Chapter 52 #4
"Only when I saw him getting stabbed while still fighting like a madman to protect you.
.. Reality finally hit me. Blood was literally pouring out of his body, but he still kept fighting.
Even after collapsing to the ground, his bl**dy hands were clutching those men's legs just to stop them from reaching you. .."
Aakriti wiped her tears helplessly.
"He loves you so much, Akansha ma'am. And because of me, both of you suffered endlessly. Yet despite all that, you named your daughter after me." Her voice broke completely. "Your hearts are made of gold... both you and Shaurya. You're genuinely good people."
Akansha quietly shook her head while wiping the corners of her own eyes. Hearing about Shaurya's condition that day physically hurt her chest.
"I... I only wanted Siya to have at least one thing chosen by her father," she admitted softly.
"So I gave her the name Shaurya had once decided.
It wasn't anything more than that." Then after a pause, she continued calmly, "And about the past..
. yes, it was painful for all of us. But the only good thing is that it's over now.
So instead of drowning in it forever, we should just learn from it and let the rest go. "
She gave Aakriti a small reassuring smile.
"Focus on your future now. Your life. Think about how to make it peaceful and better."
Aakriti looked at her with hopeful eyes.
"Can you... try to forgive me?" she asked quietly.
Akansha took a moment before answering.
"I will... soon," she replied honestly. "You weren't bad, Aakriti. You were just naive."
Both women continued talking while, at the farther end of the hall, Shaurya and Siya remained entirely occupied in their own little world.
"Siya..." Shaurya whispered conspiratorially. "I have a surprise for you. But don't shout, okay?"
He already knew Akansha would get annoyed about what he was about to show their daughter, so he warned Siya in advance.
"Okay okay, tell me Dadda... what's the suppise?" Siya asked excitedly.
"The surprise is..." Shaurya lowered his voice dramatically. "We have puppies here. I'll take you to them now."
The moment Siya heard the word puppies, she exploded.
"YAYYYY! YAYYY DADDA! LET'S GOOO!"
She started jumping wildly in excitement while Shaurya desperately tried shushing her, completely failing in the process.
Akansha hated dogs. Well... that was what she told everyone. In reality, she was terrified of them. The noise immediately caught both Akansha's and Aakriti's attention.
"Can't you see we're talking here?" Akansha scolded sharply. "Both of you lower your voices."
"Sorry Mumma..." Siya apologized instantly before smacking Shaurya's arm, silently ordering him to apologize too before he got them scolded again.
"Um... yes. Sorry," Shaurya obediently added. "You both continue talking. We'll be back."
And before either Akansha or Aakriti could stop them, he escaped with Siya outside. The two women simply shook their heads helplessly before resuming their conversation.
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"Chorry Dadda..." Siya apologized cutely once they stepped outside.
Shaurya instantly melted and accepted her apology with a smile before taking her toward the dogs. The moment Siya saw the puppies properly, her happiness knew absolutely no bounds.
Shaurya introduced every single dog proudly, explaining how some of them were technically his pets. But because he barely had time to look after them properly, he had left them under Aakriti's care.
Though the real reason was something else entirely.
Shaurya knew Akansha disliked — or rather feared — dogs. Even during the years she wasn't with him, he still wanted his residence to remain according to her comfort and preferences. So he deliberately kept his pets away from home.
Another reason was his hectic political life. People constantly visited him, and not everyone was comfortable around animals. Many were scared of them... just like his wife.
Meanwhile, Siya had already become obsessed with the puppies. Then suddenly, a dangerous idea struck her mind.
"Daddaaa..." she called sweetly.
And immediately, Shaurya became cautious. That tone meant his daughter was about to demand something impossible.
"Yes bacha?" he responded carefully.
"You know my birthday is coming soon..." Siya began innocently.
Shaurya instantly understood where this conversation was heading.
"Yes, I know," he replied cautiously.
"And Daddas give gifts to their unicorns on birthdays, right?" Siya asked with complete confidence, as if it was a legally binding rule.
"Yes bacha... Gift toh dena hi padega(Dadda has to give gifts)," he replied carefully.
Siya instantly puffed her cheeks in fake outrage.
"Dadda! What do you mean 'have to'?" she demanded dramatically. "Mattblab (Matlab) you don't want to give gifts?"
Shaurya burst out laughing at her twisted logic. Siya puffed her cheeks even harder seeing him laugh.
"Sorry sorry..." he immediately controlled himself. "Of course I want to give my Siya lots of gifts."
