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Reeva quietly openedthe front door and creaked up the stairs. The prayers were in full swing in the living room, but she was in no fit state to join them. Her hair—and her entire face and body—were entirely covered in a thick oil. She looked, and smelled, like a salad. But she felt incredible. The last time she’d treated herself to a spa session like that had been during the influx of hen parties she’d gone to in her twenties. She’d stopped saying yes to them ever since Rakesh had dumped her for Jaya; it had felt too depressing to celebrate other people’s love when she was so tragically alone. But after just one afternoon of pampering, Reeva was starting to remember the benefits of spas. How had she ever let her self-care slide so badly? As soon as she got back to London, she’d make up for her poor millennial behavior by booking as many massages as she could afford.
Carefully tiptoeing around the landing, she opened the bathroom door. She started running the bath, pouring in the essential oils her aunt had pressed on her as she’d left—apparentlylavender and frankincense were exactly what she needed to lessen her anxiety—and stepped out of her oily clothes. She still felt so calm post-massage. Did other people feel like this all the time? The thought of permanently being this relaxed made Reeva want to cry a little. It was just so different from the constant tension she normally walked around with, and the ever-growing vague sense of panic that something was going to go wrong.
She was just lowering her naked body into the steaming tub when the door burst open.
“Oh my god, get out!” she screeched, rushing to cover herself with outstretched hands.
Her sisters—both standing next to each other in the doorway—ignored her.
“Oh, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before,” said Sita, chucking her a towel.
“Nice style down there,” said Jaya. “What is it, an extended Brazilian?”
Reeva wrapped the towel around herself, glaring at her sisters as she got out of the bath. “What are you guys doing?”
“Uh, more like what areyoudoing?” asked Jaya as she locked the door behind her—something Reeva had failed to do in her state of pure relaxation. “You’ve missed the start of the prayers, and now you’re having a bath?”
“Where have you been?” demanded Sita, sitting on top of the closed toilet.
Reeva lowered herself onto the edge of the bathtub. “I went to see Satya Auntie. And she offered me a massage.”
“Oh, that explains your hair situation,” nodded Jaya. “Ayurveda? Shirodhara?”
“Um, I think so. There was a lot of oil.”
“Right, so while we’ve been here hosting our father’s prayers, you’ve been getting free massages from our aunt?” asked Sita. “Did you manage to also get any more info from her, or did that not cross your mind mid-facial?”
“Ooh, did they give you a facial too?” asked Jaya, peering at her sister’s face. “Your pores still look a bit clogged.”
“No, they did not,” said Reeva, crossing her arms. “And I just went to see her because she’s our aunt. I wanted to get to know her.”
“Is she the only person you went to see?” asked Sita pointedly. “Because we happened to speak to Leela just now. She was looking forward to seeing you.Again.”
Reeva shook her head in irritation. “Why didn’t you tell me that when you came in? Look, I didn’t hide it from you on purpose. I would have already told you if you’d given me a chance. Instead of intruding on me mid-bath.”
“Pre-bath,” said Jaya. “You still smell kind of weird.”
“So tell us then,” said Sita. “What did Leela say when you went on your clandestine visit?”
“Just that she and Dad are friends. And...” Reeva sighed preemptively, knowing exactly how her sisters would react to what she was about to say. “They’ve been friends since uni. Good friends.”
“Called it!” cried Jaya. “Good friendsdefinitely means they’re shagging.”
Sita smiled complacently. “Mystery solved. They were involved from the start and Mum found out. Lost her shit. Faked his death. Ruined our lives. Case solved.”
“Okay, we do not have enough evidence to make that conclusion,” said Reeva.
“You legit sound like you’re in a courtroom right now,” said Jaya.
“Reeva, you know in your gut we’re right,” said Sita. “You just can’t bear it because you refuse to see the bad in people. It used to be you defending Mum and now you’re defending Dad.” She shook her head. “As always, you’re too busy trying to protect our parents when you should be protecting us.”
“I’m sorry, what?” asked Reeva. “I’m not defending anyone; I’m just refusing to jump to conclusions. And why should I be protecting you both?! From what?”
“Uh, our family,” said Jaya. “You’re the older sister. You were meant to be there for us. We really needed you.”
“Well maybe I needed you to not cheat with my boyfriend,” snapped Reeva.
Jaya staggered back as if she’d been physically hurt. “I... you...”
