Page 102 of Since You Stole My Heart

‘I’ve waited a long time for you, and I’ll wait a few days more, but I will have you back in my arms soon, babygirl.’

Kashvi surged past him, but he called out her name.

She didn’t stop, but his cold words followed her, settling into her bones.

‘If you really want to protect him and your family, don’t hesitate. Break his heart.’

Chapter 20

She glanced at Swayam, hoping to catch something in his expression that might tell her what he was thinking. The faint glow from the dashboard traced the sharp line of his jaw, and she could see the tension there. He had not said a word since they left.

His maasi’s house was barely fifteen minutes away, and they had already covered most of the distance. The shifting numbers on the dashboard reminded her how little time she had left.

Her phone buzzed in her hand, and her breath caught.

She angled it subtly to hide it from Swayam as she opened the message.

BREAKING NEWS: Golden Girl to Public Shame. Kashyap Heiress Caught in Private Images Leak; Kashyap Luxe Faces Unprecedented Collapse

The fear was immediate, visceral, all-consuming.

Another text followed instantly.

This is the headline you will wake up to tomorrow morning if Swayam doesn’t come back here tonight. And I can ruin his life too, remember that.

Kashvi shoved the phone into her pocket as she turned to look out the window, hiding her tears. It felt like someone had drenched her in ice water, and she slid the window down to gulp in air.

For a fleeting second, she wanted to reach for Swayam and tell him to keep driving, to take her somewhere no one could find them. Just the two of them and an endless stretch of road. But she couldn’t let herself believe in that possibility, because no matter where they went, reality would catch up with them.

If this news got out, it would spread like wildfire before anyone could stop it. Just the headline alone was enough to ruin her family’s legacy and reputation. Her leaked images would then destroy the rest for good.

The pressure built until she could not sit in silence any longer. She searched for something, anything, to say.

‘Your Fufa is a jerk.’

‘Yeah, he is,’ Swayam agreed.

And then nothing. The tension settled around them once more.

She went on, ‘He’s just like my father. They think they have the right to judge and look down on the women in their lives.’

‘Some of them don’t stop at women. They just look down on everyone,’ Swayam said through gritted teeth.

Kashvi curled her fingers into a fist at the thought of him being on the receiving end of Dhanush’s casual cruelty. ‘You should stay away from him when you go back. Just don’t engage.People like him thrive on reactions, and it frustrates them when they don’t get one.’

‘I’m not going back.’

A jolt of panic made her turn fully towards him. ‘What do you mean? You have to go back.’

‘I have more important things to take care of,’ Swayam said, his gaze distant.

Kashvi imagined her name, her face, her life plastered across the media. It would drag her into a nightmare she could never escape.

‘Swayam, you can’t just… You have to go back. Your maasi is waiting for you. She’ll worry if you don’t show up.’

‘I’ll talk to her. She’ll understand,’ he replied calmly.

Kashvi insisted, ‘That’s not the point. It’s your cousin’s engagement. You can’t just skip out on it.’