Chapter 51
Shaurya and Siya returned after a while, but Siya clung tightly to her father's shoulder, shaking her head firmly when he tried to step inside the house.
Well, according to her, her Nanu had to properly welcome her Dadda first. She still hadn't forgotten his "Get Out", though it was a game.
"Siyakriti... now this is getting too much," Akansha warned, glaring at the father-daughter duo. She sighed internally at Shaurya, who followed his four-year-old daughter's commands as if she were a commander-in-chief instead of a preschooler.
"What happened? What does my little Siya want?" Vasant asked softly.
"Kuch nahi Papa (Nothing, Papa)," Akansha quickly answered before turning towards her husband and daughter. "Come inside. Both of you."
Shaurya immediately obeyed, carrying Siya inside.
"Dadda..." Siya whispered dramatically into his ear.
"It's okay. Nanu is our friend now. Also, we don't want Mumma to get angry, right?" Shaurya whispered back like he was revealing some classified secret.
Siya instantly giggled, thrilled by the secrecy of their conversation, while Akansha and Vasant clearly heard every word.
"Okay..." she agreed proudly.
Shaurya kissed her hair affectionately. Every tiny giggle from his daughter made his heart overflow with warmth.
He settled onto the sofa with Siya curled up in his lap, clutching his crisp cotton shirt tightly and successfully ruining its neatness within seconds. Shaurya, however, couldn't care less.
"Siya... leave Dadda's shirt. He has to go back to work. Everyone will laugh at him seeing such a wrinkled shirt," Akansha said.
Siya immediately gasped and began smoothing the wrinkles with utmost seriousness. No one was allowed to laugh at her Dadda.
Vasant and Akansha chuckled softly while Shaurya held her tiny palm and kissed it.
"The wrinkles are gone now, bacha. See?" he assured gently.
Siya nodded with satisfaction before resting her head against his chest again. Her parents instantly understood she had become sleepy and cranky. Shaurya softly ruffled her hair and stroked her cheek, calming her down within seconds.
Vasant badly wanted to pull his granddaughter into his arms, but Akansha silently gestured that Siya would need a little more time.
After an awkward pause, Shaurya finally cleared his throat.
"How are you doing now, Papa?" he asked softly.
Both Vasant and Akansha looked at him in surprise hearing him still address Vasant as "Papa." Even after everything that had happened between them, he hadn't changed it.
"I'm doing much better now. Thank you," Vasant replied quietly.
The hatred he once held for Shaurya had faded, though traces of anger still remained. At the same time, gratitude existed too. After all, Shaurya had risked everything to protect his daughter.
Vasant still remembered how much he had trusted Shaurya once.
He had genuinely believed this man would finally give Akansha the happiness she deserved.
That hope had shattered when he learned about the supposed revenge marriage.
But now, after learning the entire truth, some part of that hope had slowly returned.
He also knew Akansha could be harsh and extremely stern at times, and unknowingly she had become a partial reason for Aakriti's suffering, whereas his other daughter had knowingly destroyed that girl.
In a way, Shaurya's anger was justified, but the path he chose was wrong.
Yet again, that cruel path had also become the only option he saw to save his sister.
"Thank you for everything you did during my surgery and recovery," Vasant added softly.
Akansha had already told him how Shaurya secretly arranged the best doctors, brought top surgeons from abroad, and helped Akash from behind the scenes without taking any credit for it.
"Please, Papa..." Shaurya shook his head lightly. "You're embarrassing me. It was my responsibility. In fact, I should've done much more." His voice lowered slightly. "I wanted to be here during that phase, but I didn't want my presence to upset you further. I'm sorry."
He gently held Vasant's hand while speaking.
Akansha quietly observed the interaction.
Despite everything Suman had done to Aakriti, despite the bitterness between both families, Shaurya had still accepted her father and brother wholeheartedly as his own people.
He had even offered help in Suman's divorce case earlier, though Akash had refused it.
Vasant smiled faintly and patted his hand.
"You've already done more than enough."
Meanwhile, Siya slowly peeked out from her little cocoon and noticed her Dadda smiling at the old man. Since her Dadda was now smiling at him, that automatically meant her Nanu had become acceptable too.
Shaurya gently put her down and nudged her forward.
"Siyabear... come forward, meet your Nanu..." Akansha encouraged softly.
