‘I just don’t understand how he could stay away from his daughter after a tragedy like that,’ Abhay said, anger radiating off him.
Siya shrugged. ‘I stopped expecting anything from him a long time ago. Kashvi has been my priority because her whole world disappeared in a matter of days. She learned to internalise everything, so much so that it terrifies me that I don’t know what’s really going on in her mind. I don’t know if she’s actually okay or only pretending to be for my sake.’
‘You’ve done everything you could for her, and you still are,’ he tried to assure her.
‘Sometimes that still doesn’t feel like I’m doing enough,’ she whispered her deepest fear.
‘I understand that fear. I’ve felt that fear, especially after my mom got diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years ago.’
Her head snapped toward him, eyes wide. ‘What? Abhay—I didn’t know.’
‘We made sure to keep it under the wraps because Mom asked us not to. Thankfully she’s fine now, in remission, but for a while, I was terrified. I’d be in meetings, in the middle of a pitch, and all I could think about was whether she’d eaten, whether Dad was holding it together, whether I was doing enough.’
‘How did you get through it?’ she asked, making idle circles on his ankle.
‘Honestly, Raag saved my sanity. Mom was struggling and Dad took the news hard. As their only kid, I felt overwhelmedbecause I couldn’t be with both of them at the same time. Raag stepped in and helped me balance everything. I owe him for that.’
‘We’re lucky to have friends like them, hai na? Whenever Meera and Damini Aunty found time, they’d come over and help me out as much as they could.’
‘But could they help as much emotionally?’
Siya shook her head, despair coursing through her. ‘I had no time for my grief. Someone had to be the one who got up every morning, who made sure Kashu went to school on time, managed the house, and represented my father at board meetings when he was partying it up somewhere.’
‘That sounds like a lot for a kid,’ he said.
‘With time, the only thing that gave me peace was drawing. Maa used to sketch every Sunday, and after she was gone, I started copying her designs from old notebooks. At first it was a distraction, something to do with my hands when I couldn’t sleep. But over time, it became my salvation.’
‘What’s your favourite piece of hers?’
She didn’t even have to think about the answer. ‘An oval, deep ocean blue sapphire ring surrounded by delicate diamonds. It was the first piece Mom ever commissioned for Kashyap Luxe. She was only seventeen when she designed it.’
‘How come I haven’t seen this piece, not even in the catalogue?’
‘It’s part of the original bespoke heirloom, and hasn’t left the safe since she passed away. That ring is the first thing I’ll get access to the day I become the Managing Director.’
‘And what about Dhruv? How did he come into the picture?’
‘Dad brought him home on Maa’s first death anniversary, said he’s our brother, and told us to treat him like he is a part of our family. At the time, I’d been too numb to process it so I just went along with it.’
‘And how did Kashvi take it?’
‘She hated him and as she got older and pieced the story together, her resentment only grew. For her, Dhruv was proof that everything we knew about our family had been a lie. Our mother was barely in the ground and Dad had brought his mistress’ kid home.’
‘Do you hate him too?’ he asked after a long pause.
‘I don’t know,’ she confessed. ‘Some days I think I do. Other days I feel sorry for him. He was thrown into the same storm as us, and instead of helping us survive together, Dad made us all fight to stay above water. And Dhruv? He loves pushing buttons, especially mine. It was through his phone call that I realised who you really were.’
Abhay closed his eyes, pain flashing across his face. ‘I’ve wished every day since then that you hadn’t found out the truth that way. I came back to the room with every intention of telling you everything, but you were already gone by then.’
‘Because you’d lied to me.’
‘Yeah, and I really regret that. That evening, when I came over to help my friend and he told me he was managing the party for the Kashyaps, I couldn’t resist the urge to meet you. I snuck in and found you by the balcony. Luckily, I amused you with my stupid jokes, too. And then, I fucked up.’
‘Real bad,’ she said under her breath.
Abhay sighed, and looked away. ‘Yeah. I know. Nica told me that too.’
She raised her brows, curious. ‘Veronica knew?’
