PART - 50
Just hours before their wedding ceremony, Shaurya and her haldi was done in the same marriage Hall.
Shaurya had made all the arrangements as he didn't want to burden Akansha or her family, though Vasant insisted, Shaurya convinced him.
His family was there along with Aakriti and Dev.
His father was least interested in his son's marriage, instead, he was more interested in hosting Dev Bisht who is his son's rival in politics.
He realized then Aakriti was the link between these two rivals, and she was bringing them together otherwise who would have imagined that one of the best leaders inthe opposition party would be here at Shaurya's wedding which was supposed to be not announced publicly, anytime soon.
Virendar Shekhawat realized Dev was here to take care of Aakriti who didn't look very healthy to him.
She looked weak, pale as if she was dying.
.. That explains why Dev kept her away from everyone, except for Shaurya.
Dev and Shaurya hated bringing Aakriti there, to people who tried to kill her, and also to people because of whom she tried to take her life.
Shaurya made sure that Dilip was nowhere near the wedding Hall.
He wanted to keep Suman too away as seeing her could trigger Aakriti but he couldn't get himself to ask Akansha to keep her sister away, Akansha herself asked Suman not to be there after knowing how she played her and made her bash Aakriti without letting her know about her presence, which triggered Aakriti to attempt suicide again.
What if Aakriti succumbed?, she would have been the reason for someone's death, even that thought is so disturbing and traumatic.
Not to forget Shaurya and Dev's situation if they lost Aakriti.
Yes, she hated Shaurya for marrying her for revenge but she knew he loved her. She could see it, then why is he doing all this? She wondered for the nth time.
"Careful", Shaurya pulled her to him bringing her out of her zone.
She looked around but found nothing that could hurt her.
He understood her unasked question.
"They left.
.. They were carrying rods for decoration and it could have hit you.
..", he said and she looked at the people carrying stuff to decorate their marriage Hall.
"Oh!", she said not knowing what to say.
"Where's your attention? You could have gotten hurt... Look around while you are walking... Akansha", he said, adjusting her dupatta so that it wouldn't be a hindrance to her while walking.
"Shuarya... What's all this? Tell me this is a lie, a prank", she asked, her heart beating wildly, she knew what could possibly come out of his mouth would hurt her but still she couldn't leave her hope and her stupid heart which loved him.
"It's true... I don't love you... on the contrary, I hate you with my guts... It's all an act", Shaurya said, hate blazing in his eyes, or was it anger he named hatred?
"Shaurya... Please don't prank on this, it's a serious matter...", Akansha pleaded holding his palm, to feel his touch, the touch that warmed up her heart always but that day, it felt cold, too cold, he jerked her hand and took a step back.
"You destroyed my sister and now it's your turn.
.. and I'm your destruction... I don't love you.
.. I played with your emotions just like you did with my sister's.
..", he said, her heart physically ached, her mind got numb, she forgot everything she knew, she didn't even bother asking about what he was saying, who was his sister, or anything for that matter. ..
The betrayal was too much for her to take in.
.. The man she thought would love her till eternity is claiming his hate for her.
.. She imagined her whole life with him, she has seen her future with him, she even discussed their kids' names with him and here she is standing facing his hate.
She who never trusted anyone so easily fell for his act, why?
Why? Her heart was breaking at the questions that were rising in her head but she had answers to none, still, her heart believed in his love, she knew he loved her, and all his care and concern couldn't be a lie.
.. no one could pretend to that extent, moreover she wasn't a fool to believe any fake emotions, her heart still took his side.
She stumbled on her feet, every time his arms which would hold her were not there today, and just like her steps, her trust in him too stumbled bit by bit.
She couldn't take it anymore, so she left from there picking up her broken pieces.
Akansha entered the bride's room which was thankfully empty and locked the door. Slowly tears made their way and she broke down.
"Aakriti... What are you doing here? Go and take some rest, before the functions start", Shaurya asked his sister, trying hard to cover his tone which sounded so broken.
