Chapter 21
The city lights streaked past in a blur.
His hands were steady on the steering wheel even though nothing inside him felt steady.
His father’s face flickered through his mind again.
Despite the dull, muted security footage, it was unmistakably him.
He was older, leaner, but Akash would recognize him anywhere.
That man had traumatized his mother, Keya, and him throughout all the years they’d lived with him.
Even after he’d abandoned them following their mother’s death, they each still bore the scars of that childhood.
He tightened his grip on the wheel. His father was back, and for some strange reason, he’d been rummaging through Akash’s house—his grandfather’s house. Why? Why had he resurfaced after all these years? What did he want?
He inhaled slowly. The signal ahead turned red, and he slowed the car to a stop. Only then did he become aware of the silence beside him. Shauna hadn’t said a word. She was sitting quietly by his side. He turned slightly and found her watching him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice low. “I had to cancel our date. But I really need to see Janak.”
“It’s fine,” she said. After a brief pause, she added softly, “Are you okay?”
“No,” he said honestly. “I’m not.”
He looked back at the road, though the signal was still red.
She must have had questions, yet it had been kind of her to give him space to process everything.
Nonetheless, he owed her the truth. She was going to be his wife.
She needed to know every facet of his life. The good, the bad, and the ugly.
“My father left Keya and me at our grandfather’s house after our mother died,” he said. “He just… left. Dropped us there, took money from our grandfather, and disappeared. We never heard from him again.”
Shauna nodded.
“He abandoned us,” Akash continued. “And before that… when our mother was alive, he was violent with her. And when Keya or I tried to step in, he was violent with us too.”
Memories flashed through his mind… of the shouting, the crockery breaking, the glasses shattering. His mother’s screams. Keya pulling at his arm, trying to drag him away before things escalated further.
He exhaled slowly.
Shauna took his hand, opening his curled fist and linking her fingers with his. “I know all this. You don’t have to relive it. My grandfather told me when he explained your inheritance.”
He gulped, squeezing her fingers. “Him abandoning us was the best thing that happened to Keya and me. Our grandfather gave us the stability we lacked. We would never be the people we are today, never have reached where we have, if our father had stayed in our lives.”
Their grandfather had been strict, but fair. He’d demanded excellence from them and had been firm about it. But he had loved them as well. Cared for them.
“And now that man is back,” Akash finished quietly.
The signal turned green, but the cars ahead hadn’t moved yet. Shauna cupped his jaw and turned him to face her, her fingers warm against his skin.
“I’m so sorry for everything you’ve been through,” she said quietly.
He exhaled. He hadn’t realized how tightly he’d been holding himself together until her touch loosened something inside his chest.
“Don’t worry,” she continued softly. “We’ll figure it out. You’re not ten years old anymore, Akash. He can’t hurt you. He can’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
Her words calmed him. She was right. He wasn’t that scared little boy anymore.
His father wasn’t in control anymore. He didn’t have the power to hurt him or Keya.
Whatever happened, he would protect his sister from his father.
That’s why he had requested Kabier to come alone to Janak’s place.
He didn’t want Keya to know about their father.
Keya was happy. She’d built a good life.
He would never allow the shadow of their past to touch her again.
As for him, he was the managing director of a leading media company. He had the money and power to control the narrative of his own life, and he would ensure that his father never impacted him ever again.
The cars ahead began to move. He pressed the accelerator, merging the car into traffic, but he didn’t pull his hand away from hers. Her fingers remained intertwined with his, reassuring him. And for the first time in his life, he didn’t feel alone.
A few minutes later, he pulled into the driveway of Janak’s building in Bandra. The tall structure stood guarded and discreet, security stationed at the entrance as always. Shauna climbed out of the car at the same time as him, and together they made their way upstairs.
The moment the door opened, Keya came rushing toward him. “Akash!”
She threw her arms around him before he could say a word, holding him tightly.
He held her just as fiercely. He looked over the top of her head and addressed Kabier, “Why did you tell her?”
“I had to,” Kabier replied. “I couldn’t keep something like this from her.”
Keya pulled back, looking up at him. “This involves me too, Akash.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “But I don’t want you having nightmares again.”
