Chapter 62 #2
Akansha carefully brought up the topic and explained how dangerous his reaction could be publicly.
Shaurya shut his eyes in embarrassment, remembering his panicked state. She was right.
He silently decided that no matter what happened, he would learn to hide his fear for his wife and daughter in front of others.
"So from now on, I don't have to hear your pathetic unicorn stories, huh? At least for some time, you'll finally tell her a 'leal story'", Akansha teased.
"She'll learn to say 'real' soon", Shaurya instantly defended his daughter.
Akansha chuckled softly.
He didn't care about her mocking his creativity. The only thing important enough to defend was Siya's pronunciation.
"And thanks to Siya demanding real stories, I can now use my exceptional creativity to make my wife happy too", he flirted shamelessly.
This time, instead of glaring, she laughed. Shaurya grinned immediately. Looks like he wasn't the only one affected by memories of the past.
"Shaurya... you said...", Akansha began hesitantly.
She wanted to ask if he truly meant what he had told Siya earlier — that she looked more beautiful now. She was never insecure about her looks. Even now, she knew she was beautiful. But motherhood had changed her body.
Pregnancy weight, stretch marks, and a figure that never completely returned to how it once was.
And hearing the one man who always made her feel beautiful say she looked prettier now.
.. it did something to her heart. Not because she needed validation, but because she wanted to see his love again, the way his eyes stayed on her as if she was the only woman in the world.
Shaurya understood before she could even finish asking.
"Yes... you became even more beautiful now. I meant every word I told Siya", he said softly while holding her hand. "Motherhood suits you. You're stronger now... kinder... prettier. And if anything, I love you even more now. It keeps growing every day. I don't know how to stop myself anymore."
It wasn't just his words affecting her, but the sincerity behind them, the way he looked at her while saying them.
"I want to show you how beautiful you look now", he whispered while pulling her chair closer.
His warm breath brushed against her skin, instantly wrecking her composure. He gently blew air against her cheek before brushing his fingers along it. Akansha gasped softly, caught off guard by the sudden intimacy. The urge to melt into him became dangerously overwhelming.
"Shaurya...", she breathed out.
He immediately shut his eyes tightly, forcing himself to regain control because if he didn't, he knew he would lose himself completely, and he never wanted her to regret letting him close.
"I hope someday you'll let me show you properly", he whispered hoarsely before forcing himself to move slightly away. "Every day... I want to show you how beautiful you are. Please let me."
"Shaurya..."
"Hm?", he hummed softly without moving farther away.
Akansha closed her eyes briefly. She wanted him, wanted his touch, wanted his love, but before giving in completely, she wanted to heal emotionally first.
"Let's work. I'll ask Mrs. Sudha to send dinner here", she said quietly while pulling her chair back.
Shaurya nodded immediately. Thankfully, Mr. Sharma's call interrupted them at the right moment while Akansha called downstairs regarding dinner.
Truthfully, Akansha loved being near him.
Even during the years she hated him, there were moments she craved his arms. But now, more than ever, those feelings were returning strongly, and slowly, painfully slowly, she was healing.
Mostly because of him, because he never tried justifying his mistakes.
Never defended what he did, not even through Dev.
He accepted his guilt completely and silently carried the burden of it.
Her thoughts drifted back to the first time they made love after marriage.
After their wedding, he had intentionally stayed away from her physically. He didn't want to pretend revenge while secretly loving her; according to him, that would've destroyed her even more.
But one day, Mrs. Sudha informed him how badly his mother had crossed limits by accusing Akansha of trying to harm Aakriti.
He had rushed home immediately. The moment he entered the room, he realized Akansha was terrified of his reaction.
She thought he would believe she went to hurt his sister.
Instead, he had simply pulled her into a tight hug.
Only now did she understand why he had refused to speak until they reached the bed. He had been trying to take her away from the hidden bug his father had planted in their room.
That night, trembling, she had explained herself to him that she didn't go there to hurt Aakriti, and all he replied was:
"I know."
That single sentence had calmed her completely. He had looked devastated seeing her so vulnerable.
