silently following her route from a distance, trying his best to remain discreet.
And despite herself, his quiet concern slowly softened parts of her anger. What he did was unforgivable, at least for now. If he wanted another chance, he would have to earn it properly, she thought.
Aakriti, meanwhile, spiraled into deep depression.
Dilip trying to use her for money just days before marrying another woman shattered whatever little faith she still had left in love. On top of that, Shaurya had genuinely fallen in love with the very woman he was supposed to hate. She felt betrayed by him.
She hated Akansha, yet at the same time, guilt consumed her for hurting her. Akansha's harsh words still echoed inside her mind, especially the emotionless way she had mocked her love and heartbreak.
What hurt Aakriti the most was that despite everything, she still admired Akansha. Why did she still admire the same woman who had broken her so badly? Those thoughts tormented her constantly.
One day, while visiting the hospital for her regular therapy sessions, Aakriti saw Suman and Akansha there. Akansha stood protectively beside her heavily pregnant sister, one hand resting gently on Suman's stomach.
Aakriti immediately tried to avoid them and walk away, but Suman noticed her.
The bitterness inside Suman surfaced instantly. She deliberately flaunted her nuptial chain, her baby bump, and even Akansha beside her, still furious over what she believed was Aakriti's attempt to stop her marriage.
Then, leaning towards Akansha, Suman pretended to whisper something in her ear before both sisters started laughing. Akansha absentmindedly rubbed Suman's stomach affectionately while listening to her. That sight shattered Aakriti.
Suman casually started talking about her happy married life while thanking Akansha for saving her husband from Aakriti's "trap."
Akansha wanted to correct her sister about Aakriti, but every attempt to defend her always turned into ugly fights with Suman. And now, considering Suman's pregnancy and the doctor's warnings about stress, Akansha chose silence instead.
She only said that Aakriti wasn't right for Dilip, so whatever she did was to avoid bigger problems later.
But Suman didn't stop there.
She openly mocked Aakriti for trying to stop the wedding, and Akansha, still believing parts of Suman's narrative, added a few words of her own. Those words broke Aakriti brutally.
Unable to bear it anymore, she ran away from there while Suman smirked victoriously. She still had no idea that Aakriti's suicide attempt had been real and not some emotional drama.
Akansha frowned seeing Suman's satisfaction and got to know about Aakriti's presence all this while and scolded her sister for behaving so childishly before taking her home.
The moment they reached home, Akansha called Dev immediately, terrified that Aakriti might harm herself again. Dev rushed home and sighed in relief seeing his sister asleep, but that relief lasted only for a second.
Aakriti suddenly woke up with a loud scream.
Shaurya arrived shortly after Dev informed him about the situation.
"Aakriti... bacha... what happened?" Dev asked in panic, rushing towards her and pulling her into his arms.
"E-Every time I gather strength to live.
.. they take it away again," Aakriti cried uncontrollably.
"I wanted to live for you people, but now I don't anymore.
.." Her body trembled violently as she broke down.
"They were laughing at me... that smile.
.." she sobbed. "As if she succeeded in ruining my life while securing her sister's happiness.
I don't want to live anymore. Please let me die. .. this pain is too much."
She clutched Dev tightly.
"The woman I admired so much did this to me... and the brother I believed would always stay on my side fell in love with the same woman who destroyed me..."
They somehow managed to calm her down that night, believing the situation was under control again. But they realized how wrong they were the very next morning when Aakriti attempted to take her life once more and had to be rushed to the hospital.
Akansha finally learned the full truth about Dilip when she confronted Suman about humiliating Aakriti in the hospital. Suman casually revealed the chats she had found on Dilip's phone, completely shocking Akansha, and confessed she did it all out of jealousy.
So Shaurya had been telling the truth all along. The guilt that hit her after Dev informed her about Aakriti's second suicide attempt was unbearable.
She immediately turned towards Suman, fury and disappointment mixing in her eyes.
"Your jealousy and childishness might become the reason for someone's death," Akansha said sharply. "Your selfish decisions have brought pain to everyone around you. Why, Suman? When will you start understanding things?"
Suman looked away, but Akansha continued, unable to stop anymore.
"I told you he wasn't the right man. Even when you told me you were pregnant, I asked you to think carefully. I even told you I would help you raise the child if you wanted to keep it, but I still asked you not to marry him if you felt something was wrong."
Her voice cracked with frustration.
"But you wanted this marriage at any cost, and I gave in to your demands. I should have listened to Shaurya. I shouldn't have ignored him just because you threatened to kill yourself if this marriage didn't happen." Akansha laughed bitterly through her tears.
"What is wrong with everyone? Why does everyone keep threatening their lives? When will any of you understand the value of life?"
But even while shouting at her sister, Akansha knew deep down that it was pointless.