“Me too. And if they can fix things, maybe you and Ethan—”
“Brooke,” Priya cut in gently.
“I know, I know. If you’d asked me before, I’d never have put the two of you together, but now that I’ve seen it, I can’t unsee it. It drives me crazy that you ended it before it even had the chance to take off. And I hate that you’re not even talking anymore. But hey, what do I know? My longest relationship has been with a cat. Speaking of which, I need to roll out the red carpet for Sir Puffington.”
“Sir Puffington?” Priya let out a soft laugh. “I can’t wait to meet him.”
Still smiling, she ended the call and turned back to her laptop. But her conversation with Brooke had shaken loose memories that refused to be contained—Ethan stealing bites of whatever she was cooking, grinning as she swatted him away. His handtrailing absentmindedly across her back as he passed behind her. And the moments when his touch had been anything but casual—his lips pressing urgently against hers, his hands tightening around her waist as he backed her into the bedroom, as if he couldn’t stand the space between them for even a second longer.
Priya inhaled sharply and pushed away from her desk.I have to get out of here.
Summer was just around the corner, and the air had that in-between feel—mild but not quite warm—as she stepped outside. The field was bursting with wildflowers, and trees rustled softly in the breeze. Priya let her feet lead her, walking until her mind began to slow. Eventually, she drifted toward the freight car and climbed inside, her legs swinging over the edge. As she closed her eyes and tilted her face toward the sun, her phone rang.
“Hey, Puppa,” she answered.
“Your mother wants to know if you’re coming over for dinner,” he said.
A smile touched Priya’s lips. Every day, despite the quiet strain between them, Mumma reached out in the only way she knew how—through an invitation to eat together. Although she was still curt with Priya, she made her favorite dishes, silently refilling her plate as they ate.
“I’d love to,” Priya replied.
“I got the report you left in my office.” There was a brief pause as her father cleared his throat. “Thank you.”
Priya’s heart lifted at his words. She knew Puppa wasn’t only thanking her for the report. For the first time, he wasn’t hustling just to get by. Business was booming, and it was because Priya had stepped into a space he wasn’t equipped to navigate, taking Moksha into the digital world.
“I’m glad I can help,” she said. “See you tonight, Puppa.”
As she hung up, a strange but welcome sense of belonging settled over her. Moksha had never been a part of her plan, but as she sat there, she realized that maybe there was a way to continue her family’s workandcarve out her own path at the same time. But first, she had another problem to solve. The deadline for the app competition was closing in, and she was still searching for the perfect idea.
Then, like an echo from the past, she heard Ethan’s voice.You know what’s the ultimate game changer? Death.
Her breath hitched.Of course.It was so obvious, she couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it before. Buzzing with excitement, she rushed back to the coach house, grabbed the nearest notepad, and began scribbling her thoughts down before they slipped away. The pieces that had once felt scattered fell into place. Magically. Almost effortlessly. She wouldn’t just be building an app. She would be creating something bigger, something that tied together her family’s legacy with her own passion.
Hours slipped away without her realizing. It wasn’t until a notification reminded her about dinner that she finally surfaced from her work. Leaning back, she scanned the table. Papers everywhere, but in their chaos, she saw clarity. A road map of everything she had envisioned.
For the first time in a long while, Priya felt a rush of purpose and excitement. The work ahead was daunting, and she couldn’t wait to see where it led. Grabbing her things, she hurried off to dinner, already itching to get back and pick up where she had left off.
As the long summer days passed, Priya poured everything she had into building her app—testing, debugging, and refining every line of code. She put each feature through its paces, making sure it not only met the competition’s standards but surpassed them. Every flaw was smoothed out, every feature polished until there was nothing left to fix.
In the hushed quiet of the coach house, her fingers hovered over the Submit button. When she finally clicked it, the sound echoed in the silence, sharper than expected. A slow breath escaped Priya as she leaned back in her chair, stretching out the stiffness in her neck. She had built something she was proud of, and she had made it happen just in time. Yet beneath the sense of accomplishment, another feeling lurked. A quiet, unsettling sense of emptiness.
In the three months since Ethan had left, the app had been more than a project to her. In a way, it had been her last real connection to Ethan. His words had sparked the idea, and through every late night and setback, he had been there in the background, challenging her to think bigger. And now that it was done, so was that connection.
Priya had avoided seeking out news about him, but in this moment she felt herself slipping, the pull of curiosity creeping back in.Just a quick scroll, just a glimpse into his life without me…She drew in a steadying breath to stop herself. She had fought too hard to get here, to build something for herself, to prove that her happiness didn’t begin and end with Ethan Knight.
But god, she missed him. And not just in the quiet moments when she let her guard slip. She missed him at the most random times, like when she passed by a restaurant they had never even gone to but she knew he would love. When she heard a song and knew exactly what face he’d make. When she found herself in a room and it suddenly felt dull because he wasn’t in it.
What haunted her the most was how things had ended between them. She had made that call, and she had to live with it. But he deserved more. He deservedbetter. Did he hate her for it?
Priya sucked in a breath and walked to the window, trying to shake off the thought. The scent of summer clung to the air, thick with freshly cut grass. Zinnias and sunflowers dotted the field. August was heavy and golden, and the light had begun to soften; already there was a crispness in the air. A change was coming, and though Priya didn’t know what it would bring, she was ready to step into it.
She turned back to her desk, staring at the screen. The confirmation message still glowed, solid and undeniable.Submission received.
Somehow, she had pulled it off. She had crammed what should’ve taken far longer into a fraction of the time, pushing herself harder than she thought possible. There was nothing left to do but wait. In a few weeks, she’d have her answer. Whatever the outcome, she knew she had given it everything she had.
For the first time since moving back home, Priya realized she no longer felt trapped—waiting for life to change, waiting to feel like herself again, waiting for when she’d finally be ready. She wasn’t fully healed or entirely at peace, and maybe she never would be. But she had taken control of her own life. Not perfectly. Not easily. And certainly not without missteps. But that, she decided, was enough.
Thirty-Three
