The Curious Secrets of Yesterday by Namrata Patel

Author:Namrata Patel [Patel, Namrata]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: 2024-06-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

The thing about growing up the way Tulsi had, she knew what to expect in charged situations. Even with the progress she’d made with Ba and her mom, it was still easier to revert to their way of doing things. Devi was already twisting her hands; tears filled her eyes. Ba was ready to turn away, disappear from where she’d come. Tulsi decided to break the cycle. Even though Lucas and Ash were here, Tulsi wanted answers and didn’t want to wait. She would channel Lucas’s directness.

“Ba? Why are you asking Ash to leave?” Tulsi took her grandmother’s hand. “He’s an old friend.”

Aruna didn’t answer. So Tulsi asked her again.

Aruna glared at Tulsi. “No good will come of this. That’s all I’ll say.” Then she slipped out of Tulsi’s grasp and left.

Tears rolled down Devi’s cheeks. Ash had his arm around her mom. The sense, the gut she’d pretended she never had, told her to run. That she shouldn’t be here for whatever was about to happen. Tulsi steeled herself. “What did she mean? I don’t understand.”

Devi closed her eyes, wiped her face with the edge of her sari. Then she stepped out of Ash’s arm and went to Tulsi. “There are things you don’t know.” Her voice quivered.

So many things. Tulsi gripped the counter to keep from balling her fists. “Start somewhere. Anywhere.”

“I can’t,” Devi said. “Because you will hate me.”

Tulsi moved out from behind the counter and clutched her mom’s hands. “Never. It’s not possible. Even if you killed someone, I would know it was because you were doing what you felt was best.” Her stomach roiled. “Not that I would ever believe you capable of something like that. You don’t cause harm. If there is one thing I know about you, it’s that. You would never deliberately hurt anyone.” She was stalling because whatever came next would be painful. She knew that. Wasn’t sure she wanted to hear it.

It was Ash who moved to stand beside Devi. “Just like your mom and I were friends, so were our mothers. They had a falling-out. We were torn apart because of it.”

Chicago. “Is her name Hema?”

Ash nodded.

“How do you know?” Devi asked. “What do you know?”

The panic in her mom’s eyes scared her. “I found a letter a while back. From Ba to a Hema Patel. It didn’t say much, except that Ba felt betrayed and something about stealing dreams.”

“They were close,” Ash said. “All four of us were.”

“They wouldn’t have approved,” Devi said. “There was so much anger between them.”

“That’s why you were taken away,” Ash said to Devi. “Aruna auntie knew I would try to stop you. I knew you didn’t want to leave me.”

It was as if her brain was being poked by the scalding blade of a knife. “You were more than friends.”

Tulsi saw the shock on her mom’s face. The knife twisted, and Tulsi squeezed her hands into fists to stay focused. It was difficult to breathe. In the distance a warm palm rested between her shoulders.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.