Chapter 55
Akansha stood stunned, staring at Dev. What did he mean by Shaurya already knew?
"Dev... are you sure?" Akansha asked, her voice lower than usual.
Dev nodded, his expression grim.
"He knew from the day you guys met Aakriti. I think he connected the dots himself. Every year, he visits the victims' families and spends an entire day with them. He must have realized Siya's birthday falls in the same week as those dreadful clashes that happened five years ago."
Akansha held her breath.
Dev continued, "Shaurya also knew Ashwini had been aware of the truth for quite some time and was hiding it from him because of my orders. He sacked him."
Akansha slowly held her head. If Shaurya already knew, why hadn't he reacted? Was he avoiding it? Numbing himself? Or was he silently struggling with that anguish, pain, and regret all alone?
A heavy ache settled inside her chest.
She knew Shaurya had a terrible habit of swallowing his pain.
Not once had she seen him truly express it, except for that night when he confessed everything to her and revealed that Aakriti was his sister by blood.
Even then, Akansha knew the suffering she had witnessed was only a minute fraction of what he had actually carried all these years.
She knew what he had put her through was wrong. But she couldn't stop herself from worrying about him. She loved that man.
And she knew the whole concept of love was stupid that way. She still hadn't forgiven him, but that didn't stop her from caring about his well-being.
"We'll think about it later," Akansha said, forcing herself to stay composed. "For now, let's behave normally. Shaurya clearly doesn't want us to know that he knows, so we'll pretend we don't. But we need to bring his real emotions out somehow. He must be suffering a lot inside."
Dev nodded.
"I thought the same. I told Ashwini not to let Shaurya know that we know. Anyway, Shaurya won't contact him now. He's furious with Ashwini... and I'm sure he's upset with me too."
"Didn't seem like that when he was defending you just a while ago," Akansha said dryly.
Dev sighed dramatically.
"Woman, don't be so jealous. That man loves you the most, followed by Siya and Aakriti. I don't even make it to the top three."
"Look in the mirror. You'll understand who is jealous," Akansha shot back. "Now get out. You won't get any ice cream."
Dev frowned, but the next second, realization struck him. Shaurya was right there.
"I gave your ice cream to Rachna. Go and eat, idiot. Why are you troubling Akansha?" Shaurya asked his friend calmly.
Dev immediately glared at him.
"Look, don't you dare call me an idiot, especially in front of this woman."
He stormed out dramatically.
Akansha and Shaurya exchanged a look and shook their heads at their extremely mature friend.
Note the sarcasm.
Akansha handed Shaurya his cup before taking hers. He thanked her softly and gestured for her to walk ahead. He followed behind her silently.
For the rest of the night, Akansha observed Shaurya carefully. So did Dev. But Shaurya gave nothing away. He behaved completely normally or at least, that was what he wanted everyone to believe.
Later, Dev, Shaurya, Akash and Aakriti sat on the floor with the kids, preparing to play a game.
Siya and Ishaan were on Shaurya's team, while Harsh and Ivaan were on Dev's. Shaurya tried exchanging Ishaan for one of the older boys, but Dev demanded Siya in return if he had to give up Harsh or Ivaan.
Shaurya instantly refused.
He didn't want his daughter on the opposite team, and honestly, Siya wouldn't have gone either. So he compromised. Aakriti joined Shaurya's side, so Akash joined Dev's team.
"Now that the teams are decided, let's decide what game to play," Dev announced seriously.
Akansha and Rachna burst out laughing.
"Smart and sensible people decide the game first and then divide the teams. But again, why am I even explaining this to you?" Akansha said.
Dev turned toward her with narrowed eyes.
"Your brother, husband, sister-in-law, daughter, nephew, and your favorite students, Ishaan and Ivaan, are all involved in this. So when you say that, realize you're calling all of them stupid and senseless too."
"Of course I was talking about all of you, Dev," Akansha replied sweetly. "But it's not your fault. The moment you heard stupid and senseless, you naturally assumed it was about you."
"God, woman. You are so frustrating," Dev snapped.
The children, completely uninterested in their argument, started playing among themselves.
To end the fight, Aakriti and Akash quickly suggested a few game ideas, chose one, and somehow got everyone to start playing.
After a while, the kids fell asleep, and around midnight, Dev, Rachna, Rajnath, Aakriti, and the children decided to leave.
