CHAPTER 29 #3
“Umm...” Esha quickly reaches for a file lying on the table and holds it up. “I came for Raghav Sir’s signatures on some resort documents.” She points at the papers. “But your mom told me he wasn’t home. I was about to leave and come back later, but she insisted I stay for tea.”
Then she pushes the file towards me.
“If you don’t mind, could you please give these to Raghav Sir? He just needs to sign them.”
I take the file because I need an excuse to end this conversation before Esha accidentally reveals the rest of my life too. Not that there’s anything left at this point.
“I’ll give them to him.”
“Thank you, Ma’am.” Then she weakly smiles at Mom. “It was lovely talking to you.”
Mom manages a polite smile. Esha gives me an apologetic look before quickly walking away from there. The moment she disappears from sight, I grip the file a little tighter, already knowing the real conversation is about to begin. My stomach drops as Mom rises from her chair.
“So,” she says.
Just one word. Yet somehow it feels more dangerous than a gun pointed at my head.
“So much has happened between you and Raghav, and you didn’t tell me a single word?”
“Mom, I—”
“You placed a garland around his neck in front of the entire Shivtara Valley.” Mom takes a step closer.
“Mom, it wasn’t like that—”
“Then what was it? Explain it to me,” she demands. “Explain how a girl who supposedly never wanted to have any feelings for a man related to the mafia world walked into one of the most sacred traditions of this valley and marked Raghav Kundra as hers.”
I open my mouth, then close it again. Because suddenly my explanation sounds ridiculous even in my own head.
“It wasn’t planned,” I say at last. “Kriti, the sommelier at the vineyard, was about to put the garland around Raghav’s neck, and I didn’t want her to. She’s a gold digger and is clearly after Raghav for his name and his money.”
Mom studies me for a moment before speaking.
“So just because another woman, supposedly a gold digger, was going to choose him, you decided to save him?”
“Mom, please,” I let out a frustrated breath. “It’s not that simple.”
“Then make it simple for me, Siya. Because from where I’m standing, it looks something else entirely.
I understand that Kriti’s intentions were not pure, but why were you worried about it?
Why did you care? Raghav and his family are more than capable of handling someone like her. They didn’t need you to save them.”
I hate how cornered I suddenly feel.
“Fine,” I finally admit. “I don’t know why I did it.”
“Really?” Mom exhales sharply. “You probably don’t even know why you kissed him too, then?”
I freeze completely. I never thought I would be discussing my first kiss with Mom.
“The garland, I can still try to understand,” she continues. “But now don’t tell me some other woman was about to kiss Raghav and you didn’t want that either.”
Heat rushes to my face. I have no answer to that. Mom suddenly grabs both my arms and forces me to look at her.
“Do you even realise what you’ve done, Siya?” she asks angrily, her eyes searching mine. “Now I finally understand why Raghav came to Cape Town himself. Now I understand why he refused to let you go and brought us here.”
“How can you say that, Mom?” I shake my head immediately. “That still doesn’t justify what he did.”
“I know it doesn’t.” Her answer comes instantly.
“Nothing justifies forcing you into a marriage you never agreed to. But stop pretending you don’t understand where this came from.
He’s a mafia prince, Siya. You know how men like him think.
You stood in front of his people. You chose him publicly.
You kissed him. And then you expected him to calmly sit back and watch you become another man’s wife? ”
I look away, hating that she’s right.
“Do you honestly believe a man like Raghav would ever let that happen?”
No. He never would have.
Mom studies my face carefully. Then she says something that completely stuns me.
“You know I slapped Raghav the first night we were here.”
My head jerks upwards.
“What?” My jaw drops, convinced I must have misunderstood.
“I was furious, Siya. He had forced my daughter into a marriage. What did you expect me to do? Congratulate him?” Mom’s expression hardens.
“When I found out he intended to keep you in his bedroom against your will, I couldn’t control myself.
I would have done far worse if it meant protecting my children. ”
I know she would, and that’s exactly why I love her. Then she goes into a thoughtful mode as she continues. “He didn’t say a word back.”
Really? Now I’m genuinely shocked. He didn’t?
“He just stood there and took it.” Mom’s voice softens. “Raghav was wrong. I’m not defending what he did, and I never will. But he’s not the only one responsible for this chaos.”
Her words hit me hard.
“You may not have meant for any of this to happen,” she continues gently. “But somewhere along the way, you messed things up too, Siya. If he’s at fault, you are as well.”
With that, Mom turns and goes back inside. I remain rooted to the spot, unable to move. For the first time, I saw disappointment in Mom’s eyes regarding me. And this is all because of Raghav Kundra.