Chapter 53
"Dadu... see, these are the paintings bua and I made today," Siya said proudly, showing Rajnath the paintings while sitting comfortably on his lap.
"Oh wow, I didn't know my Siya is this talented. Learn more from your bua and soon you'll become the best," Rajnath praised warmly.
"More good than bua?" Siya asked innocently.
"Better is the right word, baby. You should say better than bua," Akansha corrected softly.
Siya nodded seriously before quickly correcting herself, making Rajnath smile.
"Yes, I am sure you'll paint even better than Aakriti one day. In fact, the best," Rajnath said, making the little girl beam with happiness.
"Thank you, Dadu..." Siya hugged him tightly.
Akansha quietly watched her daughter, who had gained an entire family within a single day. Siya had met her Nanu, maasi, brother, bua, and Dadu all at once, and the child looked overwhelmed with happiness.
Honestly, Akansha hadn't expected Rajnath and Aakriti to welcome Siya so lovingly, almost as if they had been waiting years for this moment.
And perhaps they truly had.
Whenever Rajnath saw Dev happy with Rachna and their children, he felt the emptiness in his other son's life even more deeply.
He also knew both Dev and Aakriti carried immense guilt for Shaurya's suffering because they were the ones who had initially pushed him towards that absurd revenge game with Akansha.
Rajnath hadn't known the complete truth back then. Had he known, he would have stopped them immediately and made Dev and Aakriti understand that playing with a woman's emotions was nowhere close to being justified.
After playing with Siya for some more time, Rajnath quietly walked toward his room and returned a few minutes later with a jewelry box in his hand.
"Akansha... can we talk for a moment?" he asked gently.
Though slightly startled by the sudden request, Akansha composed herself and nodded.
Both of them walked toward a faraway couch while Shaurya instinctively looked at Rajnath. The older man gave him a reassuring nod, silently asking him not to worry.
Shaurya nodded back, but his eyes still drifted toward Akansha every few seconds.
One wrong expression on her face and he would intervene instantly.
He trusted Rajnath completely, trusted him enough to know he would never intentionally hurt Akansha, but when it came to her, fear had become an inseparable part of Shaurya. Years of constantly worrying about her safety had shaped him that way.
"Akansha beta, I owe you an apology—"
But Akansha immediately shook her head and stopped him.
"No, Mr. Bisht. Whatever you said to me that day was justified. If my daughter had been hurt because of someone, even I would've forgotten every rationale in that moment. My father would've reacted even more harshly if he were in your place. So honestly, I understand your emotions."
Rajnath smiled faintly.
"My apology is not for how I spoke to you that day," he clarified calmly. "I don't regret that. In fact, I did that for your protection as well, not just Aakriti's."
Akansha listened silently.
"I didn't want Shaurya or Dev to know about your call and come after you. I know how protective they are of Aakriti. I have never seen them spare anyone who hurt their sister, and despite my anger toward you at that time, I couldn't ignore the fact that you too were somebody's daughter."
His tone softened further.
"You acted without knowing the complete truth. I didn't want my sons to ruin your future for that. That's why I threatened you and made sure you wouldn't contact us again. I thought that chapter had ended there..." He sighed quietly. "But in reality, it was only the beginning."
Akansha lowered her eyes thoughtfully.
"I am sorry for whatever Shaurya did to you," Rajnath continued. "I raised not just Dev and Aakriti, but Shaurya too. So as a father, I cannot escape responsibility for my children's mistakes."
His expression hardened slightly at the memory.
"What those two demanded from Shaurya was wrong. Extremely wrong. I was deeply disappointed in all of them. At least Dev and Aakriti eventually realized their mistakes... whereas Shaurya knew it was wrong from the very first day. He never wanted to do it."
Akansha's fingers tightened slightly around the jewelry box resting beside her.
"Regardless of his intentions or circumstances, it was wrong to play with your emotions. So yes... please accept my apology."
"It's not your fault," Akansha replied softly. "But thank you for being kind. Your apology means a lot to me... even if it wasn't necessary."
Rajnath shook his head gently.
"Thank you for bringing Siya here. I have waited years for this moment."
His eyes unknowingly drifted toward Shaurya and Siya.
"Whenever I see Dev and Rachna with their children, my heart aches for Shaurya. Out of my three children, he was always the purest at heart. That boy grew up seeing nothing except cruelty, betrayal, and manipulation... but somehow none of it polluted his heart."
