Chapter Nineteen
Arya
Nathan vanishes into the crowd like a thief in the night.
Meanwhile, I’m caught like a deer in the headlights in the same spot. Standing so rigidly that I could hear my bones crack if I moved an inch.
My anger at Nathan takes a back seat, replaced by sadness and longing so strong it threatens to drown me.
Bianca must be battling similar emotions because she visibly shakes, digging her nails into Dash’s arm that’s wrapped around her waist. He senses her apprehension, a concerned frown marring his forehead as he peers down at her.
Following the line of her gaze, he lifts his head in my direction and understanding clicks.
I wait for the inevitable fury to descend on his angular features that darkened Rosalie’s face when we last met.
It doesn’t come.
Is that bad or good?
I bring my hands forward, fidgeting on the spot.
Dash bends, whispering in her ear and stealing her attention for half a breath. Stepping out of his embrace, she slowly struts toward me. Like she’s approaching a cornered animal, unknowing whether it’ll attack or welcome her.
The purple embroidered and sequined sari she’s wearing beautifully accentuates her curvy shape. She used to complain about them, feeling a little insecure and wishing she were as slim as me, while I envied her figure.
Tonight, she looks exceptionally riveting.
Proudly owning her hourglass body.
A glow and serenity on her face that only being hopelessly in love can bring. Stopping a foot away from me, she gives me a small and tentative smile. “Arya.”
Hearing her tender voice after so long brings tears to my eyes.
Turning my head, I rapidly blink them away before she can notice. However, I’ve forgotten that my big sister possesses a radar that reads my emotions like an experienced palm reader.
“A-Arya,” she whispers with a hitch in her throat.
I open my mouth to reply. A low sniffle slips out instead. I lower my gaze from embarrassment.
Bianca rushes closer, grabbing my shoulders. “Hey.”
“I… I…” Oh gosh! Everyone’s going to see me break down.
Sensing I’m seconds away from falling apart, she intertwines our hands and tugs me toward the back door. “Let’s go.”
I let her guide me outside to the hallway and away from the party. We keep walking for several minutes until I can no longer hear the music. I look up in time to see her opening the door to a lavish restroom.
It has a cherry red couch fixed to the wall.
So weird.
Pulling me down to sit on it, Bianca plops down beside me and holds my clammy palm between hers. “Take a deep breath, Arya. It’s just us now.”
I scratch my temple with my free hand as I squeeze my eyelids shut to suppress the tears. A dry laugh climbs up my throat but spills out as a sorrowful sob. “I-I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” She squeezes my hand.
“N-not this, Bee,” I murmur, spilling out every feeling I’ve been keeping inside for years.
She’s treating me caringly, as though we haven’t been separated for ages.
“For every terrible thing I’ve done to you till now.
For pushing you to get married. For not taking a stand for you in front of Mommy and Papa.
For not telling you about my engagement and inviting you to my wedding.
I’ve treated you horribly, acted so, so selfishly. You didn’t deserve it.”
“Look at me, sweetie.”
I don’t, too ashamed to meet her eyes. I can’t handle her staring at me lovingly. “I’ve been the world’s worst sister ever.”
“No, you’re wrong.” Touching my chin, she turns my face to her and pushes away the wetness rolling down my cheeks. Shaking her head, her eyes torn with pain, she murmurs, “I shouldn’t have cut you off because of what happened between me and Papa. It’s my fault.”
“How can you say that? You never would’ve fought with him if it wasn’t for me. I sacrificed you for a man who didn’t love me.”
She jerks back in horror. “Is that what you believe?”
“I coerced you into an arranged marriage even though I knew you weren’t ready.”
“Papa would’ve done the same, Arya. Mama was already doing it. And I would’ve been stuck in a crappy marriage had they succeeded. You saved me.”
I search her eyes, whispering, “So, you don’t blame me? Hate me?”
“God no.” Smiling brightly, she says, “You’re the reason I found the love of my life, who taught me how to be brave and be a hopeless romantic again.
Everything happens for a reason. My only regret is losing you and for making you feel like you couldn’t be a part of my life, even in secret.
I know how Dad can be. I’m sorry if I made you feel like I hated you all these years. ”
With each word, the heaviness lifts off my chest. I cry, unable to hold in the flurry of emotions. Leaning forward, I throw my arms around her. “I m-missed you s-so much, Bee. Everything I did was for nothing. I lost you for no reason. The guilt of it eats me alive.”
“Shush,” she sighs, wrapping me in a tight hug. Her voice trembles like mine as she utters, “I missed you loads too. I kept hoping you’d call one day, even if it was to yell at me for abandoning you.”
“I didn’t want to disrupt your life,” I admit, pulling back. Blinking away tears, I whisper, “I think I was also scared of upsetting Papa by reaching out to you. He forbade me from ever talking to you, Bee.”
The way he had loomed over me and menacingly said it in his home office had left me frightened. Never had I seen him so livid. I had shrunk into a little ball like a child.
“I kept waiting for his anger to die down, but it never did.” I don’t tell Bianca how he’d once slapped me across the face after I accidentally said her name at dinner.
I sat stunned at the table, unable to believe he had raised his hand on me.
“I hoped once I got out from under his thumb after my marriage, I would try to fix our relationship. But I never got the chance.”
