Chapter 60 #2
"We? We are the storm? Her life wasn't exactly peaceful before us either. Her stupid family ruined enough already, especially that vile mother of hers. Only I know how hard I controlled myself during Siya's birthday party from snapping at that woman", Dev muttered angrily.
"Dev... calm down and let the past stay where it belongs", Shaurya said quietly.
Ironically, he himself carried even greater rage than Dev toward everyone who hurt Akansha. And unfortunately, the list began with him too.
"Really? You are saying this?" Dev scoffed. "The same man who openly challenged his father for the first time because he insulted your wife? You stayed silent for decades and destroyed him quietly from behind, but one insult toward your wife and suddenly your entire facade slipped."
His tone sharpened further.
"And now you're asking me to calm down?"
"Not just any insult, Dev", Shaurya corrected coldly.
"He dared to call my wife a caretaker. He attacked her dignity, and that is something I will never tolerate. To hell with the consequences. I'd confront him all over again if given the chance."
His voice hardened further.
"And the only reason I'm asking you to calm down is because I don't want Akansha constantly reliving the past. She wants to move forward, and I'm trying to create an environment that helps her do that."
A dangerous calm settled in his tone.
"But don't mistake that for forgiveness. Nobody who hurt my wife will escape. They will suffer. Quietly. The world won't witness their destruction, their screams will remain muffled, and their pain hidden. A silent destruction... that's what it will be."
Dev went silent hearing the edge in Shaurya's voice. This was the dangerous side of the state's beloved leader. The side that surfaced only when someone hurt his wife. Not wanting to stress him further, Dev deliberately changed the topic.
"By the way, do you know what your wife said when I asked why she paid the bill?"
Shaurya's chest tightened instantly.
"What?"
"'Then who would?'"
Dev smiled lightly while answering. That was enough. Shaurya closed his eyes briefly, overwhelmed.
Despite everything he had put her through, somewhere deep inside, she still considered him her responsibility.
And the man who spent his entire life hating the idea of becoming anyone's responsibility... Now desperately wanted to become hers. He had longed for this for years.
The moment the call ended, Shaurya immediately rushed toward his room where Akansha was walking toward the walk-in wardrobe to continue her night routine.
"Akansha...", he called softly while walking toward her.
She turned with a frown, but one look at his face was enough for her to understand exactly what he wanted. She knew that look far too well.
The next second, she found herself wrapped tightly in Shaurya's arms, his face buried in her neck as he held her like a man starved of peace. His stubble brushed against her skin, the rough friction instantly wrecking her senses.
Before she could recover from the first wave of sensations, he lifted his face slightly and pressed an open-mouthed kiss against her neck.
Akansha inhaled sharply. If this continued any longer, she genuinely feared she would give in completely. Still... maybe just this once, she allowed herself to melt into him.
Slowly, hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around his torso, and the moment he felt her respond, his hold tightened around her petite frame possessively.
Dev cleared his throat loudly.
Akansha, who was facing the door, immediately saw him standing there, watching them with amusement and something dangerously close to relief.
"Shaurya... Dev is here", Akansha whispered while trying to pull away.
But Shaurya only tightened his arms further, leaving absolutely no space between them. Her breath hitched at the intensity of his embrace.
"Dev is standing at our bedroom door", she finished somehow, mentally appreciating herself for not fumbling completely. Honestly, proximity to Shaurya remained her biggest weakness.
"He can wait", Shaurya muttered without moving an inch.
Dev understood immediately. His friend needed this. Needed her. So without disturbing them further, he quietly walked away, giving them the privacy they desperately needed because at this moment, only Akansha could give Shaurya the peace he was searching for.
Still, somewhere deep inside, Dev also felt a strange jealousy. The kind of love Shaurya carried for Akansha was rare, unending, and honestly... slightly insane too. Dev had always feared those feelings would destroy Shaurya one day, and in many ways, they already had. Not physically, but mentally.
Shaurya spent years suffering alone with nothing to hold onto.
Even while hurting Akansha, he had still tried protecting her in every way he knew.
He accepted her hatred willingly but refused to let her suffer beside him when he was stabbed years ago.
