Whoever he would end up with one day…she was going to be very lucky.
_______
Chapter 3
KAVYA
“Just drop me here,” I told Saurav as he slowed the car through a narrow, broken lane.
He frowned slightly, eyes sweeping over the surroundings. “You live here?” He pointed ahead at the crumbling buildings, the open drainage running like a black wound along the road, the piles of trash pressed into corners.
“Yes. Why?” I asked, lifting my brows. “Trust me, people here are more friendly, more loving, and more kind-hearted than your society.”
“I’m not talking about the people,” Saurav said quietly. “I’m talking about the condition of this area. I don’t mean to hurt your feelings …”
“I’m not hurt,” I interrupted, already pushing the door open. “Thank you for caring enough.”
“Believe me, you’re not the only one I care about,” he replied. “I care about my whole country. That’s why I’m a soldier. So don’t think of yourself as special.”
“I don’t… ” I forced a smile that didn’t reach my eyes. “Ta-ta.” I stepped out and closed the door gently.
I didn’t look back, though I could feel his gaze burning into my back, warm and heavy, like a question I wasn’t ready to answer. I kept moving, each step dragging me closer to the hell I called home.
The lane narrowed further as I walked. The smell of rot and dampness thickened the air. My house finally came into view.
It stood weather-beaten and quiet, its peeling walls scarred by age and neglect. The faded paint looked like skin stripped too many times. Barred windows stared blankly, and the dark wooden door. Rusted metal sheets drooped above it like tired brows, while loose electric wires cut across the front, tangled and careless. This was the place where I had lived and learned how to endure pain silently, quietly, and patiently.
I was just about to step forward when a voice sliced through my thoughts.
“Who was he?” A shiver ran down my spine. “He seems rich, doesn’t he, Kav?”
My breath hitched. Slowly, I turned to look at my father. “Pa,” I whispered, swallowing hard. My fingers began to tremble as sweat gathered at the nape of my neck. My chest tightened until every breath wheezed. “He was … one of the customers. He wants… ” My throat closed. I forced the words out, lifting my eyes to meet his. “… to decorate his house.”
“Come inside, Kav,” he said softly, gesturing toward the door.
“Yes, Pa…”
My feet felt heavier than stone as I climbed the steps and pushed the door open. The familiar darkness swallowed me whole.
Inside, the air was thick with stale heat and old resentment. “So he was your new client?” Pa asked as he moved toward the sofa and sat down. “Come here.” He patted the empty space beside him.
“I … I am tired, Pa.”
“Come here!” he barked.
My body obeyed before my mind could protest. I walked to him and sat down, keeping my hands folded tightly in my lap.
“Where were you last night?” he asked.
“I told you yesterday. I had a night out with Noor. She returned from Dubai.”
“Yes. But she called us last night asking about you,” he continued. “She sounded worried. You told her you were coming, but you never reached.”
My lips parted to answer but…
“Because that bitch was sleeping with her bastard of a client!”
I jolted.