“I love you more than anything, you have to know that. This, this having you look at me as though I am not the most painful thing in your life, I would sell my soul to never let this go. Just remember that, please, because there’s more you don’t know.”

Ashna squeezed her mother’s hands. “Tell me. I’m not leaving, Mom, and I won’t push you away. I promise.”

And so Shobi told her.

How she had ended up a Raje.

How she had become a mother and found her power.

How she had started her foundation.

How she had never looked at her own father again. Not even when he lay dying.

Finally, she told her why she’d been so angry with her father and Bram.

“Is his name Omar?” Ashna asked when Shobi told her she’d been in love with someone else. Shobi’s shock was palpable. “I overheard your fights, remember?”

Her mother apologized again, but her eyes shone bright when she talked about the man. “Yes. The day I saw your Rico in your father’s office, I had come to California to bring Bram divorce papers. That’s why I never told you I was coming, I had wanted to take care of that, then explain everything to you. It wasn’t you who pushed him over the edge. It was me.”

Or maybe it was both things happening on the same day. Or maybe it was just the fact that he could never reconcile with his life and find a way to treat his illness. A few weeks ago, her mother’s revelation would have broken Ashna. Now it made her sad, but it also helped her understand so much.

“I wish I had tried to get him help,” Ashna said.

“His family did try repeatedly to get him help. You can’t fix something if you don’t acknowledge it.” Shobi pushed a lock of hair behind Ashna’s ear. “I wish I had kept you away from all that, from him. I relied too heavily on Mina and Shree. I wish I had been a better mother. It was cruel what I let you go through. I want to tell you that it was because I didn’t grasp the level of his irresponsibility as a father, but it wasn’t on you to tell me how much his alcoholism has progressed. None of this is on you and I am so very sorry.” For the first time in her life Ashna saw tears swell in her eyes and fall down her cheeks. “Funny thing is, I was so immersed in fighting cruelty that I didn’t stop to think about my own. I wish I had done things differently.”