Even during their dating phase, he was never truly happy except for the times he was with her.
He spent every day terrified that she would eventually discover the truth, and the day she finally did, it shattered both their worlds. Except his broke silently.
Dev had always been fiercely possessive of Shaurya.
He tried protecting him from everything possible, but the fact that he failed to protect his best friend from this kind of pain still haunted him badly.
And now, seeing Shaurya desperately seeking solace in Akansha's arms while drowning in guilt genuinely sent chills through him.
Not that Shaurya was weak. Far from it. He was highly capable, efficient, and dangerous when needed.
But the problem was that he used all those abilities for others — for people, for governance, for his vision, for the state.
Never for himself. He was too selfless, too giving, a rare species, and Dev silently vowed once again to protect him no matter what.
Meanwhile, Akansha continued holding Shaurya quietly, occasionally caressing his back while letting him cling to her. She knew he needed this, and somewhere deep inside, she knew she needed it even more. She had missed him. Far too much. And for once, she stopped resisting it.
"Shaurya...", she barely spoke.
But he immediately shushed her softly.
"No... just stay like this. Please. Five more minutes", he whispered.
"Dev is waiting downstairs. I can hear Mr. Bisht and Aakriti too. We should go down", she said gently while trying to loosen his arms.
But his hold only remained firm enough to let her know he had no intention of letting her go anytime soon.
"Please", he whispered again. "It's been years since I felt what it meant to belong to you."
Akansha froze.
Those words hit differently. He never claimed ownership over her. Instead, he always spoke as though he belonged to her. And now that she thought about it carefully, despite being the one who protected her constantly, Shaurya himself always sought protection in her love.
What had she really done for him?
"Shaurya... I..."
The moment her voice trembled, he immediately pulled back slightly. Not completely. He still held her close, but this time he cupped her face gently and looked directly into her eyes. One look was enough for him to understand what she was unable to say aloud.
"You loved me even after I gave you thousands of reasons not to", he said quietly. "You stayed when I behaved hopelessly. Even after my betrayal shattered you, you still tried making our marriage work."
His thumbs gently brushed against her cheeks.
"You don't know how much strength your presence gave me. Every day, I woke up wanting to fight harder just to protect you. I drew strength from you constantly, and you gave it silently... just like everything else you gave me."
His voice thickened with emotions.
"I was the luckiest man alive to have you. And the unluckiest man to lose you. And somehow... life gave me another chance to find you again. So please... don't make me lose you this time. I'll be doomed."
The last few words barely escaped his throat properly.
Akansha gently held the palms resting against her cheeks.
"Shaurya... I already told you I won't go anywhere. Siya needs both of us and we will—"
"I'm not talking about our daughter, Jaan", he interrupted softly. "I'm talking about you. I'm talking about us." His gaze searched hers carefully. "Please think about it."
Slowly, cautiously, he leaned closer, watching carefully to see whether she would stop him. When she didn't, he pressed a soft kiss against her forehead.
"I will", Akansha whispered while looking into his eyes.
Those eyes held the same love she used to see years ago whenever he made love to her. The same love she saw whenever she spoke about saving their marriage. Back then, he never expressed it through words because he was trapped by circumstances she didn't understand then, but now she did.
Did knowing the truth lessen her pain?
Yes.
It did.
The ache caused by his indifference softened considerably after learning everything. But what about the five years she spent without him? Giving birth alone? Raising their daughter alone? And worst of all... that horrifying night she went into labor on the streets?
Those wounds didn't disappear overnight.
She no longer hated Shaurya. In fact, the love she spent years suppressing had begun resurfacing slowly. Still, traces of hatred and pain remained buried inside her after five long years of suffering. Healing would take time.
But for the first time, she stopped pushing him away. She would let him heal her now.
She didn't say any of this aloud, but Shaurya understood anyway. The joy that lit up his eyes was impossible to hide. Unable to control himself, he kissed her forehead again, this time more firmly.
"Shaurya... your family is waiting downstairs. Let's go", she reminded softly while pushing him lightly.
He nodded immediately, an uncontrollable grin spreading across his face.