Chapter 28 #3
‘And yeah, marrying you was always my plan. I was going to ask you out on your birthday anyway.’ He stared at the floor for a moment before laughing under his breath, the sound hollow and shaken. ‘But I know none of that matters anymore.’
‘Why not?’ she asked quickly, hating the thought instantly.
The resigned devastation in his eyes made her chest ache. ‘Because nothing changes the fact that I’m tied to Viraj, the man who hurt you. I mean, it’s affected you so much that you flinch every time you hear a camera shutter.’
She went speechless at the fact that he had noticed.
He dragged his gaze away. ‘Even I don’t know how to come to terms with that either. So if you still want to divorce me... I’ll understand.’
Her heart cracked, and she grabbed his arm immediately. ‘Swayam, no. The only reason I said those things was because Viraj threatened you too. I wanted to keep you safe.’
He nodded slowly and brushed away her tears. ‘I understand that now. Believe me, the thought of losing you is killing me. But I can never erase what Viraj did to you, and you deserve a better life than one haunted by it.’
‘I’m no one to judge your family when I can barely even look at my own father without feeling ashamed. I don’t need you to erase anything. Just be with me,’ Kashvi urged.
‘And I always will. But just like before, you’ll decide the nature of our relationship. There’s no better way for me to love you than to set you free,’ he said, his throat thick with emotion.
She clasped his hands tightly. ‘If you think losing you would make my life better, then you’re completely wrong. The only thing that scared me when Viraj attacked me was that I might never get the chance to tell you how much I love you.’
‘You... what?’ he asked, completely caught off guard.
Kashvi pulled him closer by the back of his neck and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. ‘I only have one heart, and I gave it to you a long time ago. You stole it years back, and ever since then, I’ve only ever loved you.’
His forehead dropped against hers as though her words had hit him too hard to bear. ‘God, Kash... I love you so much it hurts when you’re not with me.’
And then Swayam kissed her.
The first touch of his lips pulled a moan from her, and she poured everything she had been holding back into the kiss. Fear. Relief. Love.
His hand slid into her hair as he drew her closer, his lips moving against hers with a consuming intensity that stole her breath.
Her fingers tangled in his hair as he deepened the kiss.
Kashvi could taste the salt of tears between them, could feel the slight tremor in his arms as he held her tightly, like he never wanted another inch between them again.
Then pain shot sharply through her bruised stomach, and a broken sob slipped out.
Swayam pulled back immediately, concern flashing across his face. ‘Hey, did I hurt you?’
‘No,’ she managed, wiping her cheek with the back of her hand. ‘I think it just hit me that I’m going to have to tolerate you for the rest of my life.’
‘In every life,’ he corrected with a wink. ‘You’re stuck with me forever. That’s your punishment.’
Kashvi laughed softly, loving the thought of it. ‘That’s exactly what I deserve.’
But then reality came rushing back. ‘But you should know, I’m in deep trouble. If I don’t get Viraj the money by tonight, and I really don’t have it, he might release everything. It won’t just affect us; it will affect everyone connected to me. And he’s after you too.’
There was no shock or confusion on his face, only understanding. ‘He’s jealous of me because he thinks his parents, especially Maasi, love me more.’
Kashvi blinked in surprise. ‘You know that?’
He let out a harsh breath. ‘I’ve always known. That’s why I told her and Mausa not to compare us, not to turn everything into a competition. But they kept doing it because they thought it would push him to do better, to be more like me. I guess his resentment grew into hatred for me over time.’
‘It’s worse than that,’ she replied quietly. ‘He seemed hell-bent on ruining my life. Even if I somehow give him the money, he might still come after me just to prove that he can. So are you sure you want to be with me?’
‘I’ll do everything I can to stop that from happening. But if the worst happens, you still won’t face it alone. The day I married you, I vowed to stand beside you in every lifetime, Kashvi, and I intend to keep that promise until my last breath.’
She broke at that, tears burning her eyes as pressed a kiss to his cheek like a vow of her own.
A sudden, loud banging echoed through the apartment, making her entire body jolt in fear.
Swayam caressed her cheek, pulling her back from the edge of panic. ‘It’s just Luv and Dhruv. I asked them to come.’
He enclosed her trembling hand in his, steadying her. ‘I’m here, Kash. I swear nothing and no one is ever going to hurt you like that again. I’ll keep you safe. I promise.’
‘I know,’ she whispered.
He held her gaze for a lingering moment as he stood, then leaned down to kiss her forehead softly. ‘I’ll be right back. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be okay.’
Kashvi smiled back, but she couldn’t put her heart into it. She could only pray he was right.