Page 31 of Since You Came Along

‘No, you don’t. Whatever we had is long dead. You made sure of that, Abhay.’

‘You think I don’t remember how it ended, Siya? The way you just disappeared without a word? You never gave me a chance to explain. You simply walked away!’

His accusation hung in the air like a challenge, daring her to deny them. She didn’t. Instead, she looked away.

‘I didn’t mean to hurt you,’ he sighed. ‘You know that, don’t you?’

‘Intentions don’t matter, Abhay,’ Siya replied. ‘What matters is what you did.’

He looked at her then, and for a moment, he saw the vulnerability she rarely let anyone see. ‘I thought I was doing the right thing,’ he said, his voice heavy with regret. ‘I thought… I thought I was protecting you.’

That twisted her heart, but she refused to let it show. ‘Protecting me? By hiding the fact that the man I’m in love with is the son of my family’s rival? Is that what you tell yourself to sleep at night?’

‘I don’t sleep well, not since you left me,’ he admitted, a self-deprecating smile tugging at his lips.

She snorted, trying to hide the ache that his words stirred. ‘Of course, you don’t.’ She turned to walk away, but Abhay pulled her towards him. Her heart pounded, betraying her, as she froze in the arms of the man who broke her trust.

‘It wasn’t like that,’ he said, his voice quieter now, almost pleading. ‘You have to understand, I never—’

‘Don’t.’ Siya held up her hand, stopping him mid-sentence. ‘I don’t want to hear it. You don’t get to spin your words now by pretending you weren’t playing with my heart.’ Her words dripped with the bitterness of a heart broken by a betrayal she couldn’t let go.

He stared at her, the weight of her words crashing down on him. He had never thought of it that way. Never thought that she might see their relationship as some kind of strategy, some way to get back at her family.

He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in her floral scent. When he opened them, a firestorm raged in his eyes. ‘This isn’t over,Jaan.’

She pulled away from him, chin jutted out in defiance, her body tense as she glared at him. ‘It’s been over for years, Abhay,’ she replied.

The pain in his eyes was unmistakable. She saw it, and it almost broke her, but she couldn’t give in, not after everything.

‘This isn’t over. I mean it,’ he repeated, and then, with obvious reluctance, he let her go. She walked out the next moment, leaving him alone on the balcony, a man torn between the love he still held for her and the pain of the past that had driven them apart.

Abhay decided he needed a drink. Something strong. Something to quiet the chaos in his head. She still had the power to make him lose his focus, to stir emotions he had tried to bury.

He needed to get away, to clear his head, but he knew it wouldn’t work. Siya was always there, settled deep inside his mind, waiting to haunt him again.

Chapter 14

Raghav ruined Abhay’s plans with a casual remark. ‘Kusha’s in town. She arrived today. She’s coming over for dinner in an hour.’

Abhay’s first instinct was to decline, but the thought of a distraction, however small, felt like a lifeline. With a nod, he agreed.

When Abhay returned carrying boxes of pizza, Kusha met him with a ferocious hug. Five months was a long time to go without seeing each other.

‘Look at you! Perfect timing, twinkle toes. Your brother was getting unbearable without you,’ Abhay teased, ruffling her hair with a grin.

Kusha swatted at his hand. ‘You’re lucky I’m here then,’ she shot back.

Raghav stepped in, placing a hand on her shoulder to guide her towards the kitchen. ‘Come on, let me introduce you to Meera,’ he said.

Kusha pursed her lips but nodded, her expression giving nothing away.

In the bedroom, Meera was busy putting away her sketching supplies. When Raghav entered with Kusha, Meera looked up and greeted them with a warm smile.

Raghav gestured between the two women. ‘Kusha, meet Meera, my wife. Meera, this is Kusha, Luv’s twin sister.’

This was the first time Raghav had introduced her as his wife. Meera couldn’t help the unfamiliar flutter in her stomach. She gulped down the unexpected nervousness and she turned to Kusha.

‘Hi, Kusha. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you,’ Meera said.

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