"Shaurya... I... Help me get inside the room.
..", Aakriti said in her weak tone as she didn't have much strength.
Her condition was bad and doctors didn't have much hope until a few days ago.
When she heard Shaurya talking about marrying Akansha and it was all a part of his act, she felt better, at the thought of her perpetrators punished, people who played with her feelings will now suffer for their deeds and it felt better to her.
"Sh...Shaurya... I want to l...live", Aakriti whispered that day, her doctor who came to check her up was shocked at the miracle and said the same to Shaurya.
This feeling alone can give her strength 100 times more than what her medication could do to fight her demons.
He suggested them to continue doing what he did to get her to say that, not knowing it would hurt a woman, not any woman, one he loves more than his life, but now he had to hurt the same woman to save his sister's life.
Giving hope to live for his sister with the promise of someone's destruction seemed so wrong to Shaurya and Dev but that was the final option they had.
Shaurya came out of his reverie and took Aakriti to the room beside, ignoring his heart that ached badly.
After Aakriti fell asleep, he walked out and opened his phone reading the text which Dev sent just some time ago, mentioning how Aakriti doubted his intentions for marriage and then she saw him preventing Akansha from getting hurt.
He saw the shock of betrayal in his sister's eyes.
He had to act fast, and that's it, he told whatever that's believable to Aakriti but now that he thought of it, he felt like kicking himself in the gut.
He had to clear this immediately with Akansha.
He can't even imagine what she is going through.
Damn! He said he hated her and called his love an 'act'. How could he?
He quickly walked to Akansha's room, she opened the door but as soon as she saw him, she shut the door on his face.
He requested her to open the door, he wanted to talk to her but as if fate was avenging them, her mother and sister came there to get her ready for the marriage rituals.
He sighed thinking to clear everything that night after marriage but things went South after that.
-----------------------------
"You didn't sleep?", Akansha asked him...
They are going to her home town after more than 5 years.
Siya was the most excited among the three, she jumped around the house when Shaurya informed her that she was going to meet her grandfather the previous night.
She insisted on packing her bag and Shaurya allowed her to do it, and she practically dumped all the clothes in her unicorn trolley bag.
She didn't want to sleep at all, she slept only when Akansha warned her that she wouldn't take her to her nanu if she didn't sleep now.
After the little girl slept, Akansha packed her daughter's bag neatly with the help of Shaurya.
She packed both hers and Shaurya's clothes too in Siya's bag, as they weren't going for long, they would just be for a night maybe, so Akansha packed accordingly.
Shaurya tried stopping Akansha from packing the bag properly, as Siya would cry the next day if she learned that her mother had packed the bag again after she had done it.
"What your daughter did wasn't packing, it's called dumping and this isn't a dustbin", Akansha told him which got him shut up.
After that, she slept beside her daughter but he couldn't. The past and how he gave his wife unbearable pain kept his eyes wide open, his heart constantly aching with guilt, pain and regret.
He didn't realize when the sun rose. He spent the entire night staring at his wife and daughter.
"I did...", he lied but she caught his lie.
"Next time you lie to me, I'll pull that tongue off Shaurya and I'm serious", Akansha warned him...
"Sorry... Can I go freshen up or you want to use the washroom? Actually scratch that, you take this, I'll use the other room", Shaurya said, getting up but she held his wrist stopping him. He looked at her, gently caressing her hold on his wrist.
"You can go, I'll need some time, have to get all the things ready, also take my thyroid pill", Akansha said, searching for her thyroid bottle which she keeps on the side table beside the water jug as she has to take the pill early in the morning.
"Here...", he said taking it out of the drawer. "Siya was about to pick up the pill bottle last night when I saw, I was scared she would take it by mistake, so put it inside", he explained
"I understand, you don't have to explain.
I know Siya can sometimes give heart attacks but don't worry she knows she couldn't take this pill, she just touches the bottle, she likes the shape of it", Akansha said with a small smile and he reciprocated with a wide smile.
