Page 9 of Born in Sin

“Who?”

“Mayukhi Chatterjee.”

Cara’s eyes widened. “No way,” she breathed. “Isn’t she their friend?”

“Not anymore,” Virat said grimly. “Not since Ishaan and she got together and-“

“Hold on!” Cara got to her feet. “Ishaan and Mayukhi? Together? As in together together??”

And for the first time since they’d met, a small smile touched Virat’s lips. He nodded.

Cara’s mouth dropped open. “I’ve just been drop kicked into a parallel universe,” she squealed. “How? When? Why?”

“It’s an interesting universe,” Virat said. “They haven’t killed each other. Yet,” he added.

Cara just gaped at him.

“Dhrithi and Amay are together now too,” he offered.

“That,” she said with a wave of her hand. “Was inevitable.”

It was. It always had been. Just as he’d thought Celi and he were. Until he’d destroyed her life and not bothered to stay around to help pick up the pieces.

Cara laughed, a small, disbelieving sound. “Man, Crestwood is an incestuous pool of shit but some of that is obviously still good.”

A loud knocking sounded on the door of the van. “Ma’am,” Pari called out. “Shot is ready.”

“I’m coming,” Cara replied, her gaze meeting Virat’s. Their time was up.

“Why are you here? What do you want from me?”

“You needed to know,” he told her. “In case.”

Cara looked at him, her eyes tired in a way that made his heart hurt. “You think the cops will find something from that night?”

Virat nodded. “I think it all started that night. With you.”

He saw her body shudder as the words landed, a blow to her psyche. And then she pulled herself together, building her formidable walls around her as he watched.

“Thank you,” she said, getting to her feet. “For letting me know. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get to work.”

“Cara,” he said, her new name on his lips feeling awkward and clumsy. “Be careful.”

“I will.”

“If you ever need anything-“

A disbelieving laugh escaped her. “I should call you?” she asked, completing his sentence for her. “Why would I? Every time I’ve needed you, every time I’ve asked you to stay, you’ve left. You abandoning me after that night taught me well. I don’t depend on anyone but myself.”

Virat fell silent. He wanted to take all her pain, her rage, her shame, and bundle it into himself. But he knew that he’d lost the right to that a long time ago. Like she’d just said, he’d lost the right to her the moment he’d left her in that hospital bed and walked away.

“Virat Jha, fixer to the rich and famous, right?” she drawled now, a sneer tilting her perfect, lush lips up as she glanced at him, over her shoulder. “You’re the man they call to clean up all the messes they make. I’ve heard all about you. The hushed whispers, the awed recommendations, the glowing comments. They say you can fix anything.”

Her furious eyes met his. “Are you here to fix me, Mr. Jha?”

He closed his eyes, unable to meet the anguish in hers.

“You can’t fix what you broke. Not today. Not ever.”