AllFreeNovel
Share Us
No. It couldn’t be. They wouldn’t have come all this way to see her. Not when they were so angry at her. They hated her, and she hated them. That was the way things had been for the last four years, and bar a few nights in the bathroom, that was the way they’d always be. They wouldn’t just—
“Oh my god, can you let us in? We’re not, like, serial killers. We’re your sisters.”
CHAPTER 23
Day 12
Reeva sat onthe sofa in stony silence facing her sisters. They were both damp from the rain, but while Sita’s hair was now plastered on her head, Jaya’s had gone curlier than usual and looked annoyingly cute. She reached out a hand to check that her wig was firmly in place and crossed her arms again. “So? Are you going to tell me why you’re here?”
Jaya turned to Sita, who furrowed her brow before speaking. “Mum came. She told us everything.”
“It was so crazy!” cried Jaya. “I can’t believe he almostkilledyou. That is way worse than him being a spy. Obviously. You poor thing, Reeva—I can’t even imagine what you’re going through.”
Reeva frowned; Jaya looked almost sincere.
“So, um, how are you doing?” asked Sita. “After the big, uh, truth reveal?”
Reeva shrugged. “I’m okay. Surprised you guys care enough to ask when the last time we spoke you basically said you never wanted to see me again.”
“Well, that’s because you lost your shit when you thoughtDad had killed your cat,” pointed out Sita. “Him putting you in a coma is a bit more legit.”
“I was uncovering my childhood trauma!” cried Reeva. “Surely I can be forgiven for verbalizing it imperfectly?”
Jaya put a hand on her heart. “You forgave me for what I did, so yes, I forgive you.”
“Okay, I wasn’t actually—oh, whatever.” Reeva sighed. “Thanks for coming to check up on me.”
“Of course,” said Jaya.
“You’ve obviously been through a lot,” said Sita. “We all have, to be honest.”
“Definitely,” agreed Reeva. “You know, I couldn’t ever acknowledge that before—I always wanted to minimize what I’d been through. That’s why I made it all about the cat, because I was trying to—”
“Oh god, not with the cat again,” muttered Sita.
Reeva glared at her. “Seriously? You’re not going to let me even finish my sentence when I’m talking about how I’ve processed Dad almost accidentally killing me?”
“We obviously want to hold space for you,” said Jaya quickly. “But, um, maybe later? You see, we’re actually here to talk about something else.” She looked pointedly at Sita. “Something. Else.”
“Okay, go on,” said Sita.
“No, you need to do it!” cried Jaya. “I’m terrible at doing things like this. And I’m more triggering for her. It’s better if it comes from you.”
“What are you guys going on about?” interrupted Reeva impatiently. “Just tell me.”
“Why do I always have to be the bearer of bad news?” asked Sita. “But fine. You’re not going to want to hear this, but...”
“You’re scaring me. Tell me. Now.”
“Satya Auntie is dying.”
The color drained from Reeva’s face. “No. You’re joking. It’s not... what? What do you mean?!”
Sita’s expression softened. “She has cancer. A brain tumor. She’s had it for ages. But she’s got the incurable kind. And it’s catching up with her. The doctors say she doesn’t have long.”
“No.” Reeva shook her head vehemently. “It can’t be true. She would have said something.”
“It’s true,” said Sita. “Sorry.”