His morning got better with them talking like a normal couple, without the hatred in her eyes, it felt good to him, but he knew these aren't permanent changes.
After conversing for a few more minutes Shaurya left to freshen up while Akansha completed her chores.
She picked up all her daughter's stuff, like her hair clips, hair ties all matching with her frock and all are of unicorn designs her Dadda got for her.
God where does he find so much of unicorn stuff, Akansha wondered not knowing her crazy husband invested in the plastic company that manufactured all these accessories for kids and personally requested them to make more on unicorn designs.
He even put his designing skills to use after a long time, to design these hair clips designs for his little daughter, he knew what she liked and he made designs based on that, though he wasn't a professional, his designs could at least give some idea on what his daughter liked to the 'actual' designers, well that's what he told his best friend when he taunted that once a busy chief minister is now a terrible hair clip designer.
Shaurya walked out of the closet dressed in a crisp blue formal shirt neatly tucked into his formal trousers.
He looked dapper, his hair in place, and his slight stubble gave him that hot look.
Akansha then knew why girls were crazy over him despite his marriage news now confirmed.
Shaurya looked like a dream, he was everything a woman wanted, very good-looking, gentle, caring, responsible, and especially a very good man.
Above all, he is powerful and rich, keeping a provider mindset which is lacking in today's men.
She saw men these days don't want to take care of the home, pay bills, or keep that provider mindset that earlier generations used to keep.
They adopt the modern culture of splitting the bills with their woman but when it comes to sharing chores or household responsibilities, they go back to how it used to be before like in previous generations.
All this is taking a toll on the woman who is working outside, fighting for her career, and earning good money, and after getting home, doing the unpaid labor for which she is never appreciated.
Well, Akansha knew not all men are like that but most of them are.
She is seeing her colleagues suffering. On the other hand, Shaurya is sometimes unrealistic.
He is the Chief Minister of a state, and despite his busy schedule, he makes sure to cook breakfast and delicious lunch for her and their daughter.
If by any chance he got busy in the morning, he compensated it in dinner, so that he at least cooked one meal for his family.
He is great in everything he does, but the one major thing that's stopping her from accepting him back is the heartbreak she experienced.
It's worse and the pain she felt because of his actions was unmatched.
Yes, he is guilty, he is regretting, he says he didn't have a choice, and he did all that to protect her but what about the time before their marriage?
When he knew she was hurt by his marriage proposal which he made her think was only a part of his retribution, why didn't he clear things?
He told her he wanted to clear after a day, he wanted her to feel the pain she caused his sister at least for a day, and that one day ruined her completely.
His intentions to punish her for that one night changed the course of their life forever and she is hurt, deeply hurt because of it.
"Wake Siya up, till then I'll finish my morning chores, send her in when I call", Akansha told Shaurya, who was setting his hair, he knew well how to distract her thoughts, she avoided looking at that man, it still fluttered her heart seeing his handsome face.
"You can freshen up, I'll get Siya ready in the other room, Yeah just make her hair, I don't know how you perfectly do that hairstyle, I have tried multiple times but ended up messing up", Shaurya said, he looked so attractive while talking about his daughter's favorite hair do
"It's okay Shaurya, you can't be perfect at everything", Akansha said and got inside the washroom.
Shaurya woke his daughter up and got her ready, as always, seeing the unicorn hair ties and clips, she got excited.
------------------------------
"Does he know you'll be here", Shaurya asked Akansha, they almost reached her house where her parents lived.
"Yes, I asked Akash to inform him and he did.
..", Akansha said. She tried hard to hide her nervousness and fear.
The anticipation was killing her. Thoughts like How her father would look now, would he look weak, can he walk, Akash said he was walking but with the help of a walker, can she bear seeing her father so weak?
Will he be happy to see her or the guilt will break him? ' are troubling her a lot.
She knew her father must be beating himself up with all the guilt when he got to know through Akash that Shaurya married her for retribution, one more reason she was there was to clear his misconceptions, to tell him that Shaurya didn't marry her for revenge, She knew this guilt was half the reason her father's health wasn't improving.
