Chapter 52
"That very evening, after you submitted your papers, Shaurya made a wooden nameplate with his own hands. It had 'Dr. Akansha Shaurya Shekhawat' carved on it. From that day onward, he kept waiting for the moment he could finally place it outside your house when the two of you moved into a new home."
Wait. What?
Shaurya knew she was submitting her thesis that day?
He knew she had been preparing for it all along?
"Did you tell him that you were the one who dropped me there?
But you promised you wouldn't reveal it was me who collected the party prints.
.." Akansha trailed off, remembering how Arun ji had assured her back then that nobody would find out.
Virendar Shekhawat never liked her involving herself in work meant for family members, and Arun had protected that secret carefully.
Now, after learning the truth about the past, everything looked different to her.
She finally understood that Shaurya's coldness had never stemmed from revenge. It had always been protection.
Did that mean he had been silently supporting her all along too?
For some strange reason, she almost wished that wasn't true. Perhaps because she feared her heart softening beyond repair.
Shaurya had always stood beside her. Every single time her mother and sister treated her like an emotional punching bag, he was there.
He listened to her anger, her frustrations, her breakdowns — without once demanding explanations.
His care, his patience, the quiet gentleness he showed her.
.. those were the very reasons she had fallen in love with him.
And that was exactly why his betrayal had shattered her so deeply. But now that she knew the truth, she no longer knew whom to blame.
Things had been simpler when she could hate him completely. Back then, every pain in her life and her daughter's life had a clear culprit — Shaurya Singh Shekhawat.
Now the lines had blurred painfully.
Yes, he was partially responsible. He had approached her wanting answers for his sister's suffering, and honestly, asking for answers wasn't unfair.
He had planned to give her a marriage filled with love despite that.
But Virendar Shekhawat ruined everything before Shaurya could even begin fixing it.
Virendar destroyed their marriage from the shadows. Yet unfortunately, it was Shaurya's face she saw standing in front of all that pain.
No matter what his reasons were, she still couldn't erase those wounds completely. But little by little, every hidden truth about his love was slowly conquering the parts of her heart she desperately wanted to keep guarded.
"It was Shaurya baba who asked me to take you there that day, so you wouldn't get late while submitting your..." Arun paused awkwardly, trying to remember the word. "What do you call it? Th..."
"Thesis," Akansha completed absentmindedly.
"Yes, thesis," Arun nodded quickly. "Shaurya baba was very worried you might get delayed if you travelled by public transport."
Akansha stared at him quietly before asking the question she already knew the answer to.
"So every time you took me for groceries or vegetable shopping... that was also because of Shaurya's instructions?"
Arun smiled faintly.
"On the evening of your wedding itself, Shaurya baba told me never to let you go anywhere alone. Otherwise, I would've never dared go against Mrs. Shekhawat's orders. She never spared anyone who disobeyed her."
His expression softened further.
"It was always Shaurya baba who protected me from her anger."
Akansha stayed silent, listening carefully.
"Once, when madam stopped me from driving you to the grocery store and forced you to walk instead, I informed Shaurya baba.
After that, he made things very clear to Mrs. Shekhawat.
He even removed me from the Shekhawat payroll and shifted me under his personal staff so that madam could no longer control my duties. "
Akansha's breath caught slightly.
"I never understood why he went that far until..." Arun murmured before suddenly stopping himself midway.
He had already revealed far more than he intended to.
For years, he had wondered why Shaurya never openly fought for his wife's rights. Later, when he learned the reality of Virendar Shekhawat and the threat he posed to Akansha's life, everything finally made sense to him.
"Until what?" Akansha pressed softly.
Arun hesitated before finally continuing.
"That day... you asked me to drop you at a café, remember?
I refused because Shaurya specifically told me not to let you go there alone.
But about an hour later, he suddenly called asking whether you were home.
When I checked and realized you weren't, he panicked badly after I told him about the café. "
His face visibly tightened at the memory.
"He immediately ordered me to reach there and bring you back.
That day, there was unusual traffic everywhere because party workers had deliberately created chaos on the roads.
Later we realized it was all planned... they wanted to keep you trapped in a vulnerable location where neither police nor help could reach easily. "
Akansha slowly pieced everything together.
