Page 155 of Since You Stole My Heart

Something cracked in Dhruv’s laser-sharp focus, and he faltered. ‘Exactly. You should’ve been the one standing between her and him, making sure none of this happened. You failed her.’

Swayam didn’t back off.

‘You’re right. It’s not something I’m ever going to forgive myself for. But I don’t think you want to hurt her more, and throwing punches around her will do exactly that.’

The room fell into strained silence. Her heart clenched at the guilt etched so visibly across his face.

With a sharp exhale, Dhruv reluctantly released Swayam’s collar.

He turned to her, but kept his gaze lowered. ‘I’m sorry, Kashu. I couldn’t keep my temper in check when I dealt with Viraj. Now he’s pissed and making you pay for it.’

Vihaan stepped forward beside him. ‘He’s right. One of us should’ve dropped you home.’

Kashvi shook her head. ‘This happened because things didn’t go Viraj’s way. He can lash out all he wants, but I won’t stop fighting him. I need all of you with me, helping me through this, not drowning in guilt.’

Dhruv said, ‘We’re with you. Every step of the way.’

‘Then fighting with my husband for something he didn’t do isn’t helping me,’ she argued gently.

Dhruv glanced at Swayam, the anger behind his earlier outburst slowly fading. ‘Swayam, I’m sorry. You told me she’d been attacked, but I didn’t realise how bad it was until I saw her. I just… lost it.’

Swayam patted him on the back. ‘We’re cool. Though if it helps, I don’t agree with my wife. You have every right to be mad at me, so you get one free pass to punch me whenever you want.’

‘What the hell?’ Kashvi snapped.

‘You want to sugarcoat things, but I don’t.’ Swayam shrugged. Then he pointed at Dhruv’s black eye. ‘Besides, I’m jealous of him because, from the looks of it, Dhruv got a shot at Viraj while I still have to wait. At least it gives me some peace knowing he’s hurting a little.’

‘A lot,’ she corrected. ‘I slashed his cheek with glass.’

Swayam chuckled softly and pulled her closer. ‘That’s my girl.’

Dhruv watched him for a beat, then asked, still unrelenting, ‘You can say that now, but what happens when your family finds out? From what I’ve heard, you’re close to Viraj’s mother. Whenit really comes down to it, are you actually going to stand against them?’

Swayam tucked her closer against his chest as he answered with bold, unwavering clarity. ‘It doesn’t matter who or what we face in life, the only place for me is by Kashvi’s side. She’s my wife, my choice, and my priority. End of discussion.’

His declaration settled deep inside her, grounding her in a way she hadn’t realised she needed.

Dhruv asked carefully, ‘So you didn’t go to meet that girl?’

Swayam’s brows drew together and he exhaled, faintly offended. ‘Of course not. What kind of question is that?’

‘Yeah,’ Dhruv muttered, some of the tension leaving his rigid posture. ‘I figured.’

Luv looked between them. ‘So that’s why Viraj got desperate enough to do all this?’

Vihaan nodded. ‘He was supposed to get money from that girl’s father, and we stole his phone, so he lost a lot of money last night.’

Kashvi hesitated, her fingers curling into a fist. Then she said, ‘He had backups. He cornered me when I got home and showed me the pictures on a new phone.’

‘Fuck!’ Dhruv shouted, dragging a hand down his face.

‘So what does he want now?’ Vihaan asked.

‘He wants a hundred crores.’

‘What? Is he out of his mind?’ Luv snapped.

Dhruv dragged in a frustrated breath. ‘So everything we did last night was for nothing.’