Page 157 of Since You Stole My Heart

Her pulse hammered against the base of her throat. ‘Viraj left because he got a call from someone. He was furious, but he still obeyed that man.’

Swayam frowned. ‘That doesn’t add up. Something’s not right here.’

Vihaan hummed softly, his eyes turning distant as he thought.

‘What?’ Dhruv asked, catching the shift in his expression.

Vihaan’s gaze locked onto Kashvi. ‘This morning, do you remember warning us not to share your drunken ramblings with Karthik?’

Kashvi cringed at the memory. ‘I’m sorry again.’

‘That’s not what I meant,’ Vihaan assured her. ‘I know it came from fear of your father. But that’s exactly my point. You have good reason to be scared of him because he’s proven time and again that he’ll cross any limit for his own benefit. So… could he be behind this?’

Her heart pounded so violently it felt like it might burst out of her chest.

‘But how could it be Karthik?’ Luv asked. ‘He only knew about your inheritance and the wedding. He couldn’t have known about Siya’s adoption plans, right?’

Dhruv’s eyes widened. ‘Siya had to ask the trustee board for character certifications during the adoption process. Dad was on the committee, so he knows.’

Her father had access, influence, and motive. Cold unease spread through her as her mind resisted pulling at that thread, terrified of where it might lead.

Swayam shifted beside her, drawing her attention. ‘Mausa, Viraj’s father, handles finances for a lot of influential families who move in the same circles as yours. There’s a good chance he came across Karthik through those connections.’

‘It’s possible,’ she whispered.

Luv raised his hands. ‘I think we need to slow down. I’ve seen enough to know Karthik is capable of horrible things. But as a father, would he really blackmail his own daughter with something like this for money?’

The moment he said it, the answer hit her with brutal clarity.

Yes, he would.

Dhruv clenched his jaw and gave a grim nod. He was too familiar with their father’s cruelty to deny it. ‘Yes, he would.’

Vihaan cut in. ‘If we’re going to accuse Karthik of a crime this serious, we better have solid, undeniable proof tying him to Viraj.’

Dhruv dragged a hand through his messy hair. ‘If he’s involved, he’s not going to leave anything obvious behind. He’s too careful about that, so he gets someone else to do his dirty work.’

Her vision blurred at the edges, dizziness making her sway as the weight of it all pushed Kashvi to the brink.

Swayam tightened his arm around her. ‘I’ve got you, baby. I know this is a lot.’

‘Thank you.’ She closed her eyes and leaned against him because there was nowhere else to go. He was her tether to sanity while the storm inside her mind raged harder, fed by the pain coursing through her veins.

The doorbell chimed, sharp against the heavy silence, and Vihaan immediately moved towards it.

The second he opened the door, he froze.

Kashvi breath caught as she looked past him towards the figure standing outside.

Lavanya.

Chapter 30

‘Swayam?’

Lavanya called out through the doorway, her breathing uneven and her red curls dishevelled, like she’d rushed over without stopping.

A silent, desperate plea tightened in Kashvi’s chest as she prayed Viraj wouldn’t walk in behind his fiancée. She didn’t have it in her to protect Lavanya’s feelings anymore.