Page 38 of The Promise of a Traitor

Kanak and Maya exchanged a knowing look that only infuriated him further. “You,” he said, pointing at his mother, “you did this. You brought that woman and her…her machinations into our lives. Who does that?”

“Machinations?” Kanak’s eyebrows shot up. “Well done on the advanced vocabulary, Adi.”

Advik thought the top of his head was going to blow off in an explosion of rage.

Maya pointed a finger back at him. “You said yes to marrying Aastha after meeting her just once. You know nothing about her. Who does that?”

“I know everything about her?” The words exploded out of him. “I know she likes her coffee strong with a cube of sugar. I know she likes bright colours and despises black outfits. She loves the ocean and won’t go on a hike even if you threaten her at gunpoint. Her definition of working out is buying new exercise wear and watching exercise videos while eating cake on the couch. Oh and she believes in astrology and horoscopes as much as she believes that the moon is made of cheese.” He stopped long enough to take a breath before adding, “And she loves cheese.”

“I knew it. You knew her from New York,” Maya said with a satisfied smile, dropping the sherwani on a nearby chair and stepping back. She folded her hands across her chest and set her gaze on Advik.

“What’s wrong with black clothes?” Kanak demanded, staring down at her black co-ord set. “I wear black all the time.”

“And you look like a vampire,” Maya said matter-of-factly, her eyes never leaving her son. “And now,” her voice went steely, “Adi, care to start from the beginning?”

“No,” he mumbled, struggling to meet his mother’s gaze.

“Let me rephrase.” Maya’s voice cracked like a whip. “Start talking. Now!”

Advik looked over Maya’s shoulder to where Kanak stood, a silent plea in his gaze. Kanak just raised her eyebrows and waited for his response, his coolest aunt refusing to come to his aid.

Shit. He was in big trouble now.

He opened his mouth but no words came out. All he could feel was the gaping hole where his heart had been before Aastha cut it out of him. When the silence in the room threatened to swallow him whole, Advik brought his hand to his chest, trying to rub it to ease the crippling pain that had taken up residence there.

“Adi.” Maya’s soft exclamation was all he heard before she wrapped her arms around him, drawing him close. His safe space, his childhood, his earliest memories of love, they’d all been found in her arms. Advik held on to her, buried his face in her shoulder and finally let the pain, the anger, the soul crushing grief pour out of him.

Maya weathered the furious storm of his emotions without a word, holding on until he took a shuddering breath and stepped back, stumbling into a chair. Kanak passed him a glass of water and rubbed a comforting hand down his back before taking the chair beside him.

“She was a student at NYU but we didn’t meet on campus.” His voice was hoarse, throat raw from long suppressed emotions ripping free. “She worked at a café close to my apartment. I…we…”

“Were in love?” Kanak asked softly.

“I thought so,” he confessed. “I was. I…” he struggled with this part but finally said, “I am. I always have been.”

“She wasn’t?” Maya’s voice sharpened.

“I thought she was. Until she disappeared.”

“What does disappeared mean?” Maya frowned.

“I woke up one morning and she was gone. No text, no message, no call. Nothing. She’d left for India, a plan that had been in motion for over two weeks prior.”

“And she told you nothing about it?” Kanak’s famous temper spilled through her words.

Advik shook his head. “Nothing. She blocked me everywhere so I couldn’t find any trace of her. I thought something had happened to her. I thought she’d died in an accident or something because why…why would she not contact me otherwise? We were…what we had…It was perfect. Our relationship was the best thing that had ever happened to me.”

The words were almost a whisper.

“I’m a little offended,” Kanak muttered. “I thought I was the best thing that ever happened to everyone in my circle.”

Advik gave a watery chuckle, reaching out and squeezing her hand in gratitude. “You are. You’re the tsunami none of us can outrun.”

“And the next time you saw her was when…” Maya began.

“When I walked into that café to meet the girl you’d set me up with,” Advik finished for her.

Maya fell silent, frowning, her hands clenched in her lap. “I don’t like this,” she said, after a moment. “I don’t like any of it.”