"Siya, go..." Shaurya too encouraged his daughter.
Siya slowly walked forward with a hesitant smile on her tiny face.
"Hi Siya... I am your Nanu, matlab your Mumma's Dadda," Vasant introduced himself warmly.
"Siya, say hi," Akansha reminded gently.
"Hi..." Siya replied meekly.
"You are so cute, Siya... And your hairstyle is so beautiful... Look at these hair clips, wow... they are so pretty," Vasant praised instantly after noticing Shaurya and Akansha subtly gesture toward her hair and clips.
And just like both her parents predicted, Siya brightened up immediately the moment her unicorn clips received appreciation.
'He is cool,' she decided internally.
"Yes Nanu... Mama Bear made these hail... hairstyle, and my Dadda got me these..." she proudly said, showing off her clips and accessories one by one.
Vasant's eyes softened hearing her call him "Nanu" so naturally, as if she had known him forever.
He carefully lifted her into his arms, kissed her cheek lovingly, and settled her onto his lap.
"These are unicons... they have so many powers. You know, I am also a unicorn... magic unicorn. Dadda says I have magic powers," Siya declared proudly, making Vasant smile even wider seeing how comfortably she had started talking to him already.
"Oh wow... I have never seen magic before. Will you show me?" Vasant asked seriously.
Siya instantly turned towards her father for help.
"Show Nanu that magic trick... smile wala (the smile one)," Shaurya encouraged with a soft smile.
Siya immediately hugged her Nanu tightly and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.
The moment she saw him smiling widely, she jumped down from his lap happily, thrilled that her magic had worked once again.
She really did have magical powers that could make people smile... or at least that's what she believed.
"Thank you for bringing her here. At this stage of my life, my grandchildren are the only ones who make me feel content. I feel so happy spending time with Harsh... and now Siya too. She is such an angel, Akansha," Vasant said emotionally.
"Papa... where are Harsh and others?" Akansha asked hesitantly.
"I asked Jaya and Suman not to come out," Vasant said quietly. "I don't want you reliving all the torture they put you through."
His voice turned heavier as he continued, "Your mother is inside the room.
.. whereas Suman went out because she couldn't gather the courage to face you.
She asked me to call her once you leave.
" He paused for a moment before adding bitterly, "I am glad she at least realized her mistakes now.
.. but forgiveness is still not something she deserves. "
After a brief silence, he spoke again. "Harsh went to school, and Suman will pick him up and stay at her friend's house."
Akansha slowly shook her head.
No matter how deeply her sister had hurt her, she still couldn't bear Suman's pain. Somewhere along the way, she had stopped loving Suman merely as a sister and had unknowingly started carrying her responsibilities like a mother.
"Call her and ask her to come back. I want Siya to meet her brother," Akansha said softly, glancing briefly at Shaurya to see if he would be okay with it.
Shaurya gave a small nod, though she didn't miss the flicker of pain that crossed his eyes at the thought of everything Aakriti had suffered — her breakdowns, self-harm, and the unbearable pain she endured because of her sister.
"I'll ask someone to bring Harsh here. You don't need to meet Suman. You have endured enough already, not anymore," Vasant said firmly.
But Akansha shook her head.
"Papa... I... um... maybe this sounds irrational, but I want to see her," Akansha said quietly. "She is still my sister, and I cannot change that fact even if I want to."
She paused briefly, gathering herself before continuing.
"Yes, I am angry... upset... furious even, for everything she did to me, to Aakriti, and for letting Dilip ruin all our lives. But despite all that, I always wanted the best for her. I tried so hard to give her a better life... and now somewhere, I feel guilty for what happened to her too."
Her voice trembled slightly towards the end.
"I should have listened to Shaurya when he warned me about Dilip.
Instead, I blamed him and Aakriti for trying to sabotage Suman's wedding.
I should have at least checked the chats he was showing me.
.. but I..." She swallowed painfully before forcing herself to continue.
"I stopped thinking rationally. Suman was pregnant, and she kept insisting she wouldn't survive the humiliation if the wedding was called off. "
Akansha lowered her eyes helplessly.
"I was scared about your health too, Papa... so I rushed everything. If I had acted differently, maybe I could have saved her life from becoming this mess..."
Her voice cracked, and she couldn't continue further.
Vasant quietly held her hand, consoling her silently for a moment before speaking.