Chapter 59 #4
He immediately cleared his throat and reached for water, trying to distract himself.
But one look at his face was enough for Akansha to understand exactly where his thoughts had wandered.
She instantly turned her face away, attempting to hide the blush creeping across her cheeks while simultaneously glaring at him internally.
"Yayyy... Mama bear, Dadda's hands are mole big", Siya said excitedly.
"Bigger", Akansha corrected automatically.
Siya nodded seriously before beginning her masterpiece on Shaurya's hands. Well... at some point, it stopped looking like nail polish altogether. It looked more like finger paint. Or perhaps even palm paint.
Instead of limiting herself to his nails, Siya enthusiastically painted the back of his palms too, creating random designs everywhere.
And throughout all of it, Shaurya sat there silently without protesting even once.
Akansha looked at the father-daughter duo in disbelief before huffing dramatically and walking away.
Clearly, remaining around these two irritating humans any longer would only raise her blood pressure. So she decided to finish some pending work instead.
When she returned sometime later intending to put Siya to sleep, the sight before her made her sigh deeply.
Siya had long finished her "nail paint activity."
Honestly, it resembled a coloring session more than anything else — the only difference being that instead of coloring books and crayons, she had used her father's hands and nail polish.
And worse? Shaurya had already fallen asleep. Which meant Akansha couldn't even clean the mess off immediately without waking him up.
"Okay, now that you're done, sleep. See? Dadda slept too", Akansha said while putting all the scattered items aside before making Siya lie down beside him.
Her eyes fell on Shaurya's stained fingers again, and another sigh escaped her. If she started rubbing the nail paint off now, he would definitely wake up. Lately, his sleep had become painfully light.
So eventually, she let him sleep peacefully, deciding she would clean his hands properly in the morning.
After covering both the father and daughter with their respective duvets, she finally settled onto her side of the bed.
Since sleep wasn't anywhere close to her eyes yet, she scrolled through her phone absentmindedly.
But every few seconds, her gaze drifted back toward her husband.
Shaurya Singh Shekhawat was an exceptionally attractive man. There was no denying that.
For someone deeply consumed by politics and public service, he maintained himself remarkably well. And at times, ignoring his handsome face genuinely became difficult.
Until now, his past actions always served as a reminder, forcing her heart to retreat whenever it drifted too close toward him.
But now...
With truth after truth unfolding before her, and with the way Shaurya loved both her and Siya, those painful memories had slowly started losing their sharpness.
The healing was gradual.
Slow. But it was happening. And unlike before, this time she wasn't actively trying to hold onto the hatred. She wasn't forcing herself to stay wounded anymore.
For the first time, she allowed herself to heal without guarding every broken part of her heart.
She hadn't forgotten anything. Perhaps she never truly would. But she could at least give herself permission to heal. And that was exactly what she decided to do.
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"Is he inside?", Akansha asked Shweta while standing outside the CM's office.
By the time she woke up that morning, Shaurya had already left for work. Initially, she had been furious. But the note he left behind softened her anger almost instantly.
'I had my breakfast, fruits, and medicines. There is already a lot of pending work, so I had to rush. Sorry. Hope you understand.
Jasmeet will drop you and Siya at school.'
Even while reading it, she could practically hear his cautious tone in her head. The way he had become careful around her made her smile unconsciously.
And knowing Shaurya, he must have left in a hurry without properly cleaning the nail polish stains from his hands.
So, Akansha stuffed cotton and nail polish remover into her bag before leaving home. After dropping Siya at school, she headed toward the Secretariat.
Technically, she was supposed to visit only during the afternoon session, but considering Shaurya needed help and there was already a mountain of pending work, she decided to go in the morning itself.
Besides, she could already imagine Mrs. Arora terrorizing the entire team because of the delays.
"Um... yes, ma'am. But he's currently with a guest. You can still go in, though", Shweta replied politely.
Akansha could have waited. But Mrs. Arora was growing impatient with every passing minute.
Phase 2 was finally completed, and they urgently needed Shaurya's approval before moving ahead with the next phase. He had already approved it, but since there were a few modifications, they needed his approval again so she was here...
