Chapter 35 #2
Kashvi swallowed past the ache in her throat. ‘I’ve told myself that a thousand times, but I still don’t know how to live with the thought that Maa might have died believing I wanted to kill her.’
Swayam’s hand moved slowly over her back. ‘Just before the crash, you told her your dad who made you do it, right? She had to know you never meant to hurt her.’
‘And I know she forgives you,’ Siya said softly.
Kashvi shook her head, averting her gaze. ‘You can’t know that.’
‘I can, because I forgive you,’ Siya said with a sad smile. ‘I hate that we lost Maa, and that’s something we’ll always have to live with. But I don’t want to lose you too.’
Swayam said quietly, ‘I can’t even begin to imagine what the three of you have lived through, but I do know one thing. If we want to get past this and move forward, we do it together.’
Abhay gave his back a light thump. ‘Your husband is smart, Kashu.’
‘I try,’ Swayam said with a small chuckle. Then he looked at Siya. ‘But why didn’t you tell us your plan earlier?’
Abhay answered for her. ‘Siya only had an hour to come up with it. If Karthik sensed even the slightest crack in our story, he would never have believed he was in danger.
Siya turned back to her sister. ‘There were a lot of reasons I couldn’t tell you, but the biggest one was that I needed to give you a chance to confront Dad.
He kept us afraid. That was his power. You had to face the monster in him, and you could only do that if you believed you had nothing left to lose. ’
As always, her sister was right. For once, she had stood in front of her father without letting fear rule her.
‘But both he and Viraj are gone now,’ Dhruv cut in, smug satisfaction curling into his voice. ‘It’s over.’
Siya nodded, relief softening her face. ‘And I’ll do everything I can to keep Dad away from all of us.’
Swayam brushed his thumb over Kashvi’s cheek. ‘Your father got what he deserved. I’d like to think your mother is at peace seeing that. Maybe it’s time you cast off his ghost too.’
Then he added lightly, ‘If you want, I’m available to be your exorcist.’
Siya snorted. ‘You do have the face for it.’
Swayam took the dig with an apologetic smile. ‘Siya, I shouldn’t have snapped at you earlier. The second you said you’d call the police, all I could think about was Kash trapped in there, and it messed with my head. But I still should’ve trusted you. I’m sorry.’
Siya studied him for a moment, then a soft smile touched her lips. ‘Don’t be. Honestly, knowing you have her back is the only thing that helps me sleep a little better at night.’
‘Not me,’ Kashvi muttered, nudging Swayam lightly.
‘Oh, come on, you love me,’ Swayam said, his tone teasing.
‘I do,’ Kashvi said, and meant it with all her heart.
He slipped an arm around her shoulders. ‘Then how about I take you home?’
Siya nodded at once. ‘I think we should call Maithili over too. I don’t like how pale you look, so let’s get you checked.’
The last of Kashvi’s adrenaline bled away at the thought of being prodded and examined any further, leaving behind only bone-deep exhaustion. Her limbs felt heavy as she leaned into Swayam and rested her head against his chest.
Swayam held her close, his hand settling firmly at her waist. ‘Before you get any more brilliant ideas, let me make one thing clear. I’m taking Kash home, and you’re going back to yours.’
Siya stared at him. ‘What the hell? I get to make sure she’s okay. She’s my sister.’
‘And she’s my wife,’ he shot back. ‘She needs rest, Siya. The doctor can wait till tomorrow.’
‘Di, he’s right,’ Kashvi said gently. ‘It’s really late, and all I want to do is sleep. I’m fine.’
‘You’re lucky I like you,’ Siya muttered to Swayam before looking back to her sister. ‘But I’m coming over tomorrow. Don’t even think you can stop me.’
‘I’ll be there too,’ Dhruv announced in a tone that left no room for protest.
Swayam chuckled. ‘I’ll keep breakfast ready for both of you.’
Siya clasped Kashvi’s hand.
‘Kashu, do you remember Maa’s last words to you? She told you to hold on, and I think you should do that. Hold on to her love for us, and hold on to her memory with love.’
Kashvi missed her mother with the kind of ache time could not soften. But today, in this house that had once held her mother’s laughter, she felt closer to her than she had in years.
Holding onto that warmth blooming in her chest, she said, ‘I will, Di. I promise.’
‘Take care of yourself, okay? Remember, you’re our girl,’ Abhay said, pulling her into a quick hug.
‘You got it, Jiju.’