She wanted him to move on from whatever happened and live his life freely.
Thanks to Suraj, not many people were aware of Shaurya's visit to their city otherwise it would have been a chaos-like situation.
The fleet of cars stopped inside their place and Suraj gave Siya back to Shaurya.
Suraj liked to play with Siya and vice versa, so whenever Shaurya and Akansha had to talk about something, Shaurya made Siya sit with Suraj in the front seat.
"Dadda... we l..reached Nanu's house?", Siya asked and Shaurya kissed her forehead appreciating her for her correct pronunciation, and then answered her.
"Yes, we reached...", Shaurya said and Akansha and Shaurya got down from either side and walked to her home.
Vasant was on cloud nine when his son informed him about his daughter's visit along with his granddaughter.
The very moment, he warned his wife and younger daughter not to come out and show their faces to Akansha, it would bring all those memories back, and also Akash specifically told Vasant that she was coming only to meet Vasant, not her mother or sister.
Akansha stepped inside holding his daughter's little palm in his, as the door was open.
Vasant who was waiting for his daughter eagerly stood up, seeing her in front of his eyes for more than 5 years now.
His hands shivered so much that his hold on his walker slipped multiple times, Akansha quickly walked to him, embracing him in a hug.
She mentally prepared herself not to cry but despite all the preparedness, tears slipped and she sobbed in her father's arms, he became very weak, Akash was right, he was just breathing. .. nothing more than that.
"Papa, relax. We'll sit down and talk, okay?" Akansha said calmly to her father, who had just started sobbing in his arms.
"I don't deserve it, I'm so sorry Akansha.
.. I thought I would die without seeing you for one last time.
..", Vasant whispered. Akansha couldn't handle her weak father, though his health remained a concern even when she was there with him, he was never this weak man he now was, mentally he used to be very strong then and seeing her father's situation now broke her heart.
"Dadda... Why is Nanu(maternal grandfather) crying?", Siya who is now holding her father's palm asked him curiously.
Vasant realized the little girl's presence hearing her, he broke the hug and wiped his tears, then wiped Akansha's tears and looked at Siya.
A wide smile formed on his face seeing his granddaughter for the first time.
She is such a cute princess, and is a blend of her parents, but mostly she went on Shaurya, even a blind man could see it.
"Because Nanu missed your mumma so much", Shaurya answered, fixing his daughter's hair which was disheleved due to the little nap she had on their journey.
And just like that Vasant's eyes fell on Shaurya and he got furious. He destroyed his daughter's life and now dared to stand there without any shame? Chief Minister or not, he would kick him out of his house now, he can't bear his presence.
"Get out, you can't enter my house after what you did to my daughter", Vasant said angrily staring at Shaurya.
Shaurya looked at Vasant with guilt, he could now understand the old man's pain more as he is a father of a baby girl himself.
No, he didn't marry Vasant's daughter for revenge but he did give her pain and that makes him guilty.
Shaurya respectfully nodded and walked out.
Siya who heard and saw everything, glared at Vasant and walked back to her father who was standing outside the gate now.
"I don't like you...", Siya told Vasant.
"Siya bacha... You shouldn't say that, he is your grandfather.
Go to him", Shaurya said softly to his daughter, and "I'll be downstairs", Shaurya told Akansha, before she could respond, Siya held her father's palm.
"Dadda... He gandha (he is bad)", Siya said pointing towards Vasant surprising the old man and disappointing Akansha.
"Siya he is my Papa and your Nanu, you can't say that to him", Akansha reprimanded her daughter.
"He is my Dadda (and he is my papa)", Siya said holding Shaurya's palm, his heart fluttered and eyes welled up. Someone stood up for him for the first time, and that was his daughter against her mother, who is usually so scared of her.
