Chapter 65 #4
The SP wasn't wrong. Protests had already turned violent over the past few days, forcing the police to make multiple arrests. There had been no casualties yet, but if this continued, it was only a matter of time before blood was spilled. Before that happened, Shaurya needed to act.
"You're right," Shaurya said finally. "A party president can't be treated that way, especially when his party is still in power. Wait a few days before treating him exactly the way he deserves."
The SP stiffened.
"Inform the media about the reasons behind Virendar and Shobha Shekhawat's arrest," Shaurya continued. "We need to reduce public sympathy. Release selected evidence to the public. And..." his lips curved slightly "record the confession of Mr. Shekhawat's personal travel agent."
"Sir?" the SP asked, startled.
One sharp look from Shaurya, clear, final, unquestionable, made the SP nod. He saluted and left without another word.
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Akansha fed her daughter while watching television.
It had been four days since she and Siya had left home, yet it hadn't been boring.
The spectacle her husband had orchestrated kept her thoroughly engaged.
Watching Virendar Shekhawat and Shobha Shekhawat unravel in the media brought her an unsettling sense of relief.
It felt as though someone was gently applying balm to wounds that had burned for years.
She remembered everything. How Virendar and Shobha had tried to kill her more than once. How that vile woman hadn't even spared her unborn child. Akansha pulled her daughter closer to her chest, her eyes never leaving the news flashing on the screen.
"Mamabear... when will Dadda come? It's been four days since I saw him," Siya complained.
"Baby... have some patience," Akansha said softly, repeating what she had been telling her for days. "Dadda is fighting a war for us. He has to win it. And he will win only if we support him."
Managing Siya without Shaurya was the hardest part.
Akansha's family stepped in to help, easing the burden wherever they could.
Shaurya spoke to both of them whenever he found time, but it was never enough for Siya.
She needed to see her Dadda, play with him, cling to him.
Only then would she truly calm down. Akansha did everything she could to keep Siya settled, careful not to disturb Shaurya while he was dealing with something far bigger than their personal longing.
Thanks to Harsh, her sister's son, Siya forgot about her Dadda for a while, absorbed in play.
Even Akansha longed for Shaurya to come home, but the reason keeping him away mattered too much.
He was not just fighting for justice for all the wrongs done to her, but for their future.
Virendar and Shobha Shekhawat had to be eliminated completely if they ever wanted a peaceful life.
"Mumma... I'm tired... I want Dadda now," Siya whined, throwing a small tantrum.
Akansha calmed her with difficulty. Once she finished feeding her, she asked her sister Suman to take Siya inside.
Seeing the brEAKING NEWS on the TV, Akansha turned the volume up.
"Reports say that before the arrests, CBI had summoned Mr. and Mrs. Shekhawat for questioning, but they ignored multiple summons.
The CBI then filed a written application with the jurisdictional Magistrate stating that Mr. and Mrs. Shekhawat were avoiding appearances, not complying with the summons, and withholding documents.
The court ordered them to cooperate with the investigating officers, but they ignored the court orders as well.
As a result, the CBI had no choice but to proceed with arrests," the news anchor, Rajat Sharma, reported.
"Also, the CBI State head, SP Mr. Singh, released a press statement four days after taking Mr. Virendar Shekhawat and Mrs. Shobha Shekhawat into custody.
I have the statement here. It says that Mr. Shekhawat tried to destroy evidence and attempted to contact two of the eight witnesses despite repeated warnings from the CBI.
The final straw came when the CBI discovered that Mr. and Mrs. Shekhawat were attempting to flee the country, prompting their arrest."
"Mr. Singh confirmed that all procedures were followed and that the arrest was perfectly legal.
Our reporter, Richa, is now with the personal travel agent of Mr. Virendar Shekhawat, who has confirmed the CBI's claims stated in the press statement," Rajat added.
The screen switched to a video showing Virendar's travel agent confirming the couple's plan to leave the country.
