EPILOGUE #3
"Come watch the acting skills of our husbands. Switch it on, quick... or you'll miss the drama," Rachna texted back.
Akansha quickly turned on the television.
Dev was addressing the Assembly. He spoke on several policy matters, raised issues concerning governance, and after covering everything on his agenda, he paused before speaking again.
"Whatever issues I have raised till now were because of my professional differences with Shaurya saab.
But today, I want to speak about something that happened over the last few weeks, which made me realize that no matter how many professional differences I may have with this man, I can never have personal differences with him.
Adhyaksh Mahoday (Mr. Speaker), hua yeh ki.
.. (what happened is)... I received an official letter from Shaurya saab addressed to me and my party.
We all know about the Curriculum Revision Committee.
And those who don't know—well, I'm not going to explain it here.
Go home and research it. Trust me, you'll learn a lot," Dev said.
The Assembly laughed.
"The CR committee functions under the Education Ministry and is working to revise the curriculum according to today's world—to teach students skills that are actually useful, instead of continuing with outdated curriculum and pedagogy.
Personally, I think it is one of the best initiatives this government has undertaken.
The committee is now hiring permanent members because curriculum reform is a continuous process. Many of you may not know that Dr. Akansha Shaurya Shekhawat was the brain behind this initiative and has also been working with the committee. She applied for one of the permanent positions.
Since this involved a conflict of interest, Shaurya saab requested that the opposition be included in the recruitment panel.
Frankly, I was baffled. Why would any government involve the opposition in a process that is technically its own responsibility?
Still, I accepted the Chief Minister's request, and I personally joined the panel along with Ratan ji.
I took part in the interviews, and I asked some very tough questions to the candidates.
And CM saab..." Dev paused dramatically, turning toward Shaurya. "I must tell you—I was harder on your wife than I was on any other candidate. But I must also admit... she outperformed everyone."
The Assembly murmured in approval.
"I am mentioning all this today because I want everyone to know what kind of man you are. We may have many professional differences, but I deeply appreciate the honesty and integrity with which you lead this state," Dev concluded.
The hall echoed with desk-thumping.
Shaurya rose from his seat and folded his hands toward Dev in a respectful namaste.
"Thank you, Dev Ji, for accepting my request. That was very gracious of you. And as I have always said, every state deserves an opposition leader like you.
Thank you for all the support you have extended till now. Whatever our government has achieved, it would have been far more difficult without your cooperation," Shaurya said.
"No problem, Shaurya saab," Dev replied.
"The opposition always stands with you when your work benefits the people.
We will always stand for the people. And yes.
.. do tell your wife I am sorry. I asked some very difficult questions because I wanted to make sure the CR committee remains in capable hands. "
Shaurya smiled and nodded.
The exchange between the two powerful leaders instantly became headline news. Clips flooded social media, and the public praised the rare display of political maturity.
At home, Akansha laughed watching their performance.
The next hour passed with her gossiping with Rachna over the phone.
Dev's cute public apology in the Assembly had saved him. Otherwise, Akansha had already planned several excellent pranks for him—ones that would have left him in tears.
Later, Shaurya and Dev jointly answered questions from the press about the importance of a strong opposition in a democracy.
They spoke about how opposition parties should focus on real issues affecting people, rather than only chasing topics that embarrass the ruling party while doing nothing to improve citizens' lives.
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"Is everything ready, Akash?" Shaurya asked over the phone.
"Yes, sir. We have all the necessary evidence to shut down the place. We just need your orders," Akash replied.
"Okay then, go ahead. I'm signing the orders now," Shaurya said before ending the call.
Akash walked through the same hospital corridors he had once walked years ago—the day he saw his sister again for the first time after she had left her husband.
The memory came back sharply.
Years earlier, two-year-old Siya had fallen seriously ill. When Akansha admitted her to the hospital, the doctors informed her that the little girl was suffering from a blood infection and needed urgent treatment, including a blood transfusion.
But there was one complication.
Siya was reported to have a rare blood group—Bombay phenotype.
It was an extremely rare type, and both Akash and Shaurya had that same blood group.
The doctors told Akansha it would be very difficult to arrange matching blood quickly. Left with no option, she had to call her brother. A person with Bombay phenotype can receive blood only from another person with the same phenotype.
When Akash received the call from his elder sister—the same sister who had disappeared from their lives years ago—he was overwhelmed.
He rushed to the hospital immediately.
The moment he learned about his niece and her condition, his heart ached. He wanted to scold Akansha for leaving without a word, for cutting herself off from him—but seeing her situation, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.
He was ready to donate blood to Siya.
That was when the doctors discovered the truth.
The reports of two children had been mixed up.
Siya did have an infection, but it was nowhere near as serious as the diagnosis they had given her. The hospital used a numbering system instead of names to identify patients, and a nurse had mistakenly switched two patient numbers, causing the dangerous confusion.
When Akash confronted the hospital management, instead of apologizing, they responded with arrogance.
Even though he was an IAS officer, he could do little at the time.
There were two reasons.
First, the hospital belonged to a senior politician closely aligned with Virendar Shekhawat—someone connected to Shaurya's own party.
Second, and more importantly, Akansha and Akash did not want Shaurya to find out about Siya.
So they stayed silent.
But recently, when Shaurya learned what had happened, he refused to let it go.
If the hospital management could be so reckless and dismissive about a mistake that might have endangered his daughter's life through wrong treatment, then he was certain there were deeper crimes hidden beneath the surface.
He quietly ordered a full investigation into the hospital's operations.
What they found was damning.
Based on the evidence, Shaurya approved orders through the Health Ministry to revoke the hospital's licenses and take the owners and involved staff into custody for further investigation.
"Your hospital is being shut down effective immediately. You need to come with us," the police officer announced.
Akash stood beside him.
The hospital management was escorted out in handcuffs. The moment they saw Akash, they remembered the incident from years ago.
"Told you," Akash said coldly. "I would not forget what you did to my niece."
The Managing Director sneered.
"I also told you—we have connections all the way to the Chief Minister. We'll walk out of this untouched."
Akash stepped closer.
"The child you endangered—my niece—is the Chief Minister's daughter. And the Chief Minister you're bragging about is the one who shut this hospital down.
We have evidence of every illegal thing you've done.
No one is saving you now."
He grabbed the man by the arm and dragged him toward the exit, straight into the waiting media cameras.
A few minutes later, Akash sent a message.
"Task accomplished, Jiju!"
A small smirk appeared on Shaurya's face when he read it.
No one who had harmed his wife or daughter would escape consequences.
He had done his duty in every role that defined him.
As Chief Minister, he acted against corruption, negligence, and a system that believed power could shield wrongdoing.
As a father, he made sure the people who endangered his daughter faced consequences.
As a husband, he delivered the justice his wife had once been denied when she stood helpless in those same corridors.
For Shaurya, this was never just about shutting down a hospital. It was about sending a message—no institution, no influence, and no connection would be strong enough to protect those who played with innocent lives.
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Shaurya called for a press meet to detail the UCC bill the state had passed, which was now in the implementation phase after receiving the President's assent.
There was a lot of misinformation in the media about the UCC, and minorities were anxious about whether it would halt any of their religious practices. This press meet was held to assure them.
He answered the reporters' questions patiently and assured all sections of society that every citizen of this country would have the right to religious freedom, and that it would in no way be harmed.
He clarified that the bill completely focused on uniformity and on delivering justice equally to all parts of society, irrespective of their religious status.
He also assured that existing multiple marriages would not be touched. They only had to register their marriages under the UCC now. And from now on, polygamy would not be allowed, and women of all sections would have equal rights to property as their male siblings.