"Siya... My magic unicorn, Your Nanu wasn't scolding me, it was just a kind of game between us, this was big people's game... Dadda will tell you everything after some time, okay?", Shaurya slowly told his daughter, kneeling down in front of his daughter.
"Game?", Siya asked her father for confirmation.
"Yes...", Shaurya replied confidently so that his daughter believes him.
"I don't like this game, Dadda", Siya said hugging her father rubbing the back of his head as if consoling him, Shaurya's heart fluttered with happiness at his daughter's love and care towards him.
Akansha rolled her eyes at her daughter, of course she didn't like any game that would make her or her Dadda lose, she is such a drama queen, she is acting as if her Dadda was the most innocent man in this whole world and everyone is standing against him holding swords.
"Okay my unicorn, from now on, we will not play", Shaurya said, breaking the hug and standing up, picking up his daughter in his arms. Siya looked at her father with suspicion, still in doubt that her father might play the game behind her back and Shaurya understood her doubts, so he turned to Vasant and told him "We will not play this game from now on, My Siya doesn't like it"
"Of course, maybe you will start a new game now, anyway you are very talented in it, no?", Vasant taunted Shaurya, whose face paled, but he kept his smile intact as he didn't want his daughter to get against Vasant.
"Papa...", Akansha slowly reprimanded her father for speaking in that tone to Shaurya in front of his daughter.
"Okay, you guys enjoy... I have some work, will be here to pick you up later", Shaurya said the last sentence to his wife, who nodded. He tried to put down Siya but she was clutching her father's arms tightly.
"Dadda... No... I'll come with you", Siya said adamantly, refusing to set her foot on ground. When Shaurya tried to convince her, she started throwing tantrums, she didn't like how Vasant talked to her father and she didn't want to stay there, she wanted to go with her father.
"Take her with you, I'll call you after some time, then bring her", Akansha said after thinking for a while. She will talk to her father by then and tell him the whole truth, maybe then he would soften towards Shaurya a bit.
Shaurya nodded, and after glancing at Vasant for a second, who glared at him for taking away his granddaughter, he left with Siya, to his party office. He would work a bit, it's been many months since he visited this constituency, so better to check if things are going as planned.
"Papa, kya zarurat thi yeh sab bolne ki(What's the need to say all this) to Shaurya, especially when Siya was around... You know Siya was so excited to meet you, her Nanu...", Akansha said to her father, toning down in the end seeing his vulnerable self.
"Why shouldn't I say? That rascal married you for revenge, he gave you so much pain and now he wanted my granddaughter?
And why did you send Siya with him? he would turn her against you, did you see how she hated me and taking his side, he doesn't deserve Siya's love, why.
..why are you with him? Leave him... He will hurt you again.
..", Vasant ranted, Akansha understood her father's turmoil, she hugged him, rubbed his back calming him down, made him sit and gave him some water.
"relax... Okay... Sh... just relax", she said when he was about to say something.
.. After he calmed down, she talked to him about other things, like how her life had been, and Siya's habits and everything.
After an hour or so, when her father got back to normal, she slowly started speaking.
..
"Papa... I'm sorry, I punished you this bad.
.. I shouldn't have... You were only thinking of my welfare.
.. and Shaurya... he wasn't bad...", Akansha slowly started.
Fate was the biggest villain in their lives, not Shaurya.
That she realized, but all these years the hate she nurtured for him, and every time she was in pain, she blamed him, her hatred doubled it's intensity and now after knowing the truth, her years of struggles, pain, the hatred wouldn't disappear miraculously, it would take some time but could she ever give him a chance? is the real question.
"Wasn't bad? What has happened to you? He was bad Akansha... beta you come home to me with Siya... I'll ask Akash to take your mother and sister to another place... you...", Vasant started but Akansha cut him off...
"Papa... Please listen to me... for once.
.. Shaurya would never turn Siya against me or you.
.. You know, the reason why Siya is so excited to meet you today was him.
Last night, he spoke so much about you, he said you would be a very cool grandfather.
Papa, Shaurya wasn't bad, yes, what he did was wrong but listen to me completely before taking your final decision.
