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Avantika sighed. She’d known her brothers would never be able to see her side of things. She hated having to choose between Dev and them, but she had made her choice, and now she had to live with it. She only hoped that once she heard everything, she’d be able to convince her brothers to do the same. She only hoped her faith and trust in Dev weren’t unfounded.
24
Shimla
Avantika stared at the passing sights as the car sped toward Dev’s home, her heart swirling with mixed emotions. This city had been home once, but it didn’t feel like that anymore. Perhaps, it was because it was late evening now, and she couldn’t make out much of anything as the car whizzed by the streets. Probably, once she revisited some old, familiar places, she’d get a sense of being home.
Coming to Shimla with Dev, much against her brothers’ wishes, had been a huge step for her. But she knew it was the right one. She had to bury the past once and for all, and she had to do it here, in this city, where it had all begun.
From beside her, Neil was bubbling with energy, peppering Dev with dozens of questions, which Dev answered with remarkable patience.
Neil pointed in the distance. “Are those mountains covered with snow all year around? Can we go skiing?”
“Not in August.” Dev smiled. “Next time, we will visit in the winter, and you can ski to your heart’s content.”
“Cool,” Neil said, distracted once again by the passing sights.
The car entered the long driveway of Dev’s home, stopping under the porch. Avantika climbed outside and stared at the house. The physical structure was still the same—arched white doors, red brick, and multiple chimneys over triangular roofs. The garden outside was well-kept, the lawns lush and green.
So many memories slammed her brain.
She and her parents walking inside the main doors of this house…
Her brothers cycling here through the shortcut in the forest…
Sanjana’s birth…
Dev losing his mother…
Aaryan and Vihaan swimming with Dev in the pool at his house…
Dev telling her that he loved her in the forest beside the stream there…
Dev touched her arm. “Are you okay?”
She jolted out of the past.
“Mom,” Neil called out. “Dad said there’s a forest beyond the house. Can we go explore? Please. I’ve never been inside a forest.”
The forest began from the back of this house, through which was a shortcut to her own childhood home. It then extended to the highway further ahead, from where she and her brothers had escaped all those years ago.
If one took the main road and drove, her house was further away from his, with several other houses in between. They hadn’t really been neighbors in that sense. Just that they had lived in the same vicinity.
“Mom,” Neil called again. “You’re not listening.”
“Let’s get settled in first.” Dev ruffled Neil’s hair. “Your mom’s visiting after many years. Allow her a few minutes to gather herself.”
She acknowledged Dev with a smile and a nod. She was glad he understood her. She exhaled a rough breath, still staring at the house. To say she was overwhelmed was an understatement. She even dreaded going inside.
Shit! She hadn’t thought this through. She ought to have insisted on staying at a hotel. She couldn’t stay in this house where Pritam Luthra had lived and plotted her family’s end. She just…couldn’t. Her mind rushed back to the moment of her parents’ demise and Pritam Luthra ordering his lackeys to kill them.
Her breaths became choppy. She backed a step.
Dev captured her waist, squeezing it. “Hey. It’s fine. I promise the inside is nothing like you must remember it to be.”
She breathed out, staring into his eyes. She was grateful for his understanding. He’d comprehended her hesitation and her fears without her having to voice them aloud.
“Okay?” he checked once again. At her nod, he guided her inside the house, Neil excitedly marching ahead of them. The main doors opened, and she crossed the threshold.
