“What?” Daphne Elizabeth yelled. “What’s the face about?”

“He’s a gobshite, Daph!” Jaya couldn’t help but say. She hopped up from the chair and began to pace. “And there are more important things than just going after what you want and doing what makes you happy. Sometimes you have to sacrifice your happiness for someone else, for something else bigger than you! I don’t know how to get you to see that!”

Jaya stared at Daph for a long moment, blinking, not able to believe she’d really just yelled all of that at her friend.

“Maybe I don’t need you to get me to see that!” Daphne Elizabeth said, pale skin mottled a rage-red.

“Fine,” Jaya said, in more dignified tones, taking her book off the papasan chair. “I’m not here to be your moral compass, Daph.”

“Yeah, well, I didn’t ask you to be,” Daphne Elizabeth shot back.

“I’d better be going.”

Jaya swished out of the room, not looking back once. It was true, sometimes people needed to make their own mistakes. But if Jaya were being honest with herself, she knew her near-constant burning, surging anger wasn’t really for Daph. In fact, there was no one in particular she was mad at. Just the entire world.

Jaya

The next weekend, Jaya was in her robe, about to begin her makeup regimen for Caterina’s party. The only reason she was going was because she thought she might be able to make a sizable donation to One World—a charity Caterina obviously felt strongly about—and therefore engender feelings of forgiveness. Although Caterina hadn’t done anything since the Skype incident involving Kiran, her ire felt like a hammer hanging above Jaya’s head, waiting to deliver a killing blow.

Her phone buzzed on her dresser, and she saw Kiran’s face pop up. He was trying to video-chat her. Feeling the heavy weight of her decision press down on her once more, Jaya answered the call and forced a polite smile. “Hello, Kiran.” They’d spoken only once since the future engagement was announced. She wondered why Kiran was calling now; he seemed about as interested in talking to her as she was in talking to him.

He inclined his head. “Jaya. You’ll be pleased to know the answer is a hundred and twelve.”

Jaya blinked. “I… beg your pardon?”

Kiran looked at her like he couldn’t believe she didn’t understand. “You remember our conversation via email a few days ago? I wanted the gardeners to plant the golden hibiscus shrubs to make a large entwined RH in the gardens for our engagement?”

“Oh yes,” Jaya said, the memory flickering to life. “The… our estate initials. Yes, of course.”