Chapter 56 #3
They had been reckless young graduates from politically connected families supporting Shaurya's party at that time. Aggression had been ingrained into them, and that night, they had displayed exactly that.
Shaurya understood everything.
These were the men who had made his wife and unborn child suffer. These were the men inhumane enough to harm a heavily pregnant woman. And what had he done? He had rewarded them with positions.
Yes, they had later worked to save lives, but only after Shaurya held a strict meeting and ordered his party MLAs to contain the violence immediately, warning them of serious action if they failed.
Even now, they had fallen at Akansha's feet not purely out of regret. Perhaps some guilt existed, but fear was greater. They knew they would not be spared if their families lost political tickets because of them.
"You didn't just leave an injured pregnant woman on the road to die.
You brought her to that condition," Akansha said, her voice trembling with controlled fury.
"Don't you remember what you did? The wooden log you threw at the shutter hit it and fell on me.
I was hurt and struggling, but you showed no mercy.
Not even toward my unborn child. I begged you to spare me.
I begged you people to take me to the hospital, but you left me on the streets to die.
There is no forgiveness for animals like you. "
She stepped back, jerking her palm out of Shaurya's hold.
"Akansha..." he tried to hold her again, but she moved farther away.
"No. You are a politician first, a father or husband later. Keep honoring these men with party tickets and positions while they kill your wife and child," Akansha said, wiping her tears before walking inside.
Shaurya stood frozen. Her words weren't something he hadn't already told himself. Yes, that was exactly what he had done.
He hadn't known. He had been unaware. But somehow, that only made him feel more guilty. He had failed to protect his wife and child.
"Sir..." Vinay began, attempting to apologize to him too.
But Shaurya was in no mood for politics anymore. His blood boiled knowing these were the perpetrators who had made his wife suffer. He had thought finding them would be difficult, but God had placed them right in front of him.
And he wouldn't let them walk away from this sin.
"Get up and get out," Shaurya said coldly before walking to his study.
He informed Mr. Sharma that he would not be available for the first half and switched off his phone.
Mr. Sharma immediately pushed all first-half engagements to later. He also called Dr. Chauhan and informed him, which only upset the doctor further. Dr. Chauhan tried calling Shaurya himself to remind him how important the checkup was, but his phone was switched off.
The symptoms Shaurya had described were alarming, and Dr. Chauhan wanted to examine him at the earliest. But Shaurya was too busy, too stubborn, and far too negligent with his own health.
The doctor cursed his workaholic nature.
He had treated many politicians, state leaders, and bureaucrats, but never a man like Shaurya. As much as he respected the kind of service Shaurya rendered to people, as a patient, he was terrible — uncooperative, careless, irritating, and impossibly negligent.
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Everything he had done to hurt his wife kept replaying in Shaurya's head.
His mind remained stuck on the night Siya was born, then on the recent incident where Akansha had been forced to relive that dreadful trauma after seeing those men again — and once more, he was the reason.
Those men had come to meet him. He had built their careers. And they had given his wife a lifetime of pain and trauma.
Shaurya had felt self-hatred many times before, but never as violently as he felt it in that moment.
His wife was right. He had been a politician first. A Chief Minister first. While he had been busy ruling the state, she had suffered.
A shiver ran down his spine as he imagined her situation that night — her helplessness, her fear, her pain, her struggle. What if Richa hadn't reached her? What if Akansha had been more critical? What if they couldn't save her and the baby? Siya ?
No.
No.
No.
Shaurya clutched his head as the throbbing pain intensified, reaching an unbearable level. He tried calling Dr. Chauhan, only to realize his phone was still switched off.
He cursed himself for not seeing the doctor earlier. The next moment, Shaurya collapsed to the floor.
As darkness closed in, only three faces reeled through his mind — his wife, his daughter, and his sister. The three women he had failed to protect.
What would happen to Akansha and Siya if something happened to him? He knew Dev and Rajnath would take care of them, but could they be happy? Could anyone truly fill his void in their lives?
Those thoughts pulled him under before he finally lost consciousness.
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Akansha took deep breaths, trying to calm herself.
Yes, seeing those men had shaken her. Her pain and trauma had erupted before she could stop them. She had been angry with Shaurya, and anyone in her place would have been. He had sheltered those men and helped them climb the political ladder while she had suffered because of them.