There was immense affection in his voice while speaking about Shaurya.
"He only gave to people, Akansha. He rarely received anything in return. And whenever life finally gave him people who truly loved him... fate kept them away from him."
Akansha quietly listened while Rajnath spoke about himself and Dev too.
Both of them had always wanted Shaurya to leave everything behind and live peacefully with them, but Shaurya never could. He refused to leave the state in Virendar Shekhawat's hands, and more importantly, he wanted to keep his parents away from Aakriti at any cost.
Rajnath eventually shook those thoughts away and handed her the jewelry box.
"Anyway... enough about the past. I wanted to give you this."
Akansha looked at the box curiously.
"Dev's mother bought these years ago. When she accepted Aakriti as our daughter, she knew she wouldn't live very long... so she wanted to leave behind something meaningful for her."
His eyes softened with remembrance.
"She once told me she wanted to prepare for her daughter's wedding beforehand. So she bought all the jewelry she thought her daughter would need someday."
He smiled faintly.
"And then she bought two extra pairs of earrings. One for Dev's wife... and one for Shaurya's wife." Akansha's eyes widened slightly. "I already gave Rachna her pair. These belong to you."
He pushed the box gently toward her.
"They may not seem like much... but again they're everything. , her blessings, Please don't refuse them."
Akansha slowly took the box with a soft smile.
"I won't refuse. I'll accept them as her blessings." Her gaze shifted toward Aakriti briefly before returning to Rajnath. "You and Mrs. Bisht are wonderful people. I truly wish I could've met her personally. What both of you did wasn't easy." Then her voice softened further.
"And the way you loved Shaurya... far more than his own parents ever did..." She paused emotionally. "Seeing all this makes me feel the people who say blood is thicker than water probably never had people like you in their lives."
Rajnath smiled warmly hearing that.
"Open it and see. And if possible... wear them now. It'll make me very happy."
Akansha nodded before opening the box carefully. Inside lay a beautiful pair of gold jhumkas.
"They're beautiful," she whispered softly before removing her earrings.
"Here... your juice."
Shaurya suddenly appeared beside Rajnath, handing him a glass. Rajnath took one sip and immediately made a face.
At the same time, Shaurya noticed Akansha struggling with the earrings, so he casually sat beside her and started helping her remove them, as naturally as if it was part of their daily life.
"Stop making faces and finish it," he muttered to Rajnath while carefully removing Akansha's earrings.
Then gently, almost reverently, he made her wear the jhumkas Rajnath had gifted her.
His heart skipped several beats seeing her in them.
He had imagined her wearing those earrings countless times before.
.. and now he was finally getting to see it in reality.
Still, outwardly, he maintained a perfectly normal expression.
"Shaurya, at least put some sugar in the juice," Rajnath complained dramatically.
"You already have enough sugar in your body. Drink it and stop throwing tantrums. My four-year-old behaves better than you," Shaurya deadpanned.
Rajnath glared at him while continuing to make faces at the juice.
"Done," Shaurya said softly to Akansha after fixing the earrings properly.
He placed her old earrings back into the box and slipped it effortlessly into his pocket so naturally that Akansha's heart fluttered unexpectedly. The gesture felt absurdly intimate. So... husband-like.
"They look beautiful on you. Thank you for wearing them, beta," Rajnath said warmly.
Akansha smiled softly in response. A few minutes later, Shaurya walked toward Aakriti, where Siya had fallen asleep in her lap. But before lifting his daughter, he secretly tried clicking a picture of Akansha wearing the earrings.
Unfortunately for him, the flash was on. Akansha instantly caught him.
Shaurya cursed his fate internally and quickly pocketed his phone while Aakriti burst into laughter after witnessing everything. Shaurya shot her a deadly glare before picking up Siya carefully.
"Shaurya, stay for some more time na... I want to spend more time with Siya," Aakriti whined softly.
"We have to leave, beta. It's already late." Then he turned toward his wife. "Akansha, shall we?"
Akansha nodded and stood up.
Before leaving, she bent slightly and took Rajnath's blessings, surprising Shaurya.
She had never taken blessings from his biological parents, and honestly, he was glad she never did. They didn't deserve her respect. But seeing the respect and warmth she showed Rajnath filled his heart with quiet happiness. Akansha picked up the duffle bag before hugging Aakriti goodbye.
"Keep visiting us," Aakriti said emotionally and Akansha nodded.
Then Shaurya looked toward Rajnath again.