Akansha's eyes widened. That man had been a core loyalist to Virendar Shekhawat.
Seeing him testify against Virendar made everything clear.
She realized that Virendar and Shobha had never actually tried to flee; it was Shaurya who had orchestrated this, a calculated move to diminish his father's popularity and reduce the intensity of the protests.
Though some of the protests died down, the impact was less than expected.
Many protestors were unwilling to be practical, their blind faith in Virendar Shekhawat stronger than any evidence.
Shaurya monitored the situation closely and took all necessary measures to maintain law and order in the state.
Shaurya didn't release any statement about his reaction to his parents' arrests.
That uncertainty pushed some of his own supporters onto the streets, joining the protests because they assumed he was siding with his parents and that the central government, through the CBI, was orchestrating everything.
Shaurya, however, wanted to drop that illusion.
He also wanted to give the CBI complete freedom to make his father confess, and that couldn't happen while Virendar Shekhawat remained the party president.
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Shaurya came home after five days, and Akansha was baffled to see him.
The dark circles under his eyes and his exhausted face told a very different story from what he shared with her every day.
She often asked him about his sleep, and he always said he was resting as much as the situation allowed.
He made it sound reasonable, almost reassuring, but looking at him now, she knew better.
Once again, he had used political language, not exactly lying, yet carefully concealing the uncomfortable truth.
She badly wanted to throw the mobile phone in her hand at his face, but the presence of Mr. Sharma and Suraj made her reconsider.
After discussing the current situation, which had calmed down for now, Shaurya dismissed Mr. Sharma.
He then called his loyal MLAs, MPs, and senior leaders home for lunch to discuss party restructuring.
It was high time he initiated the process officially.
Though things had already been set in motion behind the scenes much earlier, he wanted to take into confidence those who would stand by him no matter what, before making any public announcement.
Akansha desperately wanted to kick his a*s for neglecting his health, but she could not do that with her family present in the house.
When Shaurya informed her that party leaders were coming over for lunch, she realized the real reason he had come home.
Otherwise, she knew, he would have continued staying at his office for who knows how many more days.
"Papa... hi. How are you? How's your health?
I'm sorry I couldn't meet you till now," Shaurya said, seeing his father-in-law seated on the couch, watching TV.
It had been five days since Akansha's parents, Vasant and Jaya Dikshit, along with her sister Suman Dikshit and her son Harsh, had come to stay with them.
But because of the chaos, Shaurya had not been able to come home and greet them.
"It's okay, Shaurya. I understand your busy schedule. It must be tough for you to handle all this chaos alone. I'm doing fine. In fact, we're sorry we didn't come to see you when you were hospitalized. How are you doing now?" Vasant asked.
"Don't be. It was nothing major anyway, just a headache. I'm completely fine now," Shaurya dismissed his health issue. Akansha shook her head at his habit of minimizing all his problems in front of others.
"Akansha told me, Shaurya," Vasant said. Shaurya's face paled for a moment, but he masked it with a small smile. He was embarrassed that his father-in-law was aware of his brain stroke.
"I'm good, Papa. Don't worry. Tell me about your health. Are you taking all your medicines on time?" he asked, and Vasant nodded. They spoke for a few more minutes before Shaurya excused himself to freshen up.
Akansha followed him to their bedroom.
"How much did you sleep in the past five days, Shaurya?" she asked sternly.
"Four hours," he replied quickly.
"Four hours in five days or four hours each day?" she asked, and his face paled. She would kill him if he told the truth.
"I knew it. You are such an a**h*le, Shaurya.
You are absolutely shameless. You slept for four hours in five days?
That is barely an hour a day. And on top of that, you tried to deceive me with your bl**dy politically correct answers.
You made me think you were sleeping four hours a day so that you technically wouldn't be lying," Akansha exploded.
Shaurya looked down, afraid to open his mouth.
