“Yourfamily,” I repeated, “the samefamilythat doesn’t know any of this?”
She shook her head. “I canceled the wedding the next day. Vihaan was angry and threatened to destroy relations between the Singhanias and my Dad.”
I clenched my jaw so tightly it hurt. “And Roy doesn’t know any of this?”
She shook her head, her eyes dropping to her lap. “No… And I don’t want him to…”
My frustration was boiling over. “Why didn’t you tell Roy? Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?”
“I…”
“Those people might hurt youanywhere. Roy should know…”
“I’ve already troubled everyone in my life,” she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. “I didn’t want Roy tosuffer, too. It was his project… his company… he could’ve lost billions and—”
“He could’ve lostyou—damn it!”
“But he didn’t.” She rubbed her eyes, visibly drained.
I took a shaky breath, biting the inside of my cheek.
Then I snapped. “Are you out of your mind, Kiara?”
“It's over now… I’m fine.”
“Are you?” I almost slammed the counter. “Someone kidnapped you. You were attacked. Your so-called fiancé didn’t give a damn about your life. Your family disowned you because you dared to cancel a sham of a wedding. And now, another bastard hurt you tonight. And you’re telling me you’re okay?”
“Kiara…” I softened my tone, taking a step closer.
“Can we… Can we not talk about it tonight, please?” She looked down, her fingers curled tightly into the blanket, holding on like it was the only thing keeping her anchored.
____________
After dinner, I helped her onto the bed, arranging the pillows carefully and pulling the blanket over her. For the next half hour, I stayed close by, softly caressing her forehead. The doctor had said the meds would help her sleep.
I had checked on Lina earlier—she was safe and had made it home in time. Still shaken, but safe. She texted to say Nick was asleep, unaware of what had happened.
Sinking into the chair beside the bed, I rested my head against the back, my feet barely brushing the edge of the bed.
My head throbbed…
My blood boiled…
She’s hurt because of me…
I’m not sure what’s happening to me—every ounce of blood in my veins feels like it’s boiling, threatening to spill over. Rocky invited his death today. My mind raced out of control, spiraling into dark places. What if I hadn’t been there? What if he wasn’t just threatening her? What if…
The sharp ring of my phone yanked me back to reality. I opened my eyes, blinking away the haze of exhaustion, and picked up the call.
“Beta… how are you?”
“Dad…?” I sat up straighter. “Why are you awake so late? Is everything alright?”
“Everything is good,” he replied. “I heard about Rocky… How is the girl? Is she hurt badly? And…how are you?”
“Everything is better now,” I said quietly, my gaze drifting back toward sleeping Kiara.
“When are you coming back?”
