Page 125 of Since You Stole My Heart

Dhruv forced himself to pull back because he couldn’t fix this by overwhelming her. ‘Fine. I get that you don’t trust me, but talk to Siya. She’ll understand.’

‘How many times do you think she can watch me mess things up before she gives up on me?’ she said, almost to herself.

He shook his head. ‘You’re being too harsh on yourself. This is not on you. You’ve done a lot of good, Kashvi. That has to count for something.’

Her forehead creased as she cried harder. ‘It’s still not enough to deserve someone like Swayam. But how do I let him go?’

Her eyes shone with tears as she clutched her chest, like something inside her was tearing apart. He had nothing that could take her pain away, and he was failing her again, just like before.

Suddenly, she pushed herself upright. Though her knees buckled once, she still managed to stagger a few steps away before Dhruv grabbed her things and followed her.

‘I don’t need your help!’ she snapped when he reached out to steady her.

The rejection stung, but he swallowed it down and stepped back. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Vihaan approaching, but waved him off.

Kashvi drifted towards the staff room instead of the main entrance. When she fumbled with the handle, he reached over and eased the door open for her.

She knocked his hand away clumsily. ‘Why are you trying to help me?’

He chuckled softly. ‘I’m doing this because I don’t have a death wish. If you hurt yourself, Siya would kill me.’

Kashvi hummed. ‘That, I can believe. She’s terrifying when she wants to be. I wonder what she’d do to Viraj if she found out.’

The name ignited a fresh wave of fury in his chest, and he knew facing him would be far worse for Viraj than anything their elder sister could come up with. ‘If she takes a vote, my suggestion would be castration. I’d even offer to handle it myself.’

She laughed softly. ‘You’d have to get in line.’

He pushed the door open wider, and they stepped into the dark room.

Kashvi blinked hard as shadows settled across her face. ‘Is it night already?’

Dhruv hid a smile, playing along. ‘Yeah. Time flies when you’re drowning your sorrows. Why don’t you rest for a while and I’ll book a cab for you?’

He helped her settle down, and she sank into the cushions with a groan. ‘Who leaves a sofa out on the road?’

Dhruv patted her arm. ‘We like to offer a premium experience to our customers.’

‘Good, good,’ she yawned, her eyes drooping shut as she stretched out on the sofa.

He stepped closer and gently slid a cushion beneath her head. Her wet lashes clung to her cheeks. ‘Do you think Swayam will ever forgive me?’

Dhruv smoothed her hair back from her face. ‘I think he’s a reasonable man, and if you tell him the truth, he’ll understand you were cornered into it.’

She mumbled something incoherent, drifting off.

A loud horn rang out from outside, and she jerked awake with a sharp cry. Her eyes snapped open, fear flashing across her face. ‘Viraj! Is he here? Did he find me?’

‘He won’t, and even if he does, I’ll handle him,’ he said firmly as a fierce, unyielding need to keep her safe rose inside him. ‘You’re safe, Kashu. I’m right here.’

Her wide eyes stayed fixed on his, searching, before she whispered, ‘Where were you before when I needed you?’

Then she went slack, unconscious.

The dried tear tracks on her cheeks and the smudged kohl framing her lashes made her look younger somehow. Haunted.

This was heartbreak in its most unguarded form, and Swayam’s absence was carved straight through the centre of it. Even now, she had to be absolutely drunk to confide everything in Dhruv.

He only had himself to blame.