My parents’ hatred of her doesn’t make sense to me.
What is it about her falling in love with a man who worships her that is such a reprehensible crime in their eyes?
I understand it began as a fake arrangement and brought us into bad limelight after being leaked to the public. Instead of protecting her and trying to understand why she did it, my father left her alone to fend for herself.
To my parents, she’s dead.
How can they be so cold?
I acted no differently toward her, under duress or not. I should’ve been braver and stood up to them. The way Bianca did.
I mean, look at her now. She’s so lively and happy.
“You don’t have to explain,” she assures me, anxiety flashing in her eyes. “I think you made the right call by not going against him.”
“Why?”
“Because you’ve always been the apple of his eye. I wouldn’t want to be the reason to change that. I’ve accepted the truth that I could never live up to his expectations. I was content that he was proud of your choices because you gave him everything I couldn’t.”
Is that what she thinks? I breathe out a humorless laugh. “You’re so wrong, Bee.”
“Our parents cherish you, Arya. You’ve always been their favorite child.”
“Well, it might have been true in the past,” I utter dryly. “I’m nothing but an embarrassment now.”
She freezes, fear and pain twisting her features. “Have they not been treating you well because of your canceled wedding?”
I stay quiet.
“Oh, baby,” she cries, pulling me into another hug. “Did he yell at you? Blame you?”
“Both.”
A jolt passes through her body. Looking into my eyes, she cradles my face. “He’s wrong. It wasn’t your fault, you know that, right?”
“It took me months to realize that.”
“Why didn’t you call me? I would’ve been there for you.” Jaw tightening with fury, she growls, “I wanted to kill Aryan as soon as I found out. God, I still do. If I ever see him…”
“I’ll help you bury the body,” I say, chuckling and rubbing away my tears. My makeup must be ruined by now.
“My friends and Dash will help too.” Sighing low, she says, “I wish you had come to me, Arya.” Sitting straighter in a flash, she suggests, “Leave them and stay with me for a while. Sooner or later, he’ll try to fix you up with a man of his choice. I’m not scared of him anymore. I can protect you.”
I jerk back, releasing her. “I… I can’t leave them, Bee. I’m all they have. I’ve just recovered from one drama. I can’t handle another.”
A part of me also worries it’ll push my dad over the edge. Who knows how he’ll react toward my mom? I can’t bear the thought of breaking up our little family more than we already are.
“But─”
“I can’t walk away.”
“They’re toxic people, Arya. Papa never cared about our happiness as long as it didn’t hurt his reputation. He has a dark side. Mommy will never take a stand against him. You’ll suffocate with them.”
“He’s not going to marry me off without consent, if that’s what you’re worried about. What kind of daughter abandons her own parents when they need her the most?”
Bianca flinches. “So, you think I’m a bad daughter for walking out on my family?”
“No, that’s not what I mean.”
“What are you saying then?”
“Your situation was different,” I explain. “He was trying to keep you away from Dash. So, you chose him over us. I get that. But he isn’t doing that to me.”
“What about him blaming and yelling at you?”
I look at the floor. “He… he was upset and angry…”
“You’re making excuses for him.”
“It’s the truth.”
“I used to do the same.” Tilting her head, she says, “Until my eyes opened. You don’t see it because growing up, I always shielded you from his controlling ways.”
“Shielded?” I abruptly stand up and cross my arms. “You didn’t shield me from anything.
I always felt the tension in our house. The frustration in your eyes whenever you clashed with Papa.
The little fights between him and our mom.
I saw it all. Why else do you think I did everything to please them? ”
“Exactly. They should love us for who we are and accept our choices. Forgive us when we make a mistake, and not kick us out.”
“I’m sorry, Bianca, but I can’t walk away from them. It’ll devastate them. They have their flaws, but they don’t deserve to be left alone.”
Staring at me for a beat, her gaze softens. Rising to her feet, she takes my hand. “I’ll respect your decision. But I don’t want them to come between us anymore. You’re my sister, and I love you, and I need you by my side. You’re the only family I have left.”
I reach for her other hand, tightening my hold. “Me too. I love you more than anything in the world. I want to make up for lost time.”
“Come have dinner with me and Dash next weekend.”
“Will he be okay with that?”
“Of course. He doesn’t blame or hate you either.” Winking, she teases, “I would kick his ass if he did.”
I snigger, relieved beyond words. “All right. I’d love to have dinner.”
“Perfect!” She shrieks. “I’m so excited. We have so much time to make up for.”
“We do.”
Curiosity sparking in her eyes, she asks, “Also, was that Nathan I saw you with earlier?”
My heart skips a beat. I try to keep my expression even. “Yeah, it was him.”
“Does that mean it is true you’re his publicist?”
“Very much.”
She nods, biting her lip.
A telltale sign that she wants to interrogate me about the topic. “Spit it out, Bee.”
“I just,” she starts, then pauses, before warning me. “Just stay cautious of him, Arya. He isn’t as harmless as he looks.”
A tingle spreads down my spine.
Does she know something I don’t?
“I thought he was your friend.”
“Not anymore.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask why, but I remind myself it’s none of my business. “Don’t worry. He’s just a client.”
After the stunt he pulled tonight, which backfired on him, I will be staying cautious of him. All my assumptions about him were true.
He’s a manipulator and a liar.