Keya had suffered from nightmares for as long as he could remember. Over the years, they had become less frequent, surfacing mostly on days when she was stressed or anxious. But after marrying Kabier, a quiet contentment had settled into her life, and the nightmares had finally stopped.
Keya kissed his cheek. “I know you’re worried about me, just as I worry about you. I know what happens when you’re stressed. You won’t slee—”
“I’ll be fine,” Akash cut in sharply.
He glanced to the side and saw Shauna watching them. She had already learned a lot about him in one night, and he didn’t want to place the weight of all his issues on her at once.
He turned to Janak, who was standing by the sofa, watching them all.
“Did you see the photo I sent you?” Akash asked him.
“You were right. It is him,” Janak replied solemnly.
“Why now, after all these years?” Kabier asked. “Why is he back?”
Keya ran a trembling hand through her hair. The sight of her unease sharpened something protective inside him.
“Don’t worry,” Akash told her gently. “I’m going to figure it out. You don’t need to be involved at all. I will never let him come near you.”
“I won’t either,” Kabier added, slipping an arm around Keya’s shoulders and pulling her close. “You’re safe.”
“I know that and thank you both,” Keya looked between them, her eyes shining with anger more than fear.
“But I will face him if the need arises. I won’t let my brother deal with him alone.
” She exhaled an angry breath. “I hate that he’s back.
Why couldn’t he just stay away? Just when everything was finally going right, he had to show up and try to ruin it again. ”
Akash looked over her head at Kabier. Kabier gave a small nod, and Akash knew that, just like him, Kabier would never let Keya face their father. They would protect her first, no matter what.
The doorbell rang. Akash glanced toward the entrance as Janak’s housekeeper moved to answer it. A moment later, Kabier’s friend Viraj Jaisinghania or VJ as they called him, stepped inside.
Tall, composed, and observant as ever, VJ gave a brief nod to everyone in the room.
Even after stepping into his role as a prince and leaving the uniform behind, the ex-cop still carried an unmistakable authority.
He still maintained strong ties with his police contacts, and when things went wrong, he was always the first person they all turned to. And he never failed them.
“I asked him to come,” Akash said, addressing the others. “I sent him the footage.”
VJ inclined his head slightly. “I ran the picture you sent me through a few contacts in the police department. Your father, Keval Karia, has been in prison.”
The words stilled the room. Akash shared a shocked look with Keya.
“For what?” Janak asked.
“Manslaughter,” VJ replied. “A violent assault that resulted in a man’s death. It happened shortly after he disappeared from your lives. He was sentenced to twenty years.”
Keya’s hands flew to her mouth. “Oh my God.”
Akash froze.
Fuck, he was the son of a murderer. Shame and disbelief warred inside him, tightening his lungs until breathing felt like an effort. Keya looked at him, her eyes wide and stricken, and he knew she was grappling with the same horror, the same awful, creeping question of what that meant for them.
“Akash, Keya,” Janak called out. “Whatever awful thoughts are spinning through your minds, just remember his actions have nothing to do with you. His sins are his alone. Neither of you need to carry the burden of them.”
“He’s right,” Shauna whispered. “What he did is not on you.”
The tightness in his chest eased slightly. They were right. His father’s sins weren’t theirs. Their father’s actions weren’t a reflection of who they were.
“And honestly,” Janak continued, “I’m not even surprised by this. You couldn’t put anything past that man. His greed had always been too great. I’m sure there is a reason he committed that murder.”
Shauna moved closer to Akash, slipping her arm through his. Her touch instantly soothed him.
“He was released two weeks ago,” VJ continued. “Early release for good behavior.”
Two weeks. Akash felt the timeline click into place. The disturbance inside the house. The intrusion. It had been his father. He voiced that realization aloud.
Shauna looked at VJ. “Why is he returning to the house? And why did he look… angry?”
VJ shrugged. “It could be anything, really. He may have gone there looking for his children and found the house empty. Maybe he assumed it had been sold. That someone else owns it now and got frustrated.”
“Which means, he’s trying to find you both,” Kabier said.
“No,” Akash said, his voice hard. “I don’t believe he wants to find us. He abandoned us years ago. There has to be another reason.”