And honestly... It also gave her a valid excuse to meet him. Not that she truly needed one. Still, walking into his office without work somehow felt strange.
After thanking Shweta, Akansha walked inside upon hearing Shaurya's usual "Come in."
She assumed Shweta must have informed him about her arrival already. But the moment her eyes landed on the woman sitting there, her mood instantly soured.
Meera Pathak.
Again.
Akansha slowly looked at Shaurya, her expression practically screaming—
'You said you didn't have time to meet this woman until elections were over. Then what exactly is this?'
Shaurya understood that look immediately. He stood up at once and walked toward her, but Akansha shook her head lightly.
"I'll wait. Finish whatever discussion you are having first", she said calmly.
"We are already done", Shaurya replied softly.
The familiarity and gentleness in his tone were unmistakable. And more than anything else, it carried love. Meera Pathak's expression darkened instantly as she looked at Akansha.
She tried maintaining professionalism, being the head of one of the largest construction companies in the state, but whenever she saw Akansha beside Shaurya, jealousy consumed her entirely.
Shaurya was the only man she had ever wanted. And he, in turn, loved this "plain" woman. At least, that's how Meera viewed Akansha.
Her jealousy never allowed her to recognize either Akansha's external beauty or the quiet strength she carried within herself.
From the moment she got to know about Shaurya's marriage and the identity of his wife, she hadn't had a peaceful night's sleep even once.
"Meera, next time don't waste my time with petty issues like these. You can coordinate with my team; they'll help you out. And like I already said, my schedule is packed until elections. I won't be giving any more appointments", Shaurya said professionally.
"Come on, Shaurya, it's not like I'm asking for appointments just to flirt with you. I come here for work. If we have a friendly conversation after discussing work, what's wrong with that?", Meera replied flirtatiously while staring at him.
Akansha's expression darkened. Initially, she intended to sit quietly somewhere far away and wait until they finished discussing.
But the way Meera openly admired Shaurya while speaking pushed every wrong button inside her.
"I'm married and have a daughter. Moreover, I am the Chief Minister of this state, so be careful with your words. And if professionalism is difficult for you, then you are no longer welcome here", Shaurya said coldly.
"Shaurya, now you're just being rude", Meera snapped.
Shaurya had once been extremely polite with her. They had known each other since childhood, and she used to consider herself close to him.
But over the years, especially after that night she saw him with Akansha before their marriage, his behavior toward her had changed completely.
He never openly insulted her. But every conversation remained formal, crisp, and distant no matter how much she tried crossing the line. And Meera Pathak wasn't someone who tolerated rejection gracefully.
"No, he isn't being rude." Akansha finally stepped forward. "He is simply teaching you professionalism."
Her tone remained calm, but sharp enough to sting.
"This is his office. If you wish to have friendly conversations with him, then visit our home, spend time with our daughter, have lunch, and leave. That is a place where friends are welcomed. But this is his workplace, where his time deserves respect and only work should be discussed."
"Hope the difference is clear now."
Akansha folded her hands politely in a small "Namaste" before gesturing toward the door. Shaurya almost lost control over the grin threatening to appear on his face.
Damn.
The way she casually said —
'Visit our home. Play with our daughter. Have lunch.'
It affected him far more than it should have. It sounded as though she had finally started accepting her place in their home. And for him, there was no home without her anyway.
Meera forced a tight smile toward both of them before storming out of the office. The moment she left, Akansha placed the file she had brought onto Shaurya's desk.
"Need your approval to proceed with the next phase. These are the phase 2 closure procedures. We have made some changes. Please review and sign them", Akansha said professionally.
Shaurya nodded before asking her to sit. He genuinely admired how naturally professional his wife remained at work. She didn't merely preach boundaries — she followed them herself.
Unless something was truly urgent, she never wasted his office hours discussing personal matters.
Maintaining those boundaries became difficult when people occupied powerful positions, and eventually, personal and professional lines blurred for most.
But with Akansha beside him, Shaurya could proudly say she would never allow that to happen.
"Okay, take a seat", he said.