But he hadn't known. He hadn't been aware.
She hadn't been able to think of that in the moment, but now that she could, one thing struck her hard — Shaurya needed her. He was already punishing himself for this.
He wasn't sharing his pain with her, but she could see him suffering. She had noticed changes in his behavior lately too, none of them good. She had even suggested he see a doctor, but he had brushed off her concerns every single time.
She picked up her phone to call him, assuming he had gone to work. Before she could dial, Suraj knocked on her door.
The knocks grew louder, more urgent. Akansha quickly opened it.
"Ma'am, Shaurya sir collapsed in his study. We are taking him to the hospital. The ambulance is on the way. I suspect it's a heart attack", Suraj said.
For one terrifying second, Akansha went numb.
No.
This was not the time to break down. Shaurya needed her. She had to be strong.
"Let's not wait for the ambulance", Akansha said and rushed toward Shaurya.
The moment she saw him, she didn't think it was a heart attack, though she couldn't ignore the symptoms either. It looked like one, but her instinct screamed otherwise.
Not a heart stroke.
Suraj called Dr. Chauhan and informed him immediately.
"Shaurya... stay fine. For Siya and me... please", Akansha whispered, holding his palm.
Tears slipped from her eyes, but she wiped them away quickly.
No.
She couldn't afford weakness now.
On the way to the hospital, she called Akash and Dev, informing them of what had happened. Dev reached the hospital quickly and had everything arranged since it was closer to his place.
Dr. Chauhan's hospital offered the privacy they desperately needed, so Dev wasn't worried about media attention. And even if it hadn't, he wouldn't have stayed away while his best friend was in this condition.
Akansha, Suraj, and the team reached the hospital with Shaurya. Dr. Chauhan immediately began checking him and ordered the required tests.
Akansha and Dev sat outside the ward.
"He'll be fine, right?" Dev asked, his voice unusually small.
"He needs to be fine", Akansha answered.
The moment they saw a nurse step out, both of them stood at once.
"Was it a heart attack?" Akansha asked, holding her breath.
"No, ma'am", the nurse replied.
Akansha sighed in relief. Thank God it wasn't a heart stroke. But her relief lasted only a second.
"It's a brain stroke, ma'am. Doctor will give you the clear details", the nurse added before politely excusing herself.
"A brain stroke?" Dev froze, then dragged his fingers through his hair in panic. "Oh God... it's all because of stress. I should have tried harder to make him talk. It's my fault... it's all my fault."
His eyes reddened with anguish and worry.
"Dev..." Akansha forced herself to stay steady. "Stress can intensify the chances of a stroke, but the basic foundation usually has multiple reasons. Did Shaurya have any medical history of something like this?"
She tried hard not to let his condition break her heart. She had to remain practical. Looking at Dev now, with his emotions all over the place, she knew she couldn't depend on him for composure.
The hospital had already been put on high alert, but they were trying to keep the news quiet because if word got out, it could create a riot-like situation again — something Shaurya would never want. Akansha had already told Suraj to stay vigilant.
"No... no..." Dev shook his head.
"Does it run in the family? Maybe his parents, grandparents... Aakriti? Did she ever suffer from anything like this?" Akansha asked.
"I don't know about his parents, but Aakriti has a condition called AFib. I don't know what it means, but..."
Akansha held her head as her eyes welled up.
"No... no, no... this can't be it. No... please, no."
Tears slipped down her face before she could stop them.
"What? You are scaring me, woman", Dev said, his own eyes turning wet.
"A... Atrial Fibrillation. AFib. It's a type of irregular heartbeat, an arrhythmia.
This condition can lead to a brain stroke if not managed properly.
In patients with AFib, the chances of stroke are five times higher than normal.
It's more of a genetic predisposition. If Aakriti has it, chances are it's genetic too, but I'm not sure.
Let's hope it's not what I'm thinking", Akansha said, wiping her tears.
Dev silently prayed for the same.
After some time, Dr. Chauhan walked out with his fellow doctors. He asked Akansha to come to his cabin, but she pulled Dev along with her.
Dr. Chauhan hesitated to speak in front of Dev.
Dev rolled his eyes.
"Dr. Chauhan, drop the facade and tell me how Shaurya is."