I can't believe there would come a day, I would defend him.
.. but... It's important you know the truth.
.. Shaurya didn't marry me for revenge..
.", Akansha trailed and told her father everything who cupped his mouth, and tears slipped from his eyes.
"I was such a fool... I got you married in such a house where people want you dead every minute... I...", Vasant looked shattered.
"Papa... I'm fine now... Shaurya didn't even let a single scratch on me... Well, he saved me from physical injuries but I don't know if I could ever forgive him for the mental pain I had gone through", Akansha said and Vasant fell into deep thinking.
Akansha understood he needed some time so she skipped that question for now and started asking about what they thought about Akash's marriage?
"I don't know if he believes in the institution of marriage anymore. He has seen his sisters' marriage collapse in front of his eyes... Suman is still struggling with the divorce case and Harsh's custody... Not to say about your life.... Wait! Siya's custody? You have it right? And---", Vasant said
"We are not divorced Papa... Shaurya never wanted a divorce", Akansha told her father.
"So why did you finally leave? I thought he divorced you and asked you to leave", Vasant said what he assumed.
"Yes he asked for divorce but it was to stop his father from harming me.
.. His father played a very dirty game and then his mother.
.. She kind of tricked me and that woman knew I was pregnant and still tried to kill me and harm the baby.
.. It was the final nail, I left", Akansha said, fisting her palms, she so wanted to kill that lady, Shobha Shekhawat and also her son Shaurya stupid Shekhawat for his stupidities.
He could have conveyed the truth in anyway possible, yes she realized the danger named Virendar Shekhawat but still her emotional self didn't let her rational self win.
Shaurya is wrong and she wouldn't return to him, not any sooner at least.
"Oh! Is he nice to you?", Vasant asked... "Akash told me you were living with him? ", he added
"For the time being, yes. And he treats me very well, and Siya, she wrapped him around her little finger. Shaurya loves his daughter a lot", she said
"Be careful, he might have brought you home because his marriage was leaked in the media and he had to save his face and political career, that's why---", Vasant said
"He was the one that got the news leaked, and he was about to portray himself as the villian destroying his entire political career but at the end moment, Dev told me certain things and as a gesture of thank you for saving me risking his life, I saved his political career, well it wasn't entirely for him, but for me and Siya as well.
It would be better to have him in power, if he admits that he left me to concentrate on his political career, he would ruin his image and might loss elections if it blows out of proportion, sure I will gain sympathy but for how long?
His crazy supporters and even his enemies would come at me at one point.
My daughter and I would be left vulnerable which I didn't want.
Shaurya in power is the best choice I had and I choose to protect his power.
I know I might sound selfish but I want the best for my daughter, I would do anything possible to secure her future", Akansha said
"You are not selfish beta. Mothers are most selfless when they get selfish for their children", Vasant said
"So by all this, I understood that Shaurya Singh Shekhawat loved you a lot, and he still does.
And now that you know his reasons, what do you feel?
", he asked but Akansha shook her head not knowing what to say.
"Yes, his intentions for approaching you were wrong but he was helpless, to save his sister.
.. I was shocked to know Aakriti was his sister.
.. How can their parents think of killing their own blood, but then if a mother like yours can exist in this world, I am not surprised parents like them existed", Vasant said
"Papa... Leave about that... And please Shaurya trusted us to keep this a secret, so keep it like that. No one knows about Aakriti's real identity, not even herself", Akansha said and Vasant nodded.
Akansha asked Shaurya if she could share the entire truth with her father and he agreed without any hesitation, that explained his trust on her and her father.
"Shaurya wanted a chance, but I don't think I'm able to give him, Papa.
And I don't want to regret not giving him a chance either.
He is a good man, and an excellent leader and an even more fantastic dad.
Earlier I could have called him the worst husband easily, but now I can't bring myself to do that.
Let's just be frank here Papa... Which man in his right senses gets stabbed, faces death just to keep his wife alive.
