“Wait… I think I’ve seen you before.”
I snort, folding my arms tighter across my chest. “Finally got your memory back, Ghajini?”
“I’m serious,” Deepak says, turning to me, then jabs a finger at Prakash. “You’re the guy who dropped Maya home that night. Her boyfriend, the one she was having an affair with?”
My eyes widen and my heart slams hard against my ribs. “What? What did you just say?” I ask.
Deepak turns to me, a bitter smile twisting his mouth. “Yeah, this is him. Her man. The one she was sneaking around with behind my back. Two poisonous snakes, perfect for each other.”
“I... I don’t know Maya. You’re the one who asked me to kill her,” Prakash stammers, the words spilling out in panic as the colour drains from his face.
Deepak lets out a chuckle, the smirk on his face deepening. “You’re smart, I’ll give you that. But not smart enough to trap me in your bullshit. That night, outside her house, I took a photo of you two. I can bring my phone and show it right now.”
Deepak shoots me a look that practically screamsI told you I wasn’t lying. Then he turns back to Prakash. “Now I get it. That’s why you wanted to hurt Nisha. Maya’s the one who put you up to it, didn’t she? Makes sense, as I’ve spent hours listening to her rant about how much she hates Nisha for ‘insulting’ her.” He spins back to me. “She’s probably plotting something even now, knowing you guys are with us here.”
The air gets sucked out of my lungs. I stare at Prakash, his face going deadly white, like every drop of blood just drained out of him. Damn it. Nisha did say she’d seen Maya with some guy. Said she was sure Maya was cheating on Deepak. How the hell did we miss that? Why the hell did we fall for Maya’s crocodile tears and her carefully built act?
Viraj steps up beside me. “We’ve got to act fast. This changes everything.”
I don’t reply to him. I can’t. My body goes rigid, my breath caught in my chest like a vise.
Then, without wasting another second, I spin on my heels and storm out of the room.
By the time I reach my car, I’m barely aware of what I’m doing. My hands tremble as I jam the key into the ignition, twisting it so hard I nearly snap it. The tyres screech as I pull onto the road, tearing through traffic like a man possessed.
I need to get to Nisha.
My pulse spikes, anger and panic crashing into my chest.
Damn.Iknewsomething was off. I fucking should’ve trusted my gut. I never should’ve let my guard down. Not even for a single, goddamn second.
Chapter 37
Nisha
Sitting cross-legged on my bed, I stare at my laptop screen. Five tabs are open, each one from a college I’ve shortlisted. The cursor blinks on the application form of the one that feels just a little moremethan the rest. But as I keep staring at it, my mind begins to drift.
I know Sidharth is still overthinking and worrying. And even though I’ve told him a hundred times that things are okay, I also know that no matter how much I try to reach him, a part of him will always brace for the worst.
I let out a sigh. I guess that’s just something that comes with his job, always looking out for danger and preparing for fallout. That man surely doesn’t know how to simply breathe. Not when it comes to the people he cares about.
But despite all that, the fact that he’s trying means everything to me.
I smile, thinking about how he promised he’d tone his protectiveness down. He even said he’d come over tonight after work to help me go through the college options, even though the idea of me stepping out alone still doesn’t sit well with him.
But despite his hesitation, it still feels like a step forward for us. Because if we’re really building a forever together, it has to start with learning to meet each other halfway, even when fear and doubt whisper otherwise.
“Nisha, look at this guy!”
I blink out of my thoughts and glance up to see Sunita Aunty entering my room, with Shadow trotting behind her, his teeth latched onto the edge of her rust-orange saree.
“Oh my God, he really loves you, Aunty,” I say with a laugh, pushing the laptop aside.
“Ugh! One day, he’s going to ruin all my sarees,” she groans, her hands on her hips as she glares down at him, then looks up at me. “I’ve been trying to leave for the temple for the last twenty minutes, but this guy just won’t let me go. I even tried bribing him with that biscuit tin, but he’s too smart.”
Shadow lets out a bark, and I grin. “Maybe he wants to go with you to the temple.”
“I’mnottaking him to the temple with me,” she mutters dramatically, tugging at the fabric, trying to yank it free, without much success.
