Chapter 53 #4
Shaurya slowly stepped closer. Very gently, he held her forearms and unfolded them. Akansha took a sharp breath.
The raw desire mixed with unmistakable love in his eyes made her heartbeat falter.
Earlier, even though attraction had always existed between them, her hatred made her recoil from his nearness.
But now that the truth was out, that hatred had weakened... and the love she buried deep inside herself had started surfacing again at times.
"Akansha..." his voice dropped into a whisper. "You know me... and my undeniable attraction toward you. If anything, these years only made it worse."
Her breath caught hearing the honesty in his tone.
"I know you don't want me close to you," he continued softly. "That's why I've been controlling myself." He lowered his forehead slightly against hers. "So please help me continue doing that."
Akansha stared at him speechlessly.
"I... I don't want to lose control and make you hate me even more," he admitted honestly. "So please... avoid doing things that make it harder for me."
Her eyes widened instantly. This was the first time since meeting her again that he had openly acknowledged his desire for her.
Earlier, his eyes always betrayed him, but he had never verbalized it.
"Shaurya... you—"
Before she could finish, he suddenly pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.
"Please stay like this," he whispered against her neck. "Just for a minute."
The familiar warmth of his embrace instantly brought back that old feeling of belongingness she had missed more than she ever admitted.
Akansha slowly closed her eyes. She had always been strong. She never truly needed anyone.
And yet, Shaurya would always remain the one man who broke through every wall she built around herself and reached the deepest part of her heart.
The painful truth was... He had never really left that place.
To survive his betrayal, she had carefully cultivated hatred against him for years. And the circumstances, the lies, and the truth she believed back then made that hatred easier to nurture.
But now... knowing that the very foundation on which she built that hatred was based on incomplete truth...
Everything inside her had slowly started crumbling.
Now she knew his only fault was agreeing to deceive her in the beginning — agreeing to make her fall in love with him only to eventually break her heart.
She also knew he had already started liking her the very first time he saw her, and perhaps that was why he stopped Dev from pursuing her. But despite everything, the thought that Shaurya had initially approached her with deception in mind still didn't sit well with her.
That wound was still raw. And yes, there was once a time when she thought she could forgive him for that betrayal — if he truly repented for it.
Back then, she had been hopelessly in love with him. And she knew he loved her even more fiercely. He could never bear to see her in pain. Sometimes she even wondered if he would have ever confessed the truth himself had Aakriti not revealed everything that night.
Another thing she still held against him was that one night after their marriage. He had the chance to tell her the truth then. He could have told her he hadn't married her for revenge, but because he loved her.
But instead, he chose to let her suffer for that one night because somewhere inside him, the pain his sister endured because of Akansha still existed.
Aakriti's sudden appearance at the wedding hall and everything that happened afterward became another reason he lost the courage to confess.
And finally, when he did decide to tell her everything, he saw his parents' real faces... And that fear shattered him completely.
Wait.
His parents.
Akansha abruptly pulled away from the hug and took a few steps back before glaring at him sharply.
"Sorry," Shaurya apologized immediately.
But the peace lingering on his face looked anything but apologetic.
"Your parents," Akansha said suddenly. "Won't people find it odd if they don't attend Siya's birthday party?"
"Don't worry about that," Shaurya replied calmly. "They're leaving for Vaishno Devi darshan. I planned it long ago. I would never let those people come anywhere near you or Siya again."
Akansha quietly nodded.
"Let's sleep now. Tomorrow and the day after are going to be hectic," she said before walking away.
Shaurya nodded too. But the moment he tried taking a step forward, a sharp throbbing pain shot through his head.
He immediately sat down, pressing his fingers against his temple.
After drinking some water and waiting for the pain to subside slightly, he quietly called his doctor and took the prescribed medicines. He couldn't afford to fall sick now. Not during Siya's birthday.
It was his first birthday celebration of his daughter, and he wanted to make it special for her... and for Akansha too.
Every year until now, Akansha had celebrated it alone. She had fulfilled both the responsibilities of a mother and a father all by herself.
Now it was his turn to step forward. His turn to fulfill his responsibilities.