"I don't want lots of gifts," Siya replied smartly before clasping her hands dramatically. "But pweaseee... let's take them home. Please Dadda... please?"
Shaurya instantly cursed himself internally. No. Absolutely impossible.
If he brought dogs home, Akansha would probably walk out of the house the next minute.
But how was he supposed to explain that to his emotionally manipulative four-year-old daughter?
"Siya..." he crouched before her patiently. "Mumma is scared of dogs. We can't keep them at home."
But Siya remained adamant.
"Then build a house for them outside the door," she suggested proudly with a toothy grin. "Then Mamabear won't get scared. Simple."
Shaurya stared at her in disbelief.
"Siya... Mumma won't stay in the vicinity only if we bring them home," he tried reasoning again. "She'll either throw us out with the dogs... or she'll leave us. And we can't live without Mumma, right?"
Siya immediately pouted before tears slowly started slipping from her eyes. And Shaurya absolutely could not handle that.
"Okay okay fine..." he surrendered instantly while wiping her tears. "Let me think of something first. Stop crying." Then he sighed helplessly. "I'll try talking to Mumma. But your birthday is in just a few days, na? These things take time. Give Dadda some time, baby."
The tears vanished instantly and Siya grinned brightly again, making Shaurya wonder how his daughter's moods changed faster than lightning.
Just then, his phone pinged with a message from Mr. Sharma regarding scheduling visits to the families of the riot victims from five years ago. Every year, Shaurya personally visited them during that same week to check on their welfare.
And suddenly it hit him. Siya was born during that exact week. Immediately, fragments of Akansha and Richa's earlier conversation replayed inside his mind.
Richa hadn't known he was Siya's father. She had assumed Akansha hated him because of something that happened on the day Siya was born—Before she could reveal more, Akansha had thrown her out.
A terrible possibility started forming inside Shaurya's mind. His head began throbbing violently.
"Daddaaa!" Siya screamed suddenly, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"Yes bacha..." he responded distractedly.
"Bhuki..." Siya complained sadly.
Shaurya nodded absentmindedly before lifting her into his arms and walking back inside. But now only one thought kept echoing inside his head. He needed to speak to Ashwini immediately.
Shaurya walked inside carrying his daughter in his arms because, according to Siya, she could no longer walk.
He stopped for a moment when he saw Aakriti and Akansha hugging each other, while Akansha gently patted Aakriti's back. A relieved sigh escaped his lips as he watched the two women resolve their differences.
"Thanks for this talk. I needed it," Aakriti said softly.
"Me too... I'm glad we could sort things out," Akansha replied before looking at Shaurya and Siya as they walked toward them.
"Siya, sit with Mumma. I'll bring your dinner," Shaurya said, but Akansha stopped him.
"It's late. We'll all eat together. I'll feed Siya simultaneously," Akansha said.
"I'll feed Siya. Come, then. Let's all have dinner together," Shaurya said, walking toward the dining table.
Aakriti and Akansha helped him arrange everything on the table.
"You people have overdone yourselves," Akansha said, looking at the several dishes laid out, starting from soup and starters to desserts.
"Aakriti cooked most of them. I only helped her a little," Shaurya said, and Akansha looked at Aakriti.
"I had to compensate for the years of delay..." Aakriti said, making Akansha smile and shake her head.
Shaurya's heart warmed seeing the two women who mattered the most in his life standing in harmony. For a fleeting second, he imagined himself living with these three most important girls in the same house. Even the thought was enough to make his heart flutter.
His daughter's angry voice pulled him out of that dream.
"Dadda, I am hungry... give me food," Siya demanded.
"Siya... is that a way to talk to your father?" Akansha reprimanded her daughter.
Siya immediately lowered her eyes and shook her head.
"Sorry, sorry... here," Shaurya quickly said, making a bite and feeding her before the situation could worsen.
"It's okay, Dadda... and I am sorry too," Siya apologized sweetly before taking another bite.
"You both start eating. I'll join you," Shaurya told Akansha and Aakriti when he noticed them waiting for him.
They began dinner while Shaurya joined them after filling his daughter's stomach. After dinner, the three adults sat talking for a while until Akansha suddenly realized how late it had gotten.
"Shaurya, I think we should leave for home directly from here. Good thing I brought our things from Papa's place. If we start now, we'll reach by early morning, no?" Akansha asked.
"Yeah..." he replied, glancing at Aakriti.