His expression hardened. Darkened until Raj’s spine straightened in an unconscious reaction. “You’ve been in the US for too long, Rajneet. The life you choose is only worthy if you honor the people who created it for you. You never honored your family.”

“And my family never honored me.”

Raj knew it was useless to try to argue with Guru about familial obligations, but she couldn’t stop herself from fighting back. He’d never know how hard it had been for her to tear her roots out as quickly and violently as a hundred-year-old tree toppling over in a storm. Her traditional upbringing, her legacy, was as rich and old as the soil in her family’s poppy fields.

And Raj’s brother didn’t have the same pressures that she’d had as a Punjabi woman. He’d been able to run wild growing up. No one expected him to account for his time, to be home at a certain hour, or to get a degree as a résumé builder for marriage.

No. She was not going to waste her breath fighting him on binary gender roles and cultural responsibilities that her family refused to let go.

“I’m sorry that Mumma is sick. I’m sorry she’s suffering and she’s dying. I . . . I’ve always missed her. But when I refused to use my company to help you grow the family’s drug trade, she cut me off just like you wanted her to.”

“This is her dying wish.”

“Her guilty conscience is not my responsibility.”

“Even Papa has come around and would like to hear from you,” Guru said. He leaned back again and steepled his fingers in front of him.

The news shocked her nearly as much as the news about her mother. “What are you talking about?”

“Papa misses you, as well. When he retired from the business, he got soft. And then Mumma got sick. The bottom line is that I run the family now. I make the decisions. If Mumma wants to see you, then I will do what I can to make it happen for her.”

“Are you going to try to drag me back to Punjab again?” Raj asked bitterly.

“No, but I am going to be staying in New York until you agree to go.”

Raj’s jaw dropped. “You cannot be serious! Who is going to oversee the . . . trade?”

He scoffed, and the hard lines in his face deepened. “The family business always made you uneasy. It’s opium, Raj. You can say it. And I have people who are overseeing things while I’m here. You have nothing to worry about when you come back.”

“Won’t people find out about your dirty little secrets if you’re not there to keep them all quiet?”