My heart skipped two beats and slammed against my ribs with the third beat.
Dad’s white-knuckle hold bore into Momma’s arm, silencing her. My hands trembled to touch her, to hold her, to apologize that these jackasses existed.
“See the shame? Her seduction didn’t stop there. She tried hard to convince her parents about her lie, and then turned hostile toward me for not giving in to her. Since then, she’s turned her wiles on all sorts of boys. Her lifestyle didn’t change. It worsened. Drinking, partying, cursing. She became a whore. She still is one.”
There was a scuffle behind me, Jay no doubt, but I couldn’t look.
“Women are like dishes, no? Once broken, of what use are they? Some pieces may be glued back together, but she will never be whole. In Liya’s case, there are too many tiny pieces, some that left her long ago, stuck to someone’s bed. Go ahead, ask her father if this is true or not.”
“This is the truth,” Dad pushed out, making direct eye contact with me. How much could a father hate his own child?
He went on as I watched him through teary, blurred eyes, “I’d hoped that she could find a husband, and that was my fault. To believe that a man would marry her, want her after being so used. But to slander a good man’s name…We’re indebted to Mukesh Bhai for keeping this between us. I would’ve been indebted to you, Jay, for marrying her, but that would be unfair to you.”
“I hate you,” I growled. “How could you believe him over me? All these years you stick to his side and disown your daughter? I was just a child!”
“You were a whore even then!”
“I wasn’t. You’re my father! Where the hell was your parental protection?”
His slap was swift and hard and echoed against the walls, reverberating to shake my very core. My hand lifted to the hot, stinging sensation across my cheek and lip. My tongue tasted a metallic drop of blood. A disconcerting calm fell over me, cleared my thoughts, dried my tears, pacified my words.
“Pranad!” Momma wailed and pushed Dad away.
“I’m so sorry,” she wept as she touched my cheek, tears sliding down her face.
Behind me, Jahn was holding Jay back, but the horrid disdain on their faces was enough to finish whatever we could’ve had. Even if they believed me, they would never want a lifetime tied to this drama. Not their close-knit, perfect family. This would not be the family Jay’s mother would approve of. She knew I had a past, but nothing like this, nothing that would disrupt her worship and her way of life here, something that could chisel her right out of the community.
“Liya, are you all right?” Jay asked, pulling away from his family’s grip as they pulled him back. They pulled him back…I’d lost them, which meant Jay would either decide not to be with me, or choose me over them and eventually hate me for it.
I wiped my face, lifted my chin, and said, my voice aquiver, “That is enough. I have no father.”
I shoved Dad aside and prowled past Mukesh without giving in to the need to punch his snide face, for that would only add fodder for his claims.
As I slammed the door behind me, the rumblings and shouting escalated. Maybe Jay yelled my name? Did I imagine that? But he didn’t run out after me. And that was enough of an answer.
The upbeat mix of Bollywood music and club songs drowned them out. It was an entirely different world out here. Dancing, lights, laughter, cheer.
Reema and Rohan cut across the room full of joy, meeting and chatting, dancing and eating. I tried my hardest to grin at them and gave a carefree wave. But I had to get out of here.
Preeti popped up beside me when I pushed through the front doors. A light chill hit us as she asked, “Can I join you? I can’t be near my ex for this long. Where are you going?”
“Anywhere.”
“What happened? Are you okay? Have you been crying?”
I nodded, intending to put on my don’t-give-a-damn attitude, but I completely broke down.
“Oh, my god!” She put an arm around my shoulder and helped me to her car.
“Can we leave?” I hiccupped in the passenger seat. I was completely drained.
“Anywhere. Call it.”
“Your place?”
She nodded. “Of course. What about Reema? She’ll wonder where we went. Where you are.”
I bit my lip. “I don’t want to ruin her perfect day. She can’t know any of this. Not yet. Can you have Sana cover?”
“Of course.” She texted Sana and crawled into the car.
“First I need to go home to get something.”
“Anything,” she said and we took off.
We had driven to the reception together, after having prepared at the apartment she shared with Reema. Preeti drove me home first to get my car. There, I hurried up to my apartment and quickly shoved as much as I could into a suitcase with any and everything I thought I’d need. Preeti quietly, worriedly watched. I was ready to go to my new place. I did not want to stay a minute longer in case anyone showed up to wag their judgmental finger in my face.
Then I drove my car and followed her to her apartment.
When we crashed on her couch, our chaniyas fluttered around us in sparkling waves. “Wine? Coffee? Tea? Cha?” she suggested with a warm smile.
I shook my head as Preeti took my hand in hers. “What happened?” she asked.
Biting my lip, I pondered what to say. “I’m leaving tonight,” I blurted. “My new apartment is ready. The job is ready. I’m not coming back.”
“No. Don’t say that.” She hugged me tight, and neither of us let go.
But I had to. I had to let go of all of this. “We’ll keep in touch, promise. And you’ll come visit and we’ll do girl trips as usual. Let’s change. I have to get out of this heavy outfit before we stain it with ice cream and tears.”
“Agreed. I actually think I have bruises from mine.”
We changed and pulled out a pint of Blue Bell Rocky Road and a half gallon of Bride’s Cake ice cream.
Preeti sat on the couch and I sat on the floor as I devoured the cold amaretto sweetness like there was no tomorrow.
After we suffered a few ice cream headaches, I relayed the entire story, half pissed, half mortified.
Her face was red and her fists clenched. Preeti was actually shaking with rage. “He’s one of those men who supports shunning women who don’t do traditional things. He definitely had something to say about me for dating a black man. He stopped talking to my dad after everything that happened. I hate him. What a moronic, piece of scum, dirtbag. I can’t believe he did this to you! That you suffered so much! Ugh! I want to punch him in the throat!” she screamed.
I coughed out a weak chuckle. “With some scalpels between your knuckles to really damage him?”
“Yes. Son of a bitch,” she growled.
“Hey. Calm down,” I muttered. Unlike me, Preeti did not have a mouth on her. I’d never seen her so angry, and it was a bit alarming.
“No. I will not calm down. He ruined your name, your life. And your dad? This is so wrong. I won’t stand for this. Mukesh has to be punished. People have to know.”
“No. Stop. Please. I can’t deal with more of this.”
“It’s not right, Liya. He will go on with his perfect life, walking around the place with his pretentious head held high and have everyone’s respect. He doesn’t deserve that. Why are you the only one who suffers?”