‘I know an apology won’t fix this,’ he said, suddenly looking every one of his fifty-five years. ‘And I know I can’t undo the damage. But I’m here now, asking – begging – for a chance to try. To be the father I should have been. The father you deserved.’
I wanted to feel something.
Forgiveness. Understanding. Even pity.
But all I felt was tired.
‘I don’t know if I can give you what you’re asking for,’ I said finally. ‘Not right now. Maybe not for a long time.’
He nodded slowly, pain etched across his face.
‘But I’m not going to carry this anymore either.’ I exhaled, and it felt like releasing a breath I’d been holding for years. ‘I’m done being angry. Done letting this consume me.’
I looked at Rekha. At my father. At Ayaan, who sat frozen, looking like his world had just been rearranged.
‘If Ananya has accepted Rekha’s apology, I’ll drop the case against her. And the first step to forgiveness will be to revive Rivaayat with full funding and board approval.’
The relief was visible on his face.
‘I cannot promise that Sharanji will drop the lawsuit against LB or that Rekha won’t be dragged into it,’ I continued, ‘but I’ll talk to him. Have them double the compensation amount. That and Rivaayat should be enough to sway him.’
He would’ve been happy to have his name back on kauseya weave, but they had the means to do this, and he deserved it.
‘Consider it done.’ He nodded. ‘Does this mean you’ll come back to our company?’
I shook my head. ‘Ananya and I are starting our own company.’
He blinked. ‘That’s – that’s good. If there is anything I can do to help or—’
‘We’ll be fine.’
He looked between us, his eyes giving nothing away. Then he nodded once, slow and weary.
‘I do want to forgive you,’ I said softly. ‘But it’s going to take time. I’ve been doing the heavy lifting for twenty-five years.’ I held his gaze. ‘It’s your turn now.’
‘I’ll do my best.’
Rekha turned to Ananya. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said, and this time her voice was stripped of all pretence. ‘What I did to you was cruel and unfair, and you didn’t deserve any of it.’
Ananya, her hand still in mine, didn’t speak for a few seconds. ‘I don’t know if I’ll ever fully forgive you for it. But I ... all of us need to move on from this. So, I accept it.’
Rekha’s eyes closed briefly, relief washing over her face.
Dad looked between us. ‘It was nice to meet you, Ananya,’ he said. Then turned to me. ‘I’m proud of you, beta. I always have been.’
The words hit harder than I expected.
I didn’t respond. Couldn’t.
The tightness in my chest finally loosened after they left.
Ananya turned to me, her eyes searching my face. ‘You okay?’
I thought about it. Really thought about it.
The anger was there. The hurt. The years of accumulated disappointment, loneliness, and desperate wanting. They didn’t magically vanish.
But underneath it all was something else.
