Page 54 of The Defiant Wife

"The board got what they wanted."

I stare at him. For some reason . . . The words don't bring the relief they should.I would've celebrated.Two weeks ago I would've happily walked away.

Now?

My mind immediately fills with images. Laila helping me understand whatRaj silently signed.Keshav talking about his weird dreams.Rani pretending she doesn't care when she absolutely does.Lucky being a menace.

The chaotic courtyard. The noisy lunch hours. The donation room.

Diya.

Arguing. Talking. Teasing Looking far too pleased whenever she thinks she's won something.

I blink.Annoyed.Because I shouldn't miss any of it.I am not attached.Not really.I've only been there for two weeks.And yet the idea of not going tomorrow feels strangely . . . Empty.Like part of my routine has been removed without permission.

"Veeraj?"

I look up.Bhai sa is watching me carefully. I clear my throat."Fine."

Vihaan smirks but he's wise enough to not comment.

Bhai-sa's phone buzzes.He glances at the screen and immediately stands."They'll be here in thirty minutes."

I nod.

He picks up his coat."I need to look after Aadhya till Meher comes back from school. It was my turn today."

The words come out automatically."You should go. I can handle this."

Bhai-sa pauses andsmiles slightly. "I'll be here for you, Veeraj."

Something settles in my chest.A familiar feeling.The same feeling I've had my entire life around my brothers. Especially Bhai-sa.Steady.Certainty.No matter what disaster appears.No matter what mistake gets made.No matter how complicated things become. They show up. He shows up.Every time.

Bhai-sa claps my shoulder before heading toward the door.Vihaan follows him out after throwing me one final annoying grin.

And suddenly I'm alone.The conference room grows quiet.The photograph still sits on the table.

I shouldn't pick it up again.I know that. Yet somehow . . . A few seconds later . . . I do.

My gaze lands on Diya.

The photograph captured the exact moment she was glaring at me. Annoyed. Defiant. Completely unimpressed by who I am.

A small huff escapes me.

Then I put the tablet down again.Because in less than thirty minutes I'll be meeting her parents.And something tells me this situation is about to become far more complicated than a stupid photograph.

Much more complicated.

15. HURT

DIYA

I don't understand the issue.No, seriously.I genuinely don't.We're living in the twenty-first century, not the eighteenth.

People are acting as though the world has ended because a photograph exists.

A photograph. Not a murder. Not a scandal. Not a heinous crime.