Page 1 of Since You Stole My Heart

Prologue

31 January, 2007

19 Years Ago

Kashvi curled her bare toes against the cold edge of the top step of the staircase as she whispered into her teddy’s ear, ‘Do you think we’re being very, very stupid? Because I do.’

In the dead of the night, the massive, dark house felt absolutely scary. The chandelier above the foyer glowed with dim crystal light, casting silver streaks across the black marble floor. It was so quiet that she could almost hear her racing heart.

A loud horn had blared an hour ago in the driveway, startling her awake. Kashvi had rushed out of her room, eager to meet her mother after a long week apart, but stopped dead short when she saw her father follow after her.

She had been standing at the top of the spiral staircase with both arms locked around Mr Buttons since then, wondering if she should just wait until tomorrow.

Kashvi wished her elder sister was with her, holding her hand, but just as quickly she shook it off. If Siya had been there, she would not have let her come this far. Whenever they heardarguments from their mother’s room, Siya would stop her from checking up with one dreadful question.

What if Dad catches us snooping around?

Kashvi had never had an answer for that because the thought of being caught made her knees tremble. She didn’t want to risk his ire. The fear she saw in the staff and her mother whenever he was around told her he was not someone to be tested.

Her gaze drifted towards the safety of her bedroom, and with a heavy sigh, she decided to wait until morning, when her mother would wake her for school.

Kashvi had only taken a few steps back when a hard crack split the silence.

Then her mother cried out.

The sharp, broken sound made her tummy twist, and Kashvi quickly whipped down the stairs. When she caught a glimpse of her father slamming the door shut, she darted behind the wall beside the stairs, out of sight.

She took a slow breath, then peeked down the little corridor where only one door stood at the end, with warm light shining beneath it. Their voices rose inside, overlapping in a way that made them blur into one another, too muffled to understand.

A loud, agonising cry rang through the door, pulling Kashvi towards it as her heart clenched. She tiptoed to it and gently pressed her ear against the wood, straining to hear.

‘How could you do this to me?’ her mother shouted, raw and hurt.

‘What else did you expect me to do?’ her father snapped back. ‘How could I be with you when you spend every day moping around like a zombie?’

‘I’m not moping around. I’m busy raising our daughters, making sure they have a mother who looks after their needs, because clearly their father doesn’t bother to try!’

‘I work hard to keep a roof over our heads, so don’t you dare disrespect me,’ her father replied, and even though the sound was muffled, the steel in his voice made her shiver.

Her mother gave a bitter, mocking laugh. ‘You work hard for what, exactly? Everything we have comes from my father, and I can handle my family business better than you do, but you won’t let me.’

Kashvi frowned at the strange accusation. Every time she’d asked her mother if she missed working, she told her she loved staying home with them. Didn’t she?

‘My wife isn’t going to work! Your place is here at home, taking care of our family.’

An uncomfortable knot formed in her stomach at her father’s words.

‘And where is your place? In the arms of that girl from the office that you’ve been cheating on me with?’ her mother demanded.

Her brows furrowed deeper as she tried to fit the word onto her father. During homework time, Siya would tap her pencil on her forehead if Kashvi tried to peek at her answers, and she would get the same warning. Only bad kids cheat.

So why did Maa say that about Papa? Did he cheat in a test?

Though she couldn’t understand why, she heard the pain in her mother’s voice as she asked, ‘Cat got your tongue, Karthik? Or are you finally tired of acting like a family man?’

The sudden silence felt jarring and she pinched her brows in concentration until the sound of a slap split through it. Kashvi flinched hard, digging her fingers into the plush toy as her heartbeat sped up.

Her hand flew up to her mouth, pressing it hard against her lips to muffle her shriek. Kashvi wanted to push open the door, run to her mother and hold her the way she did when she fell and scraped her knee. But her feet didn’t move.