Chapter 49 #3
He had accepted society's accusations, allowed people to call him cruel for supposedly forcing his sick wife into childbirth, all while silently protecting a child who would've otherwise been murdered by her own parents.
Now she finally understood why Shaurya, Dev and Rajnath were so fiercely protective of Aakriti. They had sacrificed everything for her safety. Even Dev and Shaurya's public rivalry suddenly made sense. They had hidden their friendship for years to protect Aakriti's existence.
That also explained the violent reaction they had when they believed Akansha was responsible for Aakriti harming herself. No, she still didn't justify what Shaurya had done. But now she understood where he came from.
Only... she still didn't know the entire truth.
"I never wanted to deceive a woman", Shaurya said quietly. "It was against my ethics. I even stopped Dev initially because I wanted to punish you some other way." His jaw tightened. "But then you came to the hospital."
Akansha lowered her gaze.
"You said whatever came to your mind. Aakriti had just started recovering. The doctor had finally agreed to discharge her. I had gone to complete formalities and talk to the doctor..." His voice broke. "And when I came back... she was lying in a pool of blood."
Akansha shut her eyes painfully.
"A police officer friend suggested filing an abetment to suicide case against you.
Dev wanted you arrested at any cost, but Rajnath Uncle and I did not want to ruin your future.
But Dev was nowhere close to being convinced, so I promised him that you would receive the punishment Aakriti wanted for you. "
He looked away.
"At that point I was only thinking as Aakriti's brother. I had no feelings for you then..."
Akansha sat frozen. Her reckless words had pushed things this far. Yes, Aakriti had been emotionally fragile, and resorting to self-harm was wrong on her part. But she was stronger, wasn't she? Couldn't she have handled things more maturely instead of lashing out blindly?
"I didn't know Aakriti had actually attempted suicide", Akansha whispered. Her eyes filled again. "Dilip manipulated all of us. He made us believe Aakriti was after him and that she fake-attempted suicide to stop his engagement with Suman."
She held her head weakly.
"Papa collapsed after hearing everything and I lost control. I didn't even think rationally." Her voice broke with guilt. "I should've verified things first."
Then she looked at him.
"I'm sorry, Shaurya... I was impulsive."
She wiped her tears quickly.
"But later, I got to know the truth, and I got Aakriti's home telephone number from a student. That's when I called her house to apologize. Mr. Rajnath Bisht answered the call and warned me never to contact them again, so I stayed away."
Shaurya frowned immediately.
"You called to apologize?" He genuinely looked shocked. "Raj uncle never told me." He stared at her in disbelief. "I didn't know you were manipulated too. Then why didn't you tell me all this when we were dating?"
His frustration resurfaced slightly.
"When I questioned you back then, you only admitted you knew Aakriti wasn't at fault.
But when I asked why you still hurt her, you dismissed it carelessly as if you didn't care at all.
" His jaw tightened painfully. "And I became furious because I thought you genuinely didn't care about my sister's suffering. "
Akansha sighed tiredly.
"I didn't know you were Aakriti's brother then.
I thought you would get angry at Mr. Bisht for threatening me, and I didn't want to escalate the situation any further" Then her voice softened.
"And honestly... after what happened, I just wanted to stay away from Aakriti's life like her father asked me to. "
Shaurya stared at her quietly for a few moments before asking the question that had haunted him for years.
"If you eventually learnt Dilip manipulated everyone... then why did you still agree to your sister marrying him?"
"After I found out how Dilip manipulated all of us regarding Aakriti, I became wary of him and expressed my concerns to Papa. He postponed the wedding because he wanted to know Dilip better... But Ma and Suman got so upset over it that they accused me of being jealous of my own sister's happiness."
Akansha gave a humourless smile.
"Let's just say my house became a mini hell for me during that phase."
Shaurya silently wiped the lone tear that escaped her eyes.
"You know it... you saw me going through that phase even though I never told you the exact reason", she said softly.
He nodded, his fists tightening unconsciously. Her mother and sister were among the most selfish people he had ever seen.
"But I didn't care. I chose Suman's future over their baseless accusations. Then Suman got pregnant, and she said she would die if she wasn't married before people started noticing it."
