Chapter 55 #4
Shaurya returned home in the early hours of the morning. After freshening up, he lay beside his daughter, only for another severe headache to hit him. The pain had become frequent these days, but he kept ignoring it. Still, somewhere deep down, he knew he couldn't continue doing that for long.
He decided he would visit his doctor after a week for a checkup. Earlier, he would have simply called the doctor home, but now that wasn't possible. More than anything, he didn't want Akansha worrying about his health.
Days passed with Shaurya drowning himself in work.
He spoke to Akash regarding the secret project they were handling — the same project powerful people wanted him dead for.
It was Shaurya's dream project, and he refused to let it die under any circumstances.
That's why he wanted to involve Dev in it now.
Akash outright rejected the idea.
According to him, Dev would never take such risks, especially with operations already suspended temporarily.
If the next government remained unaware of the project, it was safer that way.
What confused Akash the most was Shaurya himself.
For years he had deliberately kept Dev away from the project to protect him, yet now he suddenly wanted to involve him.
And more than that... why was Shaurya behaving as if he might lose power when his victory was practically guaranteed?
"Shaurya... Dev wants to talk to you", Akansha stepped into the room while he was making Siya sleep.
"Tell him I'll call later", he murmured, gently patting Siya.
"He says you've been avoiding him for five days and he needs to talk urgently", Akansha said.
Shaurya sighed before taking her phone and walking away.
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The call quickly turned into an argument.
Dev questioned Shaurya's strange behavior over the past few days — especially his refusal to let the media cover even the genuinely good work he was doing.
He was certain something major was going on in Shaurya's head, but Shaurya refused to speak, frustrating Dev to no end.
"Is this related to what happened to Akansha that day? Shaurya... share it with me. I'm your best friend", Dev finally asked directly.
"So Ashwini told you, huh? That disloyal a**", Shaurya cursed, his mind instantly spiraling through possibilities.
"Shaurya... what's going on inside your head?" Dev asked softly this time.
"Nothing, Dev", Shaurya shut him down immediately.
"Would you say the same thing if Akansha asked you?"
Shaurya froze.
Akansha knew...?
The very thought made dread crawl through him. Ever since learning the truth, he had barely been able to look her in the eye. How was he supposed to face her knowing everything she had suffered because of him? What if she tried comforting him? That would destroy him even more.
Ever since he found out, he hadn't been the same.
Every second, the guilt of being the reason behind his wife and daughter's vulnerability ate him alive.
While he was busy fulfilling his political ambitions, his wife had nearly died carrying his child.
What if Richa hadn't taken Akansha to the hospital on time?
He would have lost both of them. Even the thought terrified him.
"I'll... talk to you later", Shaurya muttered before disconnecting the call.
He sat heavily on the chair, unable to bear the pounding in his head anymore. In desperation, he emptied an entire glass of water over himself, hoping the cold would dull the throbbing pain.
Akansha, who had walked in to retrieve her phone and set an alarm, froze seeing his condition.
"What happened to you?" she asked immediately, rushing toward him.
"It's nothing. Dev irritated me and I just... um... I'm fine", he replied calmly, despite the unbearable pain splitting his head apart.
"Shaurya, you don't look fine to me. Let's go see a doctor", she urged, sensing instantly that something was terribly wrong no matter how normal he tried to act.
"I said I'M FINE, Akansha. I just burst out at Dev. Give me some time, I'll be okay", he snapped.
The tone wasn't harsh, but the irritation in it startled her because she had never heard him speak to her like that before. She understood then that he needed space, though in reality, it was the unbearable pain speaking for him.
"Okay... take care. Call me if you need anything", she said softly before leaving with her phone.
The moment she walked away, Shaurya pressed his palm harder against his head, trying to contain the agony.
"I'm sorry, Akansha... I really am", he whispered painfully — not just for his tone now, but for everything she had suffered because of him.
He called his doctor immediately. After hearing the symptoms, Dr. Rajeev Chauhan asked him to visit at once, but Shaurya insisted he would come the next day instead.
He deliberately downplayed the severity of his condition, so for now the doctor prescribed stronger painkillers while strictly advising him to get a scan done immediately. Shaurya agreed.
A couple of hours later, the pain eased slightly. Taking a deep breath, he finally walked back toward his room, determined to apologize to Akansha for the way he had spoken to her.