Page 31 of The Promise of a Traitor

She shook her head, her smile fading. “I should get back to Amyra. She’ll be wondering where I disappeared to. You shouldn’t waste any more time here. Have a good day at the office.”

She didn’t wait for him to concur before starting towards the emergency room.

“I’m not leaving.”

She stopped, her hand on the door. She turned to look at him, her face blank with shock. “What?”

“I’m here. Tell me what to do. How can I help?”

“Help?” she parroted, like it was a foreign concept.

“Yes, Aastha.” He walked over to where she stood, reaching up to grasp her chin and tip her face up so her gaze could meet his. “How can I help make this easier for you?”

For the longest moment, she just gaped at him like a goldfish. And then suspicion clouded her gaze, her brows snapping together. “Why are you being nice to me?”

Advik shrugged. “I’m a nice guy.”

“Bullshit.” She lowered her voice, making it ridiculously deep and low. “I’m Advi Malhotra. I’m going to destroy you for what you’ve done to me. I hate you, Aastha Agarwal. Remember that?”

Advik’s smile fell away. His hand reached up to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his thumb gently caressing her jawline.

“I do hate you,” he whispered. “Now tell me how I can help.”

Chapter Twenty

Aastha

The day had been a flurry of activity, nonstop instructions from doctors, nurses, groggy pleas from Amyra to be taken home and silent, unswerving support from Advik. It was unnerving. Aastha was so used to being a one woman show, the only woman show in her family. Having someone beside her who stepped up without a word of complaint, really threw her.

They transferred Amyra into a private room, the wheels of her stretcher squeaking along the tiled floor, an unrelenting sound that felt like a drumbeat in her head. The room was small but at least they weren’t sharing with someone. Aastha sat down at the base of her sister’s bed, her gaze on her sleeping sister. Her temples throbbed, her migraine settling in like a vise around her skull. She pressed the tips of her fingers to her temples but it did nothing for the sharp pain reverberating through her head.

And then another pair of hands joined hers. Advik’s long, strong fingers massaged her scalp, hitting all the pressure points perfectly. A ghost of past memories layered with a patina of the present.

“Please don’t,” she said huskily, trying to pull away from him. “I can manage. I’m used to it.”

His hands held her in place. “You don’t need to manage when I’m here to help.” He moved one large hand to the back of her neck, massaging the rock like muscles there.

“And when you’re not?”

For a split second, his hands hovered over her skin, the heat from them feeling like a brand against her skin.

“I guess you go back to managing again,” he said gruffly.

Aastha twisted in his grip, looking up at him. “Why are you doing this, Adi?”

He met her gaze, his intent one locking with hers. “There are some things that are beyond me, Aastha. Watching you in pain and doing nothing about it…that has never been an option. Not for me.”

“Di?” Amyra’s groggy voice had them jumping apart.

“Amu.” Relief flooded Aastha at the sound of her sister’s voice. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired,” Amyra slurred, her voice thick and garbled.

Aastha shushed her instinctively, smoothening the hair back from Amyra’s sticky forehead. “Get some rest. The doctors said if everything goes well, we can go home tomorrow.”

Amyra fought the waves of sleep enveloping her, squinting confusedly at Advik who was standing at the foot of the bed.

“What’s he doing here?” she asked, the words spilling over each other in a rush as she blinked rapidly to keep the sleep at bay.