"Aakriti... beta, why don't you stay here for a few more days?" Shaurya asked suddenly.
Everyone looked at him in surprise. He had never asked his sister to stay with him before. He knew the complications far too well.
Akansha, Dev, and even Rajnath knew how badly Shaurya wished to have Aakriti stay with him, but Rajnath had assumed Shaurya had made peace with the fact that it could never happen, at least not while he remained in public life.
"But Shaurya, you know..." Rajnath began softly.
People visited Shaurya's residence constantly, especially now, with elections around the corner.
"Yeah... I know," Shaurya said, forcing a casual smile. "I think I just liked it too much today. Having my sister here, in my home. I asked without thinking." He immediately straightened his expression. "Okay, take care, all of you. Ping in the group once you reach."
He tried to sound completely normal, but the longing he struggled so hard to hide was painfully visible to his wife and best friend. Even Aakriti understood that her brother missed her, though she still didn't know how deeply or for how many years he had carried that ache.
"Shaurya..." Aakriti's voice softened. "I miss you too. And I really do want to live with you and your family, especially my little niece, if situations were right. You know that, don't you?" She side-hugged him tightly. "I love you more than Dev."
"Yes, I know," Shaurya said, smiling faintly. "Now take care of yourself. Don't go anywhere alone. Take Arun uncle with you wherever you go, and keep me posted. You know I love reading about your day, right?"
Aakriti nodded, a wide smile spreading across her face.
"This is why I love you so much. You are the best, Shaurya."
Shaurya smiled and kissed her forehead. Dev immediately joined the hug, irritating both his sister and his best friend.
No matter how busy Shaurya was, he never failed to take daily updates from Aakriti about her day. She loved ranting to him about everything that happened, and he always replied to all her texts at night.
Aakriti cherished how much interest Shaurya took in her life.
He didn't always give solutions, but after talking to him, her impulsive emotions — anger, stubbornness, hurt — slowly settled, allowing her to think clearly again.
There had never been a single day when she needed him, and he wasn't there. She was lucky that way. Both her brothers loved her immensely. And perhaps that was why her guilt over Shaurya's pain only deepened with time.
If she hadn't asked him to betray Akansha, Akansha wouldn't have left him.
Shaurya never blamed her. In fact, he blamed himself for making her feel as if she was any less important than Akansha in his life. But Aakriti knew the truth. Her demand had been wrong and immature.
After realizing everything, she had stopped blaming Shaurya and instead accepted her own immaturity for what it was. With her brothers and father beside her, she had slowly grown out of that weak, wounded version of herself.
Aakriti then hugged Akansha, and the two exchanged quiet goodbyes, promising to stay in touch.
Now that Akansha had spent time with her, she could clearly see Aakriti's admiration for her. Perhaps those harsh words from years ago had hurt Aakriti even more because of that admiration.
But that still didn't mean Akansha justified Aakriti's childish demand for revenge. But, her complaint remained with Shaurya. He had wronged her. And her questions, her pain, her anger — they belonged to him.
Now that she was a parent herself, Akansha knew she would want everyone to treat Siya gently. She couldn't even imagine someone being rude to her daughter, even if they claimed to speak in Siya's best interest.
In the same way, maybe she should have spoken to Aakriti calmly back then. Seeing Aakriti so closely now, Akansha was certain the girl would have listened if things had been explained clearly.
Then perhaps Dilip wouldn't have succeeded in manipulating Aakriti against her. But there was one thing Akansha still didn't understand. Why hadn't Shaurya or Dev gone after Dilip?
He was the one who had wronged Aakriti, played with her feelings, made her vulnerable, and provoked her. Knowing Shaurya and Dev, they wouldn't have spared anyone who hurt their beloved sister. So why had they spared Dilip? The question stayed with her.
Rajnath and Aakriti clearly didn't want to leave Siya. They wanted more time with her, but unfortunately, they couldn't stay back.
Akansha promised to bring Siya to them during the holidays so she could spend a few days with them.
After exchanging final goodbyes, they left. Before stepping out, Dev looked at Akansha for the briefest second. She understood his silent message immediately.
'Take care of him.'
He didn't need to say it aloud. She was worried too.
Shaurya's calmness was far too unsettling. As a psychologist, and as someone who knew him better than most, Akansha understood he was suppressing everything and dealing with his pain alone.
And if that continued for too long, it could harm him. She decided to wait a few days and see if he would let it out on his own.