"Before I could reach there, Aakriti bitiya called me and asked me to bring Shaurya baba's clothes and essentials to the hospital. I didn't understand anything until I saw his condition..." Arun's voice trembled.
Even now, remembering Shaurya's blood-soaked body clearly haunted him. Akansha quietly inhaled to steady herself before finally asking the real question.
"You came here looking for Shaurya?" Then immediately realizing her manners, she added quickly, "I'm sorry... I didn't even invite you inside. Please come in..."
"Arre nai nai bitiya (No no child)," Arun stopped her gently. "I only came to speak with Shaurya. I tried calling him, but he didn't answer. Then I went to the party office and learned he wasn't there, so I came here."
"Oh..." Akansha nodded. "He took his work phone with him and left his personal phone at home charging. You don't have his official number?"
Arun shook his head.
"I thought he was at the party office. Okay... I'll call him. Please come inside and wait," she insisted, sensing the matter must be important if Arun had personally searched for him like this.
But Arun still looked hesitant.
"I think it may become very late by then..." he said slowly, debating internally whether he should mention Aakriti or not.
Akansha noticed immediately.
"You can speak to him on call. One second," she said before dialing Shaurya.
"Akansha... can this wait? I'm actually a little busy right now," Shaurya answered hurriedly, though his tone instantly softened hearing her voice.
Akansha blinked slightly in surprise.
Never.
Not once in the past or present had she heard Shaurya use the word "busy" for her. That alone told her how serious the situation must be.
"Okay. Call me once you're free," she replied gently.
"I will. Thanks," he said before disconnecting.
"I'm sorry. He seems genuinely busy right now. You can still wait inside..." Akansha offered again.
But Arun shook his head.
"I need to take my daughter to the hospital, so I should leave.
Just tell Shaurya baba one thing..." Akansha waited quietly.
"Aakriti bitiya wanted to meet him today.
But after learning he was here with you and Siya, she asked me to take her back home.
She wasn't prepared to face you yet." Akansha remained silent.
"But I think... Shaurya should meet her once," Arun added softly.
Akansha nodded slowly.
"I'll tell him."
Just when Arun was about to leave, Akansha stopped him. She went inside and returned holding Siya's hand, asking her to take Arun's blessings.
The elderly man protested immediately, but both Akansha and stubborn little Siya successfully overpowered him.
"You probably don't know this," Akansha said softly, "but during my pregnancy, you took me to the hospital countless times. And one day... your quick response saved my daughter."
Arun looked stunned.
"I'll always remain grateful for that."
He frowned in confusion, but Akansha gently shook her head, not wanting to explain further.
Understanding her silence, he simply blessed Siya warmly before leaving. After he left, Akansha remembered those days vividly.
How she used to ask Arun ji to drop her near the bookstore beside the hospital during her pregnancy. How one day, after eating the adulterated food Shobha Shekhawat deliberately gave her, she suffered unbearable pain.
And it was Arun who reacted instantly and drove her there without wasting a second.
She still remembered desperately urging him to drive faster while pretending everything was fine because she didn't want Shaurya finding out she was sick or visiting the hospital that day.
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Rajnath called Shaurya to ask whether Aakriti had met him yet.
At that moment, Shaurya was already on his way to meet her. But when he learned she wasn't at the old age home or apartment either, panic immediately consumed both men and they began searching for her frantically.
That was when Akansha's call came.
No matter how worried he was for Aakriti, Shaurya could never ignore his wife's call. He simply couldn't bear even the possibility of Akansha needing him while he remained unavailable.
Barely ten minutes later, Rajnath informed him that their staff had finally found Aakriti sitting alone in a nearby temple. Only then did Shaurya breathe properly again.
He immediately called Akansha back and she informed him about Arun's visit.
"Oh..." Shaurya exhaled quietly. "Don't worry. I'll meet Aakriti. She'll be fine."
"Come home and take Siya with you," Akansha said casually. "Aakriti will feel happy meeting her."
Shaurya fell silent for a second.
"You're... okay with that?" he asked carefully. "I mean—"
"Yes, Shaurya. I don't have any issues," Akansha replied calmly.
And it was true.