‘Did what you had to do?’ her voice rose as her silly justification rubbed salt on her fresh wounds. ‘What was the plan, Dadi? Rob me of my chance to have a child, and use some stupid, misogynistic heir condition to hand over everything to Dhruv?’
Kartik leaned forward and clasped his hands on the table. ‘First of all, do not talk to your grandmother like that. Secondly, you’re overreacting. I don’t care what it looks like but we were protecting you from this pain.’
Through the static in her ear, she heard Abhay say, ‘What it looks like is you just waited until tonight to throw it in our face. Is that your version of mercy?’ He clasped his hand and Siya turned to see his eyes brimming with anger and sorrow.
‘Siya had enough to handle then, and we didn’t think—’
Abhay interrupted with barely restrained anger. ‘You thought what, exactly? That she would just go on living her life without ever finding out what you did to her?’
‘Oh, don’t be so dramatic! We planned to talk about this tonight, anyway. Now that the launch is only a few days away, Dhruv will need to start preparing to take more responsibilities so he becomes ready to take over after it.’
‘What are you talking about? When did I ever say I want to inherit the company?’ Dhruv asked incredulously.
‘What’s there to say in it? You’re the only one who can carry this family forward. That Kashvi girl is too naive and young to take over, and Siya is too barren to give us an heir. At least this way, the family line isn’t diluted.’
That cutting word lodged like a stone in Siya’s gut, and she clenched her palm, nails indenting in her palm.
‘Don’t you dare call her that!’ Abhay shouted.
Sharda tried to reason with him. ‘You can wrap the truth in pretty words but it won’t change it. Barren, infertile, medically compromised—the result is the same. Siya can give us no children.’
They were just words and they wouldn’t have any power if Siya didn’t let them get to her, but there was only so much her heart could take.
‘No, you’re cruel enough to make a choice to say that word, and I willnotallow it.’
‘I see. So this is how Neena taught you to behave with your elders.’
‘Yes. I taught my son to speak for the honour and dignity of the women in his life, and when the one in question is his wife, you better believe he will stand up for her,’ Neena said, her voice brittle with disbelief.
Sharda gave a short, amused laugh. ‘My dear, you can’t expect all of us to tiptoe around Siya’s feelings forever.’
‘Amma is not wrong. We’ve all been dancing around this for a long time, and she is only stating facts. We do not meanto dismiss your efforts, Siya, but there’s no space for feelings in business. It’s nothing personal,’ Kartik said.
‘Exactly, you’re making a mountain out of a mole. These things happen. Some women aren’t meant to be mothers but I’m sure Siya can learn how to be a good wife in time.’
Siya jerked back like she’d been slapped. Her ribs felt far too tight around her lungs.
‘And let’s not forget,’ Sharda continued. ‘Arohi had no one to blame but herself. I told her, time and time again, not to trust these doctors and their fake pills. If she’d just listened to my herbal suggestions, she might’ve had a son.’
The mention of her mother sent a molten rage burning through her veins.
Sharda kept on going. ‘Instead, she ignored every piece of wisdom I gave her. Then what happened? The tragedy that followed her. Sometimes, life finds a way to restore balance, even if it means taking something away from us to remind us of our place. Nature has a cruel rhythm, and you can’t cheat it.’
‘Shut up!’ Siya screamed louder than she’d meant to, louder than she’d ever been in this house.
Sharda flinched back, startled, but recovered quickly. ‘You insolent child! How dare you raise your voice—’
‘No!’ Siya brought her fist down on the table, rattling it. ‘You don’t get to say her name when you have the shameless audacity to imply that her death was some kind of nature’s revenge for not following your ridiculous remedies.’
‘I’m blaming her for having useless daughters like you and that other one instead of a son. But it’s not about me. You’ve always been too hysterical, Siya. That’s your problem.’
‘Iamallowed to get hysterical when you’re insulting my mother and my body, all because we don’t serve your outdated idea of what a woman should be.’
‘I’m not here to flatter anyone. I have the courage to speak what others are too cowardly to say. This family needed a son, and Arohi wasn’t woman enough to bear one.’
‘Alright, that’s enough!’ Neena said sharply. Her hands were clenched on the tablecloth, her earrings swaying with the force of her fury. ‘You’ve made your point, Sharda ji. Several times, actually. What I still can’t understand is how you could abandon Siya when she needed both of you the most, much less insult her with the news out of nowhere.’
Kartik cut in. ‘There are things bigger than—’
