“Hai Ram,” her voice wavered as she sank into a chair, cradling her head. “Patigya. We are finished, Rakesh.”
The paparazzi photos had been easy to dismiss, a scandal manufactured for headlines. Priya and Ethan had both denied involvement, and that had been enough for Priya’s parents to push aside any nagging unease. But this? This crushed every excuse, every attempt to believe it was just a passing rumor. It stripped Priya of any shield she might have had against their judgment.
“Is this how we raised you?” Puppa’s voice cut through the silence, low and sharp and shaking with something that almost sounded like heartbreak. “No wonder Dinesh bolted. Who will accept you now?”
Priya’s fingers curled into her palms, but she refused to give in to the sting of his words. “What does it matter who accepts me when my own parents can’t?” she said, forcing the words past the lump in her throat. “And it’s not what you think. IloveEthan. I’ve loved him since the first time I set eyes on him.”
For a fraction of a second, Puppa looked thrown, as if he’d never considered a deeper connection. But just as quickly, disappointment settled in, heavier than before. “And what did that love get you?” he said. “A few nights in his bed?”
“Inherbed,” Mumma cried, lifting her face from her hands. Her eyes darted around the apartment—the couch, the kitchen counter, the dining table—as if searching for evidence of where else her daughter had disgraced the family.
Puppa let out a humorless laugh, shaking his head. “I thought Mr. Ethan was a good man. I trusted him. I welcomed him into our home. And this is how he repays me? By taking advantage of my daughter?”
“Ethan didn’t take advantage of me,” Priya shot back, her cheeks burning. “This wasmychoice. I was the one who wanted a fling, and I was the one who ended it.”
Her parents stared at her, shock written all over their faces.
Priya took a shaky breath and went on. “At first, I tried to get him to leave. I wanted you to take the Moksha offer so badly that I…I made up a ghost story. I messed with the lights. I faked hauntings. Anything to scare him away. But the more time I spent with him, the harder it was to ignore how I felt.
“After you left, things changed between us. It wasn’t just casual anymore. For either of us. Ethanwantedme to tell you the truth, and I was going to. But then the press found out, and suddenly everyone was watching, judging, speculating. The spotlight, the scrutiny…I couldn’t handle it, so I broke it off.” She swallowed, her throat tightening. “But even then, he didn’t throw me under the bus. He could have let the world rip me apart, but he didn’t. He protected me. And he protectedyouby denying everything.”
Her parents glanced at each other, their expressions faltering.
“I’ve been acting like everything’s fine, but the truth is I’m not fine.” Priya’s voice cracked at the edges. “I feel like I’m failing ateverything, including meeting your expectations. But I’m doing my best.” She lifted her chin, even as emotion filled her voice. “Look, I know you’re trying to help, but fixing me up with someone isn’t the solution. What I really need is some time and space to fixmyself. To heal, to work, to rest, to recover. So I’ve decided it’s time for me to move out.”
Mumma’s head snapped up, but before she could say anything, Puppa cut in. “Move out?” he scoffed. “To where? Do you know what rent costs around here these days? How are you even going to afford a place of your own?”
Priya retrieved the envelope Manoj had dropped off, pulled out the check inside, and laid it on the table, nudging it in her parents’ direction.
Puppa picked it up and stared at the amount as if trying to make sense of it. “Where did this come from?”
“It’s what I was owed from the business,” Priya said. “Manoj finally made good on it. I’m not just jumping without a plan. I’ve got it covered.”
“So that’s it, huh?” Mumma crossed her arms tight across her chest. “You get a little money and suddenly you’re out the door?” She shook her head. “Are we so unbearable to live with? What’s wrong with staying here?”
“Nothing is wrong, Mumma. I just—”
“No, thereissomething wrong,” Mumma interrupted, her voice rising. “Because suddenly, my daughter, who I carried, who I raised, who I have given everything to, thinks she’s too good to live with her parents?”
“That’s not fair, Mumma,” Priya said hotly.
“No? Then tell me, Priya. Why do you want to leave? Is our love suffocating you? Is having a mother who cooks for you and a father who worries about you such a terrible burden?”
Priya threw up her hands in exasperation. “It’s not like I’m cutting off ties with you. I’m just moving to my own apartment, right here in the same city.”
“Today, it’s the same city. Tomorrow, it’s another country.”
Puppa cleared his throat. “Seema—”
But Mumma wasn’t done. “Do you know how hard it was for me after your divorce? Knowing my daughter was living alone in Calgary? Ask your father. I used to—”
The sharp smack of paper hitting the table cut her off mid-sentence. Mumma blinked as Puppa slammed the check down in front of her. Her gaze dropped to the paper, confusion furrowing her brow. At first, she barely registered the numbers, her mind still caught up in her argument. But then, as the full amount sank in, her eyes widened.
“This…” She looked at Priya in disbelief. “This isyours?”
“I know you think I’m just sitting in my room typing away on the keyboard,” Priya said. “But my job isreal, even if I’m not leaving the house every morning. I work hard. And I need a quiet space to do it. I can’t focus here with constant interruptions. That’s why I need my own place.”
Her parents glanced at each other, and in that moment, Priya could feel the weight of what they were processing. Their daughter wasn’t just capable of standing on her own. She had been doing so for a while now. Without a husband to lean on. Or parents to hold her hand.