That night, after repeatedly taking her consent, he made love to her for the first time after marriage. Not with lust, but with love. Always love. He never once made her feel used or disrespected.
And when, out of pain and anger, she once called herself a degrading word just to hurt him, the rage in his eyes had terrified her. Not because he was angry at her, but because he couldn't tolerate hearing her insult herself.
Now, knowing the full truth behind his actions back then, she realized how deeply her words might have wounded him too.
After dinner, both of them resumed working quietly. The silence between them no longer felt awkward; it felt peaceful.
After some time, Akansha finished her work and stood up to leave. Turning toward Shaurya, she noticed him deeply engrossed in a serious discussion with his staff while simultaneously typing furiously with one hand.
One hand?
Then what was the other doing?
A small smile formed on her lips.
Without even looking properly, his free hand had absentmindedly started untangling the edge of her night suit that had gotten stuck to the chair.
She hadn't even noticed it. But he had.
Even while indulging in a serious work call.
"No, Mr. Sharma, this kind of negligence is not tolerable. Summon all of them to my office. I want to talk to them immediately. I want to resume operations at the earliest. Yes, please coordinate with Shweta and set up a meeting with the team in the first half tomorrow", Shaurya ordered.
"And yes, send the other documents regarding the SM**H project. I'll review them now and make sure orders are passed by tomorrow", Shaurya added, successfully freeing her night suit from the chair, but Akansha waited till he finished the call.
"I understand, but...", Shaurya began, then paused noticing his wife waiting for him patiently. "Hold on for a minute, Mr. Sharma", he said before muting the call and turning toward her.
"It's 1 AM. When are you planning to sleep?", Akansha asked sternly.
"I... I had to finish this, Akansha. It's important the project resumes operations from tomorrow", he replied carefully, almost as if afraid she would force him to sleep immediately.
"Shaurya, you barely sleep for two hours. Your health will deteriorate if you continue like this. Sleep is necessary, and with your condition, it's even more important", she said, softer this time.
"I'll try to sleep properly once this mess is sorted", he assured.
"Your life will always have one mess or another waiting to be sorted. That doesn't mean you survive on two-hour naps forever, right?", she asked.
He nodded quietly.
"I get it. Just three more hours of work and I'll be free. Give me one week. After that, I'll fix my sleeping schedule properly", he promised.
Akansha nodded reluctantly.
"I told you I'd bring Siya home, but no, you wouldn't listen. Those same three hours could've been used to finish your work. It's not like Siya was alone; I was there with her", she muttered before sighing. "Fine. One week. After that, I want you sleeping at least four hours."
He nodded again obediently.
Truthfully, Akansha wanted him sleeping for at least six to eight hours, but with elections nearing and his workload piling endlessly, even asking for four hours felt unrealistic. If left to himself, Shaurya would happily survive on a 'no sleep' policy.
She walked back inside while he shut the balcony door and resumed his call, mentally trying to rearrange his schedule to somehow fit those four hours from next week onward.
-------------
The next few days became extremely hectic for Shaurya.
He had already started subtly preparing the ground for the party restructuring, but before he could proceed further, some MLAs from his own party suddenly began showcasing fake concern for their constituencies.
Roads were hurriedly repaired, water tankers appeared overnight, groceries were distributed publicly — all classic election-time drama.
Shaurya despised this kind of politics. Welfare done only for votes disgusted him. Still, before announcing restructuring, he first wanted to stop this chaos.
Ironically, he was glad seeing people openly question those leaders about where they had been all these years. Public awareness was growing, and that gave him hope. But at the same time, it frustrated him because most of those MLAs belonged to his own party, specifically his father's loyalists.
One evening, Shaurya returned home visibly upset.
He discussed the situation with Mr. Sharma and his political advisors.
While Shaurya wanted to summon those MLAs immediately, his team strongly advised against it.
Those leaders held massive influence in their constituencies because of caste equations and community backing.
If they revolted before elections, it could damage the party badly.
For the time being, Shaurya controlled himself.
But the moment two construction workers died because of one such fake development stunt, his patience snapped completely.