Jana:One question for you. Are you back with Nadia?
She stared at her phone for several long moments, but he didn’t respond.
“Did you ask him?” Kamila said, startling Jana. Jana looked up.
“Yes. He hasn’t responded.”
Rohan pulled out his phone. “Let me ask him.”
Jana put her hand out and shook her head. “No. Please.” She closed her eyes and took a breath, then looked at Rohan. “I just…I want it to go away.” Her voice cracked again. “I need to focus on work right now. I don’t need this in my life.”
Kamila put her hand on Jana’s. “Okay. We got you. Tell us when you want us to get revenge and we’re there. I can’t believe that he’d do this again. Honestly, we should have known better than to trust a bald man. I thought he was a Jean-Luc Picard…not a Lex Luthor.”
While everyone discussed whether they believed Anil was with Nadia or not, Jana looked up Nadia’s Instagram on her own phone. And there she was.Nadia. Even the name was like a punch to the gut for Jana. For years, Nadia had been like an illusion to her. Not a real person. First, she was the person whose marriage Jana thought she’d ruined. Then she was the villain who’d left Anil. Then the person whose family had tried to ruin Jana. Now she was the one who had ruined Jana’s chance at happiness.
But seeing her pictures, Jana realized that Nadia may be those things, but she was also just a person. One with laugh lines, maybe from squinting in the sun too much. A woman who didn’t seem to mind taking pictures with her hair blowing in her face. She had warm eyes and a wide smile.
She was a human being.
“It isn’t possible they’re together,” Yuriko said, pointing to the statue on the coffee table. “Why would he buy a carving of a family of three if that’s not what he wanted? He’s not with his ex.”
Kamila slid the big box the carving came from in front of her and read the label. “It’s from Hatari. Wasn’t the gift shop there only open the day we left? He bought this after you had sex.”
Jana frowned. “We don’t even know if he bought this for himself. And if he did, how do we know this isn’t to represent Nadia, him, and Imani?”
“Because Imani isyourchild,” Rohan said. “We still don’t know for sure that they are together.”
“Don’t you all see?” Jana said. “It doesn’tmatterif they are together. He didn’t tell me he was even talking to her. Just like he didn’t tell me about her five years ago.”
Kamila held out her hand to Jana. “Here—let me see the pic.”
Jana handed her phone to Kamila, who started scrolling the feed. “She’s cute, isn’t she?”
Jana raised a brow.
“I mean, not as cute as you, but Anil has such good taste. She’s very…wholesome. I’ll bet she always has a bag of homemade trail mix in her backpack. And sunscreen. Doesn’t seem like the type who would cheat on her husband, honestly. But I mean, people don’t always look like what they are…Oh fudge.” Kamila suddenly tossed the phone down like it was a hot potato. She looked at Jana, eyes wide. “She just requested to follow your Insta.”
“What?” Jana took the phone “Why? And why now?”
After looking at the phone a second, Jana realized the answer. “Jesus, Kamila. You werelikingher pictures?” Kamila had hearted pretty much all of Nadia’s feed. And the phone was logged into Jana’s account—with her first and last name.
Asha threw a decorative cushion at Kamila. “Kamila! You’re not supposed tolikeposts if you’re online stalking!”
Kamila nodded. “I know, I know. I’m an idiot. The double tap is a habit when I’m on Instagram. Her pictures are pretty. I’m sorry. Just ignore and block.”
Jana stared at her phone. Ignore and block…but why? Jana hadn’t done anything wrong to the woman. “Or I could…accept?”
Everyone was silent awhile, before Asha smiled widely. “Yes. Do it. Askherif they’re together. That’s going on your ‘letting loose’ list.”
Jana nodded. With a pounding heart, Jana accepted the follow request and followed Nadia back, too.
And in seconds, she had a direct message from her. “She just messaged me.”
Everyone was silent. Jana opened the message and read it.
Nadia:Hi Jana.
“What did she say?” Kamila asked.
