She squeezes my hand. “Don’t underestimate yourself ever, Aaliya. You are gorgeous, intelligent and successful. He left this life for a reason, one that you don’t know. He escaped to India to disappear obviously and he found you instead. You! I’ve seen you two together. He was crazy about you. So, do not for one minute, think any less of yourself. You are special.”

She gives me an encouraging nod. Jasmine’s been there with me throughout my brief affair and subsequent marriage to Damien. My family is huge and super conservative. Me wanting to marry a ‘foreigner’, a ‘gora’, had raised so many eyebrows. It was the biggest controversy to hit my family in probably forever and was the family gossip for days.

My attention shifts to Damien. He stands and greets a woman in front of him. My jaw clenches as Celia Parker kisses my husband’s cheek. He pulls a chair for her and she seats herself opposite him.

“Why is she here? That woman...I hate her!” I comment, my lips twisting in anger. I explain who she is to Jasmine and we watch them both interact.

Seeing Celia reminds me of her mouth on Damien’s and although I know the truth now, I doubt I can forget that image anytime soon. Damien, however, is conversing with her as if he’s forgiven her, as if it was perfectly normal that she falsely claimed to be his wife.

“It’s time, Aaliya. I have to go,” Jasmine says several minutes later. “Are you sure you will manage alone? The last week must have been hard for you. You’ve never lived in a new city, never been alone. Are you sure you’ll be fine?”

“I'll be fine,” I state, my voice thick with conviction.

I’m no longer that alone frightened girl, out of her depth in a new city, especially one like London. With its wide diaspora of people, places I have only read of in books and seen on TV, a wide network of metros and diversity of cultures, London is quite overwhelming, especially to someone like me who’s never lived alone in another city.

But this last week I’ve stepped out and learned to navigate the metros and familiarized myself with my surroundings. The Internet is my best friend these days and, thus so far, I’ve managed my way around. I was even able to rent a quaint apartment right next to Hyde Park thanks to some fantastic websites.

“I need you to return home to Mumbai and help my mom take care of my son. Look after my boy, Jasmine. He needs you right now. So please be there for him. He needs familiar faces around and he adores you.”

I check the time once again and we both stand up. Jasmine gives me a quick hug and leaves to catch her flight.