Swayam took her hand from Siya’s and flashed her a grin. ‘Shall we, baby?’
‘Hell, yeah.’ Kashvi gave him a faint, tired smile.
An hour later, by the time they reached their apartment, the night had fallen into a deep hush.
Kashvi kept her arm looped loosely around his neck, leaning into Swayam as they climbed the last flight of stairs. ‘I think we should grab a few clothes and go to Di’s place. There’s no way we can stay here.’
‘Why not?’ he asked, his arm firm around her waist as he carried most of her weight with effortless ease.
She frowned. ‘Do you not remember what the house looked like? How exactly do you plan to sleep?’
‘With you in my arms.’
Heat curled low in her belly despite the fatigue as his dark gaze flickered briefly to her lips.
Swayam turned the key and pushed the door open. Kashvi steeled herself for the wreckage waiting in the living room, but the moment she stepped inside, she stopped short.
Every trace of Viraj’s destruction was gone.
The broken furniture had been cleared away. The scattered glass and shattered television no longer littered the floor. The room looked almost bare now, save for the lone sofa in the corner beside the bookshelves. A single lamp stood nearby, spilling warm golden light into the otherwise dark room.
Kashvi moved closer and realised the splintered sections in the bookcase had been replaced. There were still a few scratches in the wood, but it was still intact.
She sighed in relief as she took in the few books that had survived Viraj’s destruction.
‘How… how did you even do all of this? Are you secretly a magician?’
He laughed softly and guided her to the sofa with a gentle hand at her waist. When she moved to sit beside him, he tugged her down into his lap.
His arms came around her waist, his hand moving in slow circles over her back. ‘No, you are. I just followed your idea and told your assistant to send the boys over from the foundation. Since it was a rush job, I paid them triple.’
‘But we weren’t here.’
‘Vihaan and Luv stayed back to help. Don’t worry, all of them had a pizza party.’
Kashvi let out a small laugh, her fingers absently toying with the buttons on his shirt. ‘I can’t believe you did all this.’
His gaze stayed on her face. ‘I know you must be upset about the books, but I’ll make it right. Whatever we lost, I’ll replace it.’
‘Oh God, you’ve already done so much.’ Her voice caught as she went on, ‘I didn’t even have the energy to process any of it, and you just… I don’t even know how to thank you for everything.’
Swayam shook his head, dismissing the notion at once. ‘You don’t have to.’ He pulled her close, resting his forehead against hers. ‘I’ll fix anything that worries you. I’ll get rid of everything that hurts you. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure you never feel afraid again in your own home.’
His muscles tensed beneath her hands, and she gripped his collar tighter. ‘Our home.’
A soft sigh slipped past her lips as he tugged at her hair and drew her closer. He nuzzled her neck, pressing soft kisses along the curve. ‘You’re my home. Everything I need to be happy, to feel alive, comes from you.’
‘Then come back home to me,’ Kashvi whispered.
Something shifted in his eyes, and Swayam closed the distance between them in a single breath. His lips crashed onto hers, sending fire through her veins and jolting her back to life.
He gripped the nape of her neck, holding her there as he kissed her with slow, maddening fervour.
Kashvi melted into him, her fingers fisting in his shirt, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath her palm. The faint scrape of his stubble and the warmth of his breath mingling with hers made her head spin.
When they broke apart, Kashvi whispered, ‘Don’t ever let me go.’
Swayam pulled her flush against him, making her breath hitch. ‘I meant it when I said I’m selfish. You’re only mine, and I’m never letting you go.’
When his fingers brushed her bruised cheek, pain shot through her, but she did not pull away. Restless with need, she moved against him until she could feel the solid line of him hardening beneath her.
He hissed sharply, grinding against her, making her lose her mind. ‘Baby, you’re making it very difficult to stop.’
‘Then don’t stop,’ she moaned, heat pooling low in her belly, aching for more.
‘It’s killing me to do that, but I don’t want to hurt you,’ Swayam admitted through clenched teeth.
The need to kiss him, to touch him, to lose herself in him burned brighter than the dull pain in her body. ‘Don’t think about that. Tell me what you want.’
‘What I want is to take my time with you.’
His words alone sent her pulse racing. And when his mouth found the curve of her jaw, her breath hitched. ‘I want to show you just how crazy you make me. I want to figure out what makes you moan and beg for more. I want to learn everything about you.’
His lips grazed her ear, licking the sensitive spot just beneath it. ‘And I want to hear you scream my name when you come, right here on my tongue.’