Neena looked stunning in a plum satin saree that clung to her frame, with only a minimal silver pendant adorning her necklace. Mihit stood beside her in a muted cream shirt and black trousers. There was an understated elegance to them both that Siya had begun to admire.
Abhay hugged them both, and Siya secretly wished she could build such an easy relationship with her parents-in-law. If only her father would let them.
She’d spent the day trying to figure out how to give them the cheque back. The thin piece of paper tucked in her clutch felt heavier with each passing hour.
She found it difficult to look them in the eye when they’d spent a fortune to win back a ring that shouldn’t have been up for sale in the first place. She’d often seen how that kind of generosity didn’t come without a cost.
Neena turned to her and said, ‘Darling, you look beautiful. That kurti looks stunning on you.’
Before she could thank her, Sharda chimed in, her gaze moving down her frame with the faintest wrinkle of her nose. ‘Oh please, she still dresses like a poor girl. I wasted so much time on her. I should have expected better than to know she’d learn anything worthwhile from me.’
‘A woman doesn’t need to be dripping with diamonds to look classy,’ Neena said.
Sharda snorted and spoke with dry amusement. ‘It’s funny you say that after the show of wealth your family did last night buying back a valuable heirloom from my son.’
Mihit directed his question at her with precise aim. ‘Oh, I don’t know, Sharda ji. If it was so valuable to your son, why did he put it up for auction?’
Siya felt the air shift in the room and her body tensed when Sharda frowned, her posture stiff with disdain.
Neena backed her husband. ‘Besides, that ring belonged to Arohi, not your son, and I’m sure she’d be happier to know that the ring passed down to her daughter instead of a stranger.’
The way she spoke of her mother, it almost sounded like she knew her. Siya saved that titbit away in her mind.
‘Kartik will be waiting for us in the dining room. You’ll have to excuse me.’ Sharda rose, muttering under her breath about checking the dinner setup, and left in a rustle.
Siya let out a sigh of relief when she walked out. Abhay and Mihit filtered after her and before Neena could too, she called out her name. ‘Aunty, can I talk to you for a moment?’
‘Of course.’ Neena stopped in her tracks, waiting for her to speak.
‘I wanted to…’ Her heart was lodged in her throat as she pulled out the cheque out of her clutch. ‘This is for you, and I also wanted to thank you for last night.’
Neena looked down at the cheque but didn’t take it. ‘It’s yours, Siya. Keep it.’
‘I can’t. It’s too much.’
‘Then consider it a gift for your wedding.’
Siya firmly shook her head, words spilling faster than she meant to. ‘I’m very grateful but it doesn’t feel right. I know you can’t be thrilled about the financial hit over the ring.’
Neena raised her hand. ‘No, I wasn’t thrilled about that ring being up for auction.’
The rage shimmering in her eyes confused Siya. She swallowed hard and brought up the one thing that had been nagging her. ‘Aunty, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but whydidn’t you stop Abhay? Why did you instead ask him to raise the bid to the triple amount?
Neena looked away, and for a second, Siya thought she might not answer.
But then she replied, ‘Because sometimes, you don’t get the chance to stop someone like Kartik the first time around. All you can do is hope that in the end, you succeed in saving something.’
Siya frowned. ‘I don’t understand.’
Neena simply reached out and gently touched her cheek once, then turned and walked toward the dining room. Siya stayed back, envelope still in hand. No matter how she turned the words in her head, she still couldn’t figure out their meaning, so she followed her.
Siya was the last to join as the dinner began. Everyone was settled at the long mahogany dining table. Despite everything weighing on her, her stomach twisted with hunger as the staff served the first course.
The spread was a tempting mixture of Indian and Western dishes. Butter chicken and rice were served in silver dishes, along with herb-crusted salmon in another. A platter of garlic naan and buttered French baguette slices was placed in the corner.
She chose a light Caesar salad with flaky parmesan sprinkled atop and spinach soup as Abhay loaded chicken on his plate. The gleeful look on his face showed her a glimpse of the foodie inside her. She made a mental note to learn how to cook one of his favourite dishes soon.
Dhruv sat across from her, next to their grandmother. His face was neutral but somehow Siya could feel his discomfortwith the way Sharda was patting his hair. Something had always felt weird about their relationship, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