Akansha looked away bitterly.
"She didn't want the humiliation. She kept saying Dilip loved only her and was ready to take responsibility for the child, so I convinced Papa and got them married."
Now Shaurya finally understood why she had reacted the way she did back then.
"That's why I got so furious when you tried stopping the wedding. I was terrified the marriage would be called off and Suman's pregnancy would come out. I thought my family would be destroyed socially."
Shaurya gave a bitter chuckle at fate's cruel timing. Back then, he had been frustrated that she wasn't listening to him when he was genuinely trying to save her sister's life. And all this while, this was what had been running through her mind.
In anger, he had said things he never truly meant. He would never forgive himself for that.
"I was restless from the moment I made you believe I married you for revenge", Shaurya admitted quietly. "I wanted to clear everything with you as soon as possible." He leaned back slightly against the bed.
"On our wedding night, I was walking towards our room when my father's PS called me regarding an urgent meeting. He handed me my father's work phone to collect some details." His expression darkened.
"While searching through it, I accidentally came across a voice note. My father was telling someone that the man had to be eliminated before the day ended."
Akansha frowned.
"I immediately went searching for him... and that night I witnessed my parents' cruelty with my own eyes." His voice lowered heavily.
"Yes, I knew they once tried killing my newborn sister... but that night, I watched them murder a man brutally."
A chill ran through Akansha hearing him. Then Shaurya slowly narrated everything that followed. How he found out his parents had murdered an honest leader only to secure his political entry through a by-election.
How they killed the man's PA too just to bury the truth forever. Sweat formed across Akansha's forehead hearing it all. She had lived under the same roof as those people.
No wonder he had sent her to Dev's house for months. No sane person would trust their parents after witnessing something like that.
"When I realized I might never get the chance to tell you how much I loved you... the idea of revenge suddenly felt petty in front of the danger my parents posed."
His eyes shifted towards their sleeping daughter.
"That night, after Aakriti left for the Bisht house, I planned to tell you everything. I thought one night wouldn't destroy you. I convinced myself my sister would get hope to survive and then I would fix everything."
Pain crossed his face.
"But my heart kept telling me to tell you before the wedding itself. Seeing you sit lifeless in the mandap was tearing me apart, but I ignored my instincts and continued with my stubbornness."
He let out a shaky breath.
"I kept wondering what could really change in a few hours... and fate showed me how quickly life can turn upside down."
Akansha quietly listened.
"From that night onwards, there wasn't a single moment I didn't regret marrying you and bringing you into that hell.
If I had known my parents were this dangerous, I would've never married you.
" His voice filled with self-loathing. "I thought I was rescuing you from one hell, away from your mother's torture, but instead I pushed you into something far worse. "
He closed his eyes briefly.
"Every second I lived with guilt. All I wanted was to hold you and tell you how much I loved you... but I couldn't even behave normally around you because my father had microphones installed in our room."
Akansha gasped in horror.
"Bas***d..." She immediately grabbed his collar. "You made love to me numerous times despite knowing this?!"
Siya whimpered in sleep from the sudden noise, making both parents instinctively pat her gently until she settled again. Shaurya carefully held Akansha's wrists and made her sit back down beside him on the floor.
Unfortunately for him, calming her down only earned him an even deadlier glare.
"I damaged them as much as possible without making my father suspicious", he defended quickly. "They worked just enough to avoid suspicion, and they were placed far away from the bed. I would never let your privacy be violated like that."
Akansha's anger eased slightly.
"And I'm sorry", he added quietly. "I didn't want to touch you while you believed I married you for revenge." His expression softened remembering.
"But that night... when you went to see Aakriti in the hospital and my mother created such a huge scene over it... I couldn't control myself anymore."
Akansha remembered that night instantly. That was the first night after marriage when she had truly felt alive. He had loved her as if she was the center of his entire world.
"As broken as you looked that night... I just wanted to comfort you", he admitted. "You needed me." His fingers gently wrapped around her wrist. "I couldn't reassure you with words then... so I tried through my actions."
After that night, he had loved her every single day.