Starring theirfuture son-in-law.
Any objections about Priya not marrying within their community? Completely obliterated. Because their daughter had found her place. She wasn’t living a bare-minimum, acceptable version of happiness. She was glowing, thriving, flourishing.
Priya could see the exact moment they let go and relaxed. As the opening scene lit up the screen, Mumma sighed, settlingagainst Puppa. And Puppa—her stoic, reserved father—draped an arm around his wife and kissed her forehead.
Priya’s heart swelled as she settled back on the pillows beside Ethan.
He laced his fingers with hers, pressing a silent question into her palm.
You okay?
She was more than okay. She was the happiest she’d ever been.
Her fingers curled around his, her head finding its perfect place against his shoulder. As the movie played on, Priya felt strong and rooted, like she was finally on solid ground. Somewhere between Moksha and Hollywood, she had found her place—one where she was truly and irrevocably untouchable.
Thirty-Eight
“What a fun evening,”Priya said as Ethan unlocked the door to the coach house. “It was so nice of your dad to host a dinner party for us.”
The last time Ethan’s father threw a party for him, it was a send-off to college. But when Ethan had chosen his own path instead, the door to his father’s house had shut behind him. Until now. So, tonight wasn’t just an engagement party. It was a homecoming, an invitation back into the place he had once called home.
“What did you and your dad talk about when you disappeared?” Priya asked, as they stepped inside.
Ethan rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Not much. We visited my mom’s grave.”
Priya stilled. “Oh,” she said softly. “Are you okay?” Her hand found his arm, and she searched his face for what he wasn’t saying.
“Yeah. It wasn’t really planned,” he continued. “One second, we were in the house, and the next…I just knew where we were going.”
Priya’s heart ached. “How was it?”
Ethan was quiet for a moment. “We just stood there. Remembering her. And when we turned to leave…” His throat bobbed. “My dad put a hand on my shoulder. Just…this firm squeeze.”
Priya reached for his hand. “I’m glad you went.”
“Me too.” A small smile touched his lips, weary but lighter than before. Then he tilted his head, studying her. “And what did you get up to while I was gone?”
“I stayed on video chat with my sisters after you left. It was nice having them at the engagement party, even virtually. Then I watched Brooke work her magic. She launched Sir Puffington into superstardom in under five minutes! He has fifteen thousand followers already.” Priya pulled out her phone and flashed the screen at him.
“The Puffington Post?” Ethan laughed before scanning the page. “Pri, there’s just one photo on his account.One. And it’s with me.”
“Oh, really?” Priya grinned, playing innocent.
“This is a straight-up exploitation,” Ethan declared, staring at an image from earlier that night—Sir Puffington lounging on his lap with a digital crown perched on his head. The caption underneath read, “Rescued at TIFF. Crowned at dinner. Living the dream. #BreakingMeows #FromRescueToRoyalty #KnightInFurryArmor #MoveOverEthanKnight.”
“I’ve been played, Pri. Look at all these brand deal pitches. My own sister is monetizing me. And look at this comment about me and my emotional support cat.”
Priya bit her lip to keep from laughing. “I mean…the internetisobsessed with you saving him at TIFF.”
“Oh, so the first image that goes viral since we got engaged is of me with…some pussy?”
“Ethan!” Priya gasped, smacking his arm as laughter burst out of her. “We’ve only been engaged for two days.”
“That’s way too long for my fiancée to be missing from my feed. We need to fix this right now.” Ethan gave Priya back her phone and pulled out his own. “Alright, future Mrs. Knight, let’s make it official.”
“Just like that? No PR strategy, no media rollout?”
“Are you backing out on me?”