"What did you say? That you were sleeping as much as your work allowed you? When will you stop giving me these kinds of answers?" she scolded him, but he remained silent.
"Answer me, Shaurya," she said firmly.
"I'm sorry," he said meekly, clearly shaken by her anger.
"Shaurya, when will you start taking your condition seriously?" Akansha said, huffing in frustration at his negligence toward his health.
"I really want to, but the situation in the state is tense. I tried taking power naps, but couldn't. Just give me a week. Once I fix this, I'll take proper rest," Shaurya promised.
"What's your action plan for this week, Shaurya? How are you so sure the situation will come under control within one week?" she asked firmly.
"I'm going to brief a selected group of party MLAs about the restructuring today.
That will be followed by removing Virendar Shekhawat from the post of party president and then dissolving the party.
I'll launch my new party soon. I have everything in place to ensure that no one can retain the old party name or symbol.
It will be completely dissolved and declared null and void.
I have everything planned. Just trust me, please," he said, and she nodded.
"Today is Monday, Shaurya. By next Monday, I want to see you taking your mandatory four hours of sleep," she said and turned to leave, but Shaurya held her forearm and pulled her into an embrace.
At first, she tried to wriggle away, reasoning that it was getting late for the lunch he had planned with his party associates.
But he tightened his grip, nuzzling his head into her neck.
The wetness she felt there made his emotions crystal clear to her.
His guilt, and finally the satisfaction of achieving what should have been done years ago, flowed in the form of tears.
Shaurya had always wanted to destroy his parents, perhaps from the time he saw them trying to kill his days-old sister.
But he was just a boy then. When he saw them trying to kill his wife, he was old enough to defend her, yet too afraid of his father's cruelty.
He feared that if he openly defended Akansha, his father would intensify his attempts to harm her.
The one time he stood up for her, when his father called her a "maid," it led to a series of murder attempts on Akansha.
He did not want a repeat of that. So he chose to act as if he hated her, believing it was the only way to keep her safe.
The punishment his parents were now facing was long overdue.
His tears were an apology to her for the delay.
But she felt the opposite. There was no pain or complaint left in her, only relief.
Now Virendar and Shobha could never harm her, their daughter, or Aakriti.
Shaurya could finally call Aakriti his sister openly.
He no longer had to hide the truth about her not being Dev's sister, but his own.
Akansha felt nothing but peace. Every time she saw that clip of Virendar and Shobha being dragged out of their residence, a hint of satisfaction washed over her.
They deserved it, and more. The shame on their faces, the humiliation, everything felt justified.
She knew the day was not far when she could stand in front of them and remind them that what they were facing now was the result of what they had done to her.
She wanted to see remorse in their eyes, to see them regret every cruelty they had inflicted on her.
"Thank you, Shaurya," Akansha said instead, tightening her hold around his torso.
He shook his head, kissed her hair, and pulled her closer.
This was all he had ever wanted. Her in his arms, without fear or worry.
He wanted to erase every problem from her life, and he was happy that he could finally do it.
Though he regretted the delay, his wife did not.
She only saw his effort, never the time it took, and that was Akansha.
She had waited patiently, never once demanding that he avenge her suffering.
"I love you. I love you a lot," he said, kissing her jaw.
"I... I know," she replied with a soft chuckle, but he heard the depth in her voice. It almost sounded like 'I love you too.'
He cupped her cheeks gently in his palms, looking into her eyes. He saw love there, not hatred, and his heart warmed at the realization. His eyes filled with tears again, reflecting the love she held for him.
"May I?" he mouthed, and she gave a small nod before she even realized it.
He slowly captured her lips in a soft kiss, filled with nothing but love.
A tear slipped from Akansha's left eye at his touch.
It had been almost six years since she had felt his kiss, yet the current that ran through her was the same.
The shivers along her spine were still there.
In that moment, Shaurya reminded her that she was a woman, a beautiful woman, not just a caring, loving, wonderful mother to their daughter.