Page 158 of Since You Stole My Heart

‘Where’s Swayam?’ Lavanya asked Vihaan, whose gaze remained firmly fixed on the floor. The frazzled strands of his hair fell over his forehead, hiding half the face.

Swayam raised a hand and waved her in. ‘Lavi, I’m here.’

The moment Lavanya stepped inside, Kashvi noticed her swollen eyes and the faint red mark on her cheek. Dread twisted hard in her gut.

Dhruv, who had been leaning against the wall, straightened immediately. Vihaan moved to stand beside him, and they exchanged a few hushed words that made Kashvi frown in curiosity.

Lavanya’s gaze landed on them, and she stopped mid-step.

‘Hey, what’s wrong? Is everything okay?’ Swayam asked.

Lavanya kept looking between Dhruv and Vihaan, then pointed a trembling finger towards them.

Dhruv muttered under his breath, ‘Fuck.’

‘It was them last night!’ Lavanya shouted, her eyes widening.

Still carrying the dull ache of bruises that protested with every movement, Kashvi stepped forward. ‘Hey, hey. Why don’t you sit down and we’ll talk, okay?’ she asked, hoping to buy herself time to explain.

The moment Lavanya saw her properly, she gasped in shock at the bruises covering Kashvi’s face. The strap of the bag on her shoulder slipped free and fell to the floor.

Kashvi mentally cursed herself for not putting on some damn concealer.

Tears sprang into Lavanya’s eyes as she covered her mouth. ‘No, no. Tell me this isn’t true.’

Swayam placed a hand on her shoulder. ‘Hey, Lavi, look at me. What happened? Why are you crying?’

Kashvi moved closer too, drawn in by her distress.

A raw, relentless torment blazed in Lavanya’s eyes as she broke into a keening cry. ‘Please… please, don’t tell me Viraj hurt you. Oh God, it can’t be.’

Kashvi’s head snapped towards Swayam. The stunned look on his face mirrored her own disbelief. Her spine stiffened atthe anguish in Lavanya’s voice, and she wished she knew how to break a woman’s heart as gently as possible.

When neither of them answered, Lavanya rushed forward and grabbed Kashvi’s hands. ‘I already know the answer, but I need to hear it from you. Did he do this?’

A fiery, blinding pain shot up her arm as the sudden movement pulled the stitches in her palm. Kashvi screamed and immediately jerked her injured hand back.

Lavanya let go instantly, stumbling back a step. ‘I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to... I just panicked.’

Swayam gently took Kashvi’s hand, carefully inspecting it as he asked, ‘Kash, are you okay? Want me to call Maithili?’

Kashvi forced herself to breathe through the agony as she shook her head. ‘It’s okay.’

Lavanya spoke hesitantly. ‘I’m a nurse. Can I check your hand? Just to make sure there’s no damage?’

Kashvi nodded and extended her hand. Lavanya held it with visible caution as she examined the stitches with practised attention. ‘They’re intact. You’re okay.’

‘See? You can relax. You didn’t hurt me,’ Kashvi offered with a strained smile.

Lavanya gently rubbed her cheek and nodded once. ‘Relax? I don’t really remember what that feels like.’

Her admission filled the room with tension.

Swayam asked, ‘Talk to us. Maasi told me you guys called off the engagement.’

Lavanya let out a short, brittle laugh. ‘We? No.Icalled off the engagement. You know what’s funny? I knew something felt wrong when Viraj proposed out of nowhere, but I assumed it was because Mummyji pushed him into it. Yesterday, I found out he only made it official because my father agreed to pay him money as a wedding gift.’

Vihaan and Dhruv exchanged a knowing glance.