33. Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Mira
I was not happy, per se, but I was not sad, either.
Dr. Ryan said that what she saw in me was a positive change—that I was ready to engage with the world.
I liked working at Savannah Lace, and I'd stopped thinking about running out of the city. I'd tried, once again, to ask Nova how much rent I should pay for her apartment, and she muttered something about, " I don't take money from family. "
It wasn't just Nova who was treating me like family—it was everyone at Savannah Lace. Nina had made it a ritual to come and see me at the end of the day. She'd have a glass of white wine while I'd have a cup of tea, and we'd talk about pretty much anything but work. She didn't care about the menu, believing it was my domain. She told me about her life. How she was divorced, and had been a single mom to her daughter, how she built this company, and what her struggles had been. I saw her as invincible, so learning that she'd had challenges and had overcome them made me feel less like a loser.
I'd never had this much freedom in my life before. I had an income. I had a nice place to live. I could plan what I cooked from day-to-day based on what was in season. I'd built relationships with vendors at the Savannah State Farmers Market that catered to restaurants and cafeterias.
I had started to offer a vegetarian option for all meals—which several people were grateful for. I had worried that the Indian tilt to the food would bother some of the Southern palates, but the day I made butter chicken, I ran out because people came for seconds and thirds.
The carrot halwa was a big hit, as was rasmalai .
I loved to cook, and even though I was taking care of a large group of people, the fact that I did it at Savannah Lace made me feel like I was cooking for family.
Kate, the cleaner, was putting away breakfast while I checked on the tandoori chicken in the oven. I was serving it with pulao rice, raita , and a cauliflower-carrot yogurt curry. I always made a salad with every meal, something more interesting than just lettuce and the usual stuff.
Over time, Kate and I had become friends. She was forty-eight and recently divorced. Having never worked a day in her life, she now found herself cleaning an office building to make a living. Despite the drastic change from being a middle-class housewife to doing a job many would consider menial, she told me she was happier than she'd ever been. Earning for herself gave her a sense of freedom, and she felt better about who she was.
Everyone had their issues, and realizing that no one's life was as perfect as it appeared helped me deal with my own baggage.
Rachel knocked on the open door of the cafeteria to get my attention. "Hey, Mira. Nina wanted me to talk to you."
I wiped my hands on my apron, fear congealing inside me. Had I done something wrong? Was I getting fired?
Seeing me stiffen, Rachel smiled. "Nina isn't annoyed with you," she said softly, her voice comforting rather than patronizing. I was slowly getting used to being treated well by people, and it was helping me lower my walls, be more open, and share my fears.
"You sure?"
"Absolutely sure." She cleared her throat. "But don't get upset. Your parents are in her office, and she wanted me to ask if you'd like to be there."
My stomach dropped. Rachel stepped closer, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You won't be alone. Nina will be with you. But if you don't want to see them, you don't have to."
Her words landed hard, knocking the breath out of me. The ground seemed to shift beneath my feet, my body locking up. They were here. After everything—after I'd tried to cut them out—they still had the nerve to show up where I was just starting to feel safe.
People at work didn't know about my parents—not the details, but they did know that I didn't get along well with them, and that they'd tried to fight for custody of Pari. Since this was Savannah and everyone loved the Bodine family—my parents were not popular.
"I can't believe they're at my workplace," I choked out, my voice trembling with the beginnings of anger.
"It's your call, Mira. Nina can handle them."
"No," I snapped. " I will handle them."
I didn't wait. My feet were already moving, faster than I could think, down the hall toward Nina's office. I could hear voices as I got closer—the low murmur of my father's calm, manipulative tone, and my mother's sharp-edged whisper that I knew all too well.
I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. When Nina asked me to come in, I entered my hell.
My parents sat in armchairs in the seating area, across from Nina, like they belonged here. Like they had any right to be in my space.
"Mira, thank you so much for making time to be here. I know you're very busy." Nina got up and walked to me. She put a hand on my shoulder and moved me to take a seat next to her on the couch.
"Mira," my father acknowledged me, his voice too smooth, too controlled.
I could feel a tidal wave of anger rising inside me, combined with fear. "What are you doing here?" I demanded.
Nina glanced at me, still smiling like we were at high tea or some shit. "I actually asked them the exact same thing."
She did?
My mother didn't even bother to look at me, her eyes still fixed on Nina. "We've come to express our concerns," she said coolly. "Mira hasn't been well, and we don't think it's appropriate for her to be working in such an environment. She's a danger to all of you, considering her state of mind."
Dangerous. My state of mind?
I felt something snap inside me, like a rubber band stretched too tight for too long. The cold numbness that had protected me for weeks was gone, and in its place was a burning fire, years of buried pain clawing its way to the surface.
"You have no right to be here," I hissed. " Get out ."
My father tilted his head, that condescending smirk playing on his lips. "We're just worried about you, Mira. After everything that has happened, which our lawyer told us about, it's clear you need help."