With that determination settling firmly inside him, Shaurya finally walked into the room and laid beside his daughter.
Slowly, while staring at his sleeping wife and daughter, sleep finally overtook him too.
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The next day, Shaurya personally invited Siya's best friend Amulya's father and a few other parents whose contacts he already had.
Akansha informed the remaining parents herself. She also invited her father, brother, sister, and nephew.
She had asked Vasant to bring Jaya along, but he refused immediately, firmly stating that Jaya didn't deserve to be there.
Akansha didn't argue afterward.
Her mother had never truly cared for her, yet somewhere inside, Akansha still didn't want her father standing alone at the gathering while everyone questioned him about his wife.
But after Vasant's strict refusal, even Akansha realized perhaps it was better this way. Her mother didn't deserve forgiveness so easily.
Shaurya personally invited Vasant, Akash, and even Suman.
Vasant still didn't believe Suman deserved forgiveness, but deep down, everyone knew most of the fault lay with Jaya, who had never taught Suman gratitude or respect toward her elder sister.
Instead of appreciating Akansha for sacrificing her entire youth to feed and protect the family, Jaya had always blamed her for every hardship.
Now, after enduring betrayals, harassment, and suffering at Dilip's hands repeatedly, Suman finally understood the worth of the sister who had once desperately tried saving her from exactly this fate.
Her pain alone wasn't enough to earn forgiveness.
But her genuine efforts to change... to become a better person and a better sibling... might someday heal those wounds.
Not just Akansha's forgiveness.
She still needed forgiveness from Shaurya and Aakriti too.
After all, their lives had suffered too because of her childish mistakes as well.
Meanwhile, Akansha and Shaurya invited Rajnath, Aakriti, Dev, Rachna, and the kids for the evening dinner celebration. All of them were genuinely thrilled to be included.
All of them even expressed regret over not being able to help with the preparations despite badly wanting to.
So, Shaurya and Akansha created a family group named:
"Siya Turns 5 ??"
Tasks were distributed immediately. Everyone accepted their responsibilities enthusiastically.
Well...
Everyone except Dev.
"Shaurya is doing much more work than you," Akansha texted irritably after Dev started cribbing again.
"He's a Chief Minister. His workload is ten times worse than yours.
Is he complaining? Look at Mr. Bisht too.
He runs a media empire and is still helping actively. Learn something from them, Dev??????"
"Are you flexing your husband's Chief Minister position???" Dev replied instantly.
"Hence proved, you have zero brains. @RachnaBisht you have my deepest sympathies," Akansha sent.
Rachna immediately reacted with laughing emojis while Rajnath burst out laughing reading the messages.
"@AkanshaDixit You have a valid point, beta. But one correction," Rajnath texted. "I'm your father-in-law. Calling me Mr. Bisht sounds too formal. If not Dad, at least call me uncle."
"Really, Dad?" Dev complained dramatically. "That woman is insulting me and you're supporting her? This isn't a family group. It's a family circus."
"True," Aakriti replied instantly. "But now I'm wondering who the ringmaster is."
"@Aakriti Enough nonsense and do the work assigned to you," Shaurya finally intervened, clearly fed up. "Was the menu finalized yet?"
"Phattu!" Dev immediately attacked him next. "Till now you were silent because your wife was involved in the conversation. Such a coward."
Then another text popped up.
"@AkanshaDixit What's the secret behind this obedience? Broomstick? TV remote? Belan? Or all three?"
"Rachna should use all three and more," Shaurya replied coldly before Akansha could type anything. "You have clearly become useless. Stop this nonsense and focus on the work. I want everything perfect for Siya."
"Exactly!" Akansha immediately agreed. "So stop your useless commentary and work properly."
Dev replied with an angry punch emoji ??which Akansha royally ignored.
"@AakritiBisht Add Kala Jamun to the menu too. It's my favorite," Dev texted hopefully.
"The menu will go without Kala Jamun in it, Aakriti," Akansha replied, to which Aakriti reacted with a "????", irking Dev.
Despite all the constant bickering, teasing, and chaos, by the end of the night, every task was completed successfully.