Page 122 of Since You Stole My Heart

When she swayed again, he slid the glass of water towards her. ‘Drink this.’

The moment she reached for the Scotch again, he gently pressed her hand down against the table. ‘Kashvi, that’s enough.’

She jerked her hand back, pushing at him in a ragged, sluggish attempt. ‘Don’t,’ she muttered irritably.

Her strength was dulled by the alcohol, her palm sliding uselessly against his sleeve.

‘You’ve had enough.’

She ignored him and finished the remaining scotch in her glass.

Dhruv ran an agitated hand through his hair, wondering if he should call Siya. Though he hated admitting it, Kashvi had never leaned on him for comfort. Right now, he couldn’t tell if his presence was helping or making things worse.

Kashvi leaned forward and tucked her cheek against her crossed arms. ‘I had it all figured out, and then the universe just punched me in the face.’

Her words blurred together, and Dhruv noticed she was starting to drift off.

He lifted a hand and snapped his fingers three times. He knew Vihaan would understand the signal.

Keeping his focus on Kashvi, he adjusted her so she sat upright. ‘Hey, look. More drinks.’

Prateek came over and placed a glass in front of her. ‘Vodka martini, on the house.’

She grabbed it immediately and finished it in one go. ‘Mm. This is good. Five more of these.’

Dhruv chuckled softly. He knew from experience just how good water tasted after that much Scotch.

Kashvi finished the second glass Prateek brought over, then again folded her arms onto the table and rested her head on them.

He tugged lightly at her arm. ‘Hey, c’mon. You need to drink more to hydrate.’

‘Shh, go away,’ she mumbled faintly, her words barely coherent. ‘Just… let me sleep.’

‘You were saying something about having it all figured out.’

She mumbled into her arms. ‘Yeah. Be there for Siya, give my all to the foundation, then go to cabins to die alone. I’d hoped to earn enough forgiveness not to end up in hell.’

‘For what?’ he asked gently.

‘For my sins.’

He frowned. ‘Everyone makes mistakes, Kashvi.’

‘Not like I did. And now I never will, because I broke his heart and pushed Swayam away,’ she said, tears slipping down her cheeks and onto the table.

He didn’t resist the urge to smooth a hand over her hair, hoping to offer even an ounce of comfort. ‘Then why did you do it?’

‘Because he threatened me to,’ she mumbled, and he couldn’t tell if he’d misheard.

His blood ran cold.

He leaned closer, rubbing a hand over her back. ‘What do you mean?’

Kashvi barely reacted, lost somewhere inside her own head. She lifted two fingers in front of her eyes as she continued, ‘I mean, I could see it in his eyes. Do you think Swayam is already… engaged to her?’

Dhruv lightly shook her shoulder. ‘Hey, focus. What do you mean by threatened?’

She sighed. ‘If I didn’t, he would leak my pictures.’