“You want me to calm down?” she snaps instantly, pulling away from me. “Samarjeet killed Dad, and you want me to calm down?”
She takes a step behind. “How could he even do something like this? What was he thinking?” Her voice rises with every question as tears continue spilling down her cheeks. “I... I can’t believe Samarjeet would kill Dad. Did he never once think about Mom? About what she would go through when she found out her own son killed her husband? She shakes her head frantically. “No… Mom loves him so much. No... no... How could he kill Dad?”
She drags a shaking hand through her hair, breathing hard.
“I always knew Samarjeet had an evil side. He hated me. He never treated me like a sister. He never respected Mom, neverlistened to Dad. Their ideologies never matched. Whatever Dad decided, he never agreed readily. He always challenged him at every step and was always a big headache to Dad. I’ve seen it my entire life.”
More tears fall. “But that doesn’t mean he would kill him,” she sobs. “How could he do this? No…” The disbelief finally begins to turn into rage. “I… I’m not going to spare him. If he really killed Dad, I won’t leave him alive.”
Then she loses control. Everything inside her explodes all at once. Shock. Anger. Frustration. Devastation.
“I’ll kill him with my f*cking hands.”
The flower vase on the side table nearly topples when she shoves past it. Then she sweeps her hand over the desk. Files and folders crash to the floor as papers flutter everywhere as she lashes out at anything and everything within reach.
I don’t stop her or try to silence her. I just watch, letting her rage burn through her because right now, she needs to vent before she can breathe again.
“I’ll not let him live!” she shouts. “I’m going to kill him.”
The pain in her voice is enough to tear through me. The intel had shocked me too. Learning that Samarjeet killed Shamsher Vardhaan was something even I hadn’t expected. But my own shock became insignificant the moment I saw Siya.
Because for me, this is information.For her, this is family.
This is about her father, her brother, and her mother. This is her entire world tearing itself apart in front of her.
Her wounds are too personal, and I can see that she’s no longer thinking clearly. Before she can hurt herself in the process, I finally step forward and pull her back.
“Stop.” I wrap my arms around her from behind and hold her firmly against me. My palm presses gently against her forehead as I try to steady her.
“Stop it, Siya. Calm down. Please.”
But she is far beyond calm.
“Leave me!” She struggles against my hold. “I’m going to Cape Town. I’m not going to leave him, Raghav.”
Her voice breaks. “Dad didn’t deserve this from his own son.” Her rage keeps pouring out all over again.
I let her fight me for a few moments before finally managing to guide her towards the couch. She resists at first, but eventually, I make her sit down. I sit beside her, holding both her hands as though letting go would make her fall apart all over again.
“Siya,” I say quietly, waiting until she finally looks at me. “Men like Samarjeet can never be trusted. If he truly had that kind of evil intention inside him, then, yes... he could do something like this.”
She stiffens.
“I know that you’re hurt right now, and I understand why. But if you lose yourself like this...” I squeeze her hands gently. “Then who is going to handle your mom?”
The moment I say it, I see the realisation hit her. Her mother still doesn’t know. And suddenly, a new fear replaces the rage, and her entire body seems to shiver.
“I can’t tell Mom,” she whispers. “I can’t. I know how much this will break her. Samarjeet is her son, Raghav. She’ll never be able to bear this.”
I remain silent for a moment.
“As far as I know, your mom is stronger than you think,” I tell her softly. “Yes, this is going to be a huge shock to her. But she deserves to know the truth. We have to tell her.”
She shivers at the very thought of it. I can’t see her like this… so fragile and vulnerable. I move closer to her and cup her face.
“I know this is hard. What Samarjeet has done is completely unacceptable. There are lines even men like us do not cross. Andhe crossed every one of them. He committed a sin, and he’ll pay for it, Siya. I promise you that.”
Slowly, some of the tension leaves her body. She lowers her eyes and stares at her trembling hands.