I mean there might be men who would protect their families with their life but how many do it in today's world?
He was bed ridden for months, and all that time, he let me hate him but never let me know the truth about his condition.
The fact that he suffered like an orphan in a hospital bed at the mercy of strangers is not sitting well with me.
I so wanted to punch his guts for doing that to me.
He should have told me, as a wife, that's my right, but he wanted to protect me, so sent me to live at Dev's till he returned.
He too might have suffered a lot, he had to pretend like he hated me while he actually loved me, knowing him, it might have killed him Papa.
.. Now that I think of it, I felt his love when he.
..", she stopped suddenly realizing what she was about to share with her father.
All the hidden love of his used to unleash at nights, Shaurya worshipped her body, not for once did he think about his pleasure.
He made sure she experienced bliss before tending to his needs.
Though he never expressed his love verbally, she felt it in his touches.
He never let her feel disrespectful. He hated when she talked degrading herself, and she used to say those whenever she was upset or angry with him or the hurt was too much to bear, because she very well knew that was the best way to trigger him, hurt him.
"I knew he loved me, I felt it despite his multiple attempts to hide it and I thought his stupid revenge was the reason for his cold behavior but now I get the actual reason.
Shaurya stayed despite all the arrogance and hate I threw at him in the past. After I met him again, all I did was to show how much I hate him or how much I loathed his existence.
He bore it silently, if only he loved me more, I could see the extreme regret in his eyes for what he had done.
But if I think from his point of view, his only fault was to let me think that he had married me for revenge and approaching me with the idea of retribution, even those decisions were forced upon him.
Rest all the things he did were to save me.
But not for once did I find him defending himself.
He accepts his mistakes, in fact he over blames himself sometimes, he wouldn't even sleep the whole night at times, keeps staring at me and Siya the whole night, afraid we would leave ond day.
I could see the constant fear in his eyes.
He is suffering so much and he thinks I don't notice it.
It's not his fault, I don't let these emotions fool me, so I stay rigid and unaffected.
I don't want to fall weak, not anymore. You understand what I'm saying right?
I could have never shared my feelings with anyone else, but with you, I can tell anything and everything. ..", Akansha said
"Hm... I know beta, if you understand him so much and by your words, I knew you trust him to not hurt you or Siya, then what's stopping you from giving him a chance?", Vasant asked
"I don't know... Years of pain doesn't easily vanish and when did I say I trust him not to hurt me again?
What if his father again threatened him with my life?
He would again let him play with him... Maybe he is now more powerful than his father but God forbid if he loses elections, we would be back to square one. ..", Akansha put her worries forward.
"Have you talked to him about this?", He asked
"No, why should I? When I am not okay with the thought of giving him a chance, there's no point in discussing this.
I don't think I can forgive him or forget my horrible marriage experience years ago.
My life in his ancestors mansion was so suffocating and difficult that I could never think of having a peaceful married life ever.
My head is messed up honestly. I told you about what I felt about Shaurya after knowing the past because you are the only person I could trust this with.
I need to let out my feelings and opinions out and it felt good. Thank you for listening", Akansha said.
"I am your father beta. No need to thank me, especially a father like me who is a coward to protect his daughter.
..", Vasant said, Akansha rubbed his forearm shaking her head.
"I know you don't think me of a bad father, but I know the truth.
Anyway, I am always there for you from now on.
Your coward father got the strength to fight for his daughter now, so yes, come to me any time.
I know you are strong enough but maybe you could think of lessening my guilt by letting me help, huh?
", he said, Akansha smiled a bit, and they continued talking.
"I want to see Siya... Ask Shaurya to bring her here... To me...", Vasant said, yearning deeply for his granddaughter.
"Her father will come too, like a +1, Okay?", Akansha teased her father, she knew he didn't hate Shaurya now, yes he still has complaints but nothing that can be resolved through a proper talk.
"Okay... Let him in... What can I do now, if my granddaughter loves her father so much", He said and both of them laughed.