"She doesn't need your help—Mira, in fact, doesn't need help, period. She's doing just fine," Nina stated. "And, I'm curious. What exactly did your lawyers tell you?"
Nina was on my side, I realized, my heart stuttering. No one was ever on my side when it came to my parents.
"That Mira is doing drugs," my mother announced.
"Drugs?" I almost laughed out loud. What the fuck were they cooking up now?
"The Ambien," my mother pointed out haughtily.
She had to be out of her mind! I wasn't doing drugs; I'd tried to hurt myself, and as if that wasn't enough, they were here to fuck up my job?
I couldn't breathe. I felt the walls closing in, the air thickening around me. My heart pounded in my ears, the blood rushing to my head, making everything blur. But I wasn't going to let them get away with this. Not again.
"I think you're confused," Nina chuckled.
"Mira has always been good at hiding—" my mother started, and I banged my hand on the coffee table to shut her up.
"Enough. No more. You both need to get out of here."
My father shook his head. "Miss Davenport, as you can see, she's not stable."
"Hell, Mr. Sen, I wouldn't be stable either if the people who abused me showed up to my place of work to cause trouble. That's what you're here for, aren't you? To get me to fire your daughter, the one who's working hard and doing an amazing job?" Nina was calm as a lake, and that's when I decided, I wanted to be just like her when I grew up. I wanted to be like this amazing and strong woman.
"We're only concerned about her health and also about the health of the people around her," my father stated but I could see his eyes flashing. He hadn't expected this. Mr. Lawyer was not able to manipulate Nina.
"On come on, Mr. Sen, what you're worried about is that she's working with some of the most influential people in the state and she might tell us all about you ." Nina sounded more amused than angry.
"Get out." I stood up, my hands clenched.
"Careful, Mira," my father said softly, finally turning his eyes to me, a warning glint in them. "You're sounding hysterical. She's always been a touch melodramatic."
Melodramatic ? The word ricocheted through my brain, and I saw red. The memories flooded back all at once—the nights I'd cried myself to sleep, my broken whispers and dreams, the fear, the shame. All of it came crashing down on me like a storm I couldn't escape.
"You abused us!" I screamed, my voice cracking, my whole body shaking. "You destroyed us! You—you used me! You used Asha! And you want to stand here and tell me I'm melodramatic ?"
I barely registered the sound of the door opening behind me. I didn't care who walked in right now. I was unraveling, everything I had held in for so long pouring out, all the rage, the grief, the betrayal.
"You ruined Asha!" I shouted, my voice raw. "You destroyed me! And you were going to do the same to Pari. But you know what, you'll never get your hands on my Shona because Beau won't let you. He knows what you are, and he will fuck you up."
"Stop screaming," my father scolded.
That voice and those words were like a knife through me.
"She's right, you know. I will fuck you up if you ever show up anywhere near Mira again." I turned to see Beau standing in the doorway, lazy, larger than life.
He stepped aside and two men in security uniforms stepped in.
"Thank you, Beau." Nina looked at my parents. "These men will walk you out. Please don't ever come back here again. You're both despicable people and I'm so glad that I have the opportunity to tell you to your faces to go fuck yourselves."
My parents got up. My mother's expression twisted into something cold, cruel. "You're telling lies again, aren't you, Mira?"
"Get out." This time it was Nina who said the words.
The guards ushered my parents out of Nina's office. I didn't know how to feel. Beau was here. Nina was here. They were both on my side and against my parents. They believed me.
I felt myself sway. Strong arms caught me before I could fall, pulling me back from the abyss. I realized it was Beau, holding me, whispering something I couldn't hear but I could feel his words of affection. I began to shake uncontrollably, my body heaving with sobs I hadn't noticed.
I collapsed to my knees, my body shaking with sobs too powerful to contain. Beau knelt beside me, wrapping his arms around me, whispering, "It's okay. You're safe. You're safe. I won't let anyone hurt you ever again."
But I didn't feel safe. I felt shattered. Exposed. Every wound ripped open for the world to see, every scar laid bare.
"Oh, sweetheart," I heard Nina say. I looked up at her and her kind eyes were moist with emotion.
"You believe me? Over them?"
"Yes," Nina said softly, kneeling beside us. "I believe you, Mira. You don't have to carry this alone."
Beau kissed the side of my head. "We're on your side, darlin'. Always."
Their words disarmed me. Someone believed me. Someone had seen me, had chosen me over them . For the first time in my life, I wasn't the crazy one. I wasn't a liar. I wasn't alone.
The weight of it broke something loose inside me, something I didn't know was still locked up. I cried harder, clutching at Beau's shirt, letting all the years of pain and betrayal spill out.
I had carried this burden for so long, had convinced myself I could bear it alone. But I couldn't. And now, for the first time, I didn't have to.
I could finally let it go. I could finally start to heal.