She looked at Kashvi and a worry surfaced in her mind. He might begin calling her if she doesn’t answer.
When it rang again, Siya picked it up on the first ring. ‘Hello.’
‘Siya, sweetheart,’ Kartik’s voice came through. ‘I wasn’t sure if you’d pick up but I’m so glad you did.’
She didn’t respond right away.
After a beat, Kartik said, ‘I was just thinking about you. How are you feeling now? That was some breakdown you had last night.’
Anger coiled in her and she clenched her jaw to stop it from spilling out. She was not surprised that he’d see her valid outburst as a hysterical breakdown.
‘I’m busy, Dad,’ she said, itching to get off the call.
‘Alright, I’ll keep this brief. I wanted to say that I genuinely didn’t know that Arohi’s ring meant that much to you. I wouldn’t have donated it for auction if I did.’
‘It belonged to Maa. Of course it meant a lot to me.’
‘I know, and I should have asked before including it in the collection. Truly, my dear, it was never my intention to hurt you.’
The apology was so polished, it felt like he’d rehearsed it in a mirror.
‘I appreciate you saying that,’ she said. It was the only polite thing she could pick out of everything she wanted to say.
‘And I’ve been thinking about how proud I am of the work you’ve done. I know I don’t say that enough.’
Siya knew this tone. He only showed this careful affection when he wanted something so she only hummed in response.
‘To celebrate, I’m hosting a dinner tonight just for the family and I’d love for you to come.’
She closed her eyes. ‘I have plans.’
He sighed and the line went silent for a minute. Eventually, he said, ‘It would really mean a lot to me. I thought this could be a new start for us, a reset. That’s why I’ve also invited Mihit and Neena.’
She glanced to her right where Abhay was watching her. He raised his eyebrow and she relayed what Kartik said. He thought for a moment, then nodded.
‘Siya… you don’t know how important this is to me. I would love the chance to make up for my behaviour,’ Kartik added.
Her grip on the phone tightened. ‘Alright. We’ll be there,’ she said at last.
She hung up before he could say anything else.
She looked for Kashvi and found her curled up on the velvet sofa, shaking her head at something Swayam was saying.
‘Dad is hosting a family dinner tonight. He’s invited all of us.’ Siya told Kashvi.
‘I don’t know what yet, but I definitely have better things to do so I can’t make it,’ Kashvi answered.
Siya didn’t ask her why.
She instead turned to Abhay. ‘You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, but your parents will be there too.’
Abhay lightly squeezed her hand and softly assured her. ‘I’ll be right there with you.’
Chapter 24
The interior of the Kashyap townhouse was bathed in the muted golden light that spilled from the chandeliers above, and reflected softly off polished white marble floor. The foyer gave way to the vast open-plan drawing room. There was a floral scent in the air from the Cattleya orchids placed in glass vases that were flown in from Brazil.
This home had graced magazine covers and architectural features for decades, hailing it as the epitome of luxury Indian living. But no matter how often this house was praised, it had never truly felt like home to Siya.
