Heeriye

Thirty Six.

Shehnaaz

"Is this real?"

Ishanvi gives me a reassuring smile. "It's real. Those papers that Bhavan signed are ironclad. I made sure of it."

Sidharth has his hand on the small of my back but his eyes are trained on the other side of the courtroom where my parents are standing with their lawyer. It looks like there's one hell of a discussion going. All furtive whispers and angry half-glances in our direction.

My first instinct is relief. Then a petty sense of satisfaction.I won.I fuckingwon.I can't be that bad of a guardian if a judge has decided that it's in the children's best interests to stay with me.

Take that, Mom and Dad.

Of course, on the heels of that less-than-gracious thought is guilt. They are still my parents and they're the only family I have left.

"Shehnaaz." My gaze veers to sidharth, who's looking at me with a warning in his eyes. "There's no point."

I'm not sure how to take that. One, because how did he know what I was thinking? And two: surely there's something there that can be salvaged? Not everything can be so easily written-off, right?

"They're still my parents."

"Parents or not, they treat you like shit," Sidharth reminds me in a cold voice. "And you deserve better than that."

I've made up my mind on one thing, at least: I'm just gonna let the wholehe-enrolled-the-kids-in-a-fancy-schmancy-school-without-consulting-me-first thing go. The man's more than made up for it today by helping me keep custody of the kids. For being here with me through it all.

"You're right. Let's go."

I thank Ishanvi at the exit of the court, but I've got one eye on my parents who are now standing at the bottom of the stairs. Leaving Sidharth with Ishanvi for a moment, I walk down the steps towards them.

Mom spots me first. Her jaw clenches fiercely and she nudges my father so hard that he nearly tumbles over. "Shehnaaz," mom greets in a frigid voice that I remember well from my adolescent years. Shruti used to do an unbelievable impression of it. "Come over to gloat, have you?"

For God's sake, why do they have to make everything so hard?

"Of course not," I reply as levelly as I can. "I just came to say that I'm sorry that things ended this way. I'm sorry they got to this point at all."

My father narrows his eyes at me. "Don't think we don't know exactly why the judge sided with you."

I breathe. In and out, in and out.Don't get into a whole thing with them. Don't stoop to their level."Listen, I'm not here to discuss the outcome. I'm just here to say that, if you ever want to see the kids, you're welcome to. You are their grandparents and they've lost enough family members as it is."

Mom's eyes bug out and the vein in her forehead pops. I'm afraid that's a feature that I inherited. Always hated that vein.

"Oh, so you're here to offer us pity visits? Supervised access to our own grandchildren?"

I sigh. "If you two have an agenda where those kids are concerned, then I oppose it. But if you just want to see them, spend some quality time with them...that I can get behind."

"We don't need any favors from you," Dad snarls at me.

"In fact, we don't need anything at all from you," mom adds. "Because this is not over, Shehnaaz. We're going to get a new lawyer and we're going to drag you into court as many times as it takes to get custody of those three child—"

"I'd stick to achievable goals."

I whirl around to find Sidharth standing on the step behind me. His eyes are trained on my parents and his jaw is set in that firm square that I've learned from experience means business.

"Shehnaaz is not losing those children," he continues as he advances toward us and takes up a position at my side. "Not now. Not ever. I will personally see to it that any petition you make to any court in this city is thrown out before it even reaches a judge. Those children are not a victory for you to claim."

Dad tries to interrupt but sidharth just talks over him.

"They need security, love, and safety—and they have that with Shehnaaz. She has looked after them as though they're her own for the past three and a half years. If you cared at all for your grandchildren, you'd see that they're better off with her." His voice crackles dangerously. "She is an amazing mother and an amazing person and she doesn't deserve to be treated this way. So if I ever see or hear you utter another bad word to her again, I will make it my personal mission to turn your lives into a living hell." He looks right at Mom. "I understand that you're a member of several society committees and charities in the city. I will see that you are removed from each and every one." Then he turns to Dad. "And as for you, I will not only see to it that you're kicked out of all your clubs, I will make sure no businessman worth his salt entertains a deal with your firm ever again. You'll be paupers. I swear it. You want to test me? Go right ahead. It's your fucking funeral."

I watch in amazement as both my parents are rendered speechless. But I know that Sidharth's threat will work. No way are my parents going to risk their position in the upper class's social scene just to take custody of the kids they don't even want in the first place.

It would defeat the whole purpose.

"I hope I've made myself clear. I don't think there's anything else left to be said." He turns to me. "Shehnaaz, shall we?"

I raise my eyebrows as my gaze veers to my parents. There are a hundred things that I want to say to them.Why couldn't you both just be normal? Why weren't we enough for you? Didn't losing shruti teach you anything? Didn't it hurt?

But I'm starting to realize that sometimes the healthiest thing you can do with certain people is simply to walk away.

I slip my hand into Sidharth's. "Let's go home."

We head off in the direction of his Rolls Royce and I take a deep, staggering breath that feels like it releases a lifetime of pent-up frustration and resentment.

I buckle myself into the passenger's seat and glance at Sidharth as he turns on the engine. "Thank you," I say softly. "For having my back."

He answers by palming the back of my neck, hooking me toward him, and pressing his lips hard against mine. The kiss hits like it's the first time we've ever done it. That sense of build-up, of butterflies, of electricity dancing on your skin. When he finally pulls away, I'm breathless and flushed.

"You're my woman now, Shehnaaz. And no one talks to my woman like that."

My heart flutters as he places one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand on my thigh. The possessiveness in his touch is as exciting as it is terrifying. Mostly because it forces me to face what I'm feeling. I'm well past the point of infatuation and lust. This is not a crush that will pass. This is not a friendship that involves sex.

As far as my feelings are concerned, this is the real freaking deal. So, for the first time, I let myself think the thought I've kept locked away in a dark corner of my heart for months upon months.

I am completely, madly, desperately in love with Sidharth Shukla and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.