Page 7 of Since You Stole My Heart

Maithili furrowed her brows, just enough to show her concern. ‘How did you feel when you found out about her condition?’

She scoffed bitterly. ‘I found new ways to hate myself when I already had plenty. The night Di told me, that’s when the nightmares got worse.’

Maithili spoke softly, ‘Listen to me. Grief twists the story in our minds until we can no longer tell the difference between what we fear happened and what actually happened.’

‘The difference doesn’t matter, because it won’t bring back Maa!’ Kashvi snapped, anger surging through her veins.

Neither will screaming at the therapist who is only trying to help, the shameful thought slithered through her mind, and Kashvi clamped down on her tongue.

She took a moment to compose herself, dragging a hand down her face and curling her toes into the plush velvet carpet. ‘I’m sorry, Maithili. It was wrong of me to snap at you.’

‘You’re allowed to be angry here.’ Maithili met her gaze calmly. ‘Besides, I remember how you refused to talk about the accident when we first started our sessions. It’s taken me yearsto get you to yell at me, and honestly, I’d take that over your silence any day.’

That pulled a small, reluctant chuckle out of Kashvi. ‘You really do know how to distract me with your dry sarcasm.’

Maithili smiled. ‘It hasn’t been easy, but I think I’ve found a balance with you, and I’ll take that as a win.’

Kashvi wasn’t sure what to say to that, so she let her gaze drop to the floor.

‘How’s Siya?’ Maithili asked, hoping to keep her from retreating into herself.

A soft smile tugged at her lips when she thought of her elder sister. ‘She’s good. Actually, really good. Abhay Jiju proposed to her at Versova Beach, where they first met. He’d been planning it for weeks.’

Maithili blinked in surprise. ‘Wait, I thought they were already married.’

‘They were, but it wasn’t exactly by choice. It was more like emotional blackmail from my father. So Jiju said it didn’t count. He wanted to make a memory that was only theirs, one that didn’t have my father’s dark shadow all over it.’

Maithili’s eyes softened with understanding. ‘That’s incredibly thoughtful.’

Kashvi nodded. ‘I haven’t seen her cry out of joy in years. He’s good to her. Di deserves that, and a whole lot more. There are moments when I watch them together and feel peaceful, knowing that some parts of our family didn’t completely fall apart under our father’s wrath.’

‘Speaking of whom, have you heard from your father lately?’ Maithili asked.

She tucked back a loose curl. ‘No. Di ousted him from the family business after she found out how he’d hidden our mother’s will. She still allowed him to stay at the Kashyap townhouse and he’s been there since. Licking his wounds, I guess. Honestly, I’d be perfectly fine if we never hear from him again.’

‘How is Siya holding up through all of this?’

‘Di is a creative beast, completely fixated on expanding the business overseas now that she finally has control. She’s been working closely with Dhruv a lot lately.’

‘Dhruv? Your brother?’

‘Stepbrother,’ Kashvi corrected with a hint of impatience.

Maithili sighed. ‘Right. So they are getting along well?’

Kashvi nodded reluctantly. ‘He helped her expose our father’s fraud, and then he backed her new company as an investor too.’

‘And how do you feel about that?’

Kashvi answered as casually as she could, ‘It doesn’t matter to me. If they want to be siblings now, that’s their choice.’

Maithili hummed thoughtfully. ‘When was the last time you saw Dhruv?’

‘At the beach, when Jiju proposed.’

Surprise flickered across Maithili’s face. ‘Oh? He was there? I don’t remember the last time you mentioned him being present for a family event.’

Her remark nudged open a memory Kashvi had kept carefully shut. Dhruv had stood apart from them at the beach, his eyes puffy and red-rimmed. Siya had told her he had taken their father’s betrayal to heart. In an impulsive moment, she had wanted to comfort him, to ease the hollowed look in his eyes.