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“Sam—”
“No. I haven’t finished. You created a multimillion-dollar operation to give me some revenge I never wanted. What good will Shah’s death do for me? My mother is still gone.”
A lump formed in the pit of my stomach, adding to the nausea continually churning there.
“If I ever get this legacy you are determined to give me, I will immediately give it to Jayna and Danika. It’s tainted money, covered in my mother’s blood.” He pointed to me. “That baby in your belly is a King, not a fucking Shah. Our child will inherit Arin King’s legacy. That man was my father, not Ashok Shah.”
“Sam, I’m sorry. I was doing it because I—”
“You love me. Do you want to know what shows me that you love me? How about just using the fucking words and saying them to me? Just once, I’d like to hear you say it. Or perhaps shed this queen persona and come out in public with me. Let the world know you’re my woman.
“You hate this life but wield it like a weapon. Something has to give, Devani. I won’t compromise anymore. As of now, we are over in every aspect. I will be there for our child. I will do anything for our child. I meant it when I said, when it comes to us, I want it all or nothing.”
18
Sam
I approachedmy mother’s graveyard a little before six in the morning. A deep heaviness settled into my chest, adding to everything else I held inside.
The scents of flowers and greenery filled the air. Groundskeepers busied themselves tending the area, ensuring every plot remained immaculately groomed.
I’d made sure of it.
Veda Milla Kumari never received the finer things during her young life. I would damn well make it so she had them while she lay in rest.
When Arin took us in, he’d offered to have her cremated since no one was there upon her death to explain the traditions of my mother’s faith and culture. I’d been too young to have a say, and honestly, my grief had consumed me.
In the end, I’d decided to leave her in the cemetery. She’d already spent years here. I couldn’t disturb her peace.
She deserved it more than anyone I knew.
Kneeling, I set a bouquet of irises and roses at the base of her headstone. Slowly, I traced her name and the two dates carved into the marble.
Almost twenty-seven years apart, exactly.
The day my world had turned upside down, Mum and I had planned to celebrate her birthday early since her factory scheduled her to work a double shift on the actual date.
We had everything planned. I’d go to school with the neighbor’s daughter while she met with coworkers for breakfast and went to a quick business meeting. Then, after she picked me up from school, we would go for pizza at our favorite place in the neighborhood.
Our grand plan never came to fruition. Instead, a social worker had shown up at my school to ask me if I had any known family. There were none. None that had ever attempted to know me, anyway.
Mum’s family wasn’t wealthy by Shah’s standards but was well-respected in the Indo-American community. Having an unwed and pregnant daughter would have shamed them and ruined the marriage prospects for the other three children in their family. My maternal grandparents chose their standing in society over their child and grandchild.
I wanted to hate them for what they’d done to Mum, but what I felt toward them was indifference. They’d locked themselves up in tradition and lost out. Arin had taken great pleasure in showing them what I’d become.
To me, it meant nothing. I would rather have had my mother.
“Jai Shri Krishna, Mum. I’m sorry it took me a while to visit,”I said in Gujarati.“I know for a fact that Shah killed you.”I retraced her name.“But, I’m sure you already knew this.”
I paused as if she’d respond.
After analyzing all of the images on Kala Barot’s phone, disgust like nothing I’d ever felt settled in my stomach. When Arin had spoken to me about the accident, I knew deep down Shah had orchestrated the bus crash. But not the role he’d played.
By tampering with the bus, he’d covered his hands in the blood of Mum, Nik’s, Kir’s, and Rey’s parents, and eight other innocent people.
“I’ve finally put all the pieces together of what happened that morning. You were going to meet with Shah’s parents and tell them about me. That was why you agreed to go to breakfast with your coworkers and got on the bus.”
I pulled a few flowers from the bouquet and set them around the base of the headstone.
