“You better keep your mouth shut, you hear me, Fiona?” my father warned, before Spencer entered the office.

“Good morning, Thaththa, what’s wrong?” Spencer asked.

“Morning, Putha. Would you mind sitting down?”

All this bullshit and they were still calling each other dad and son? I gotta hand it to Spencer: he really could be even-keeled during the rockiest of situations.

“I received these documents today. Could you please take a look at them?”

All three of us watched Spencer as he leafed through the contents of the envelope. It felt like he was shuffling them for a million years. My heart was beating so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it. Why the fuck was I so nervous?

After going through everything, Spencer gathered up all the papers, put them back in the envelope, and stood up.

“Amma, Thaththa, I want to thank you for all your kindness. You have been nothing but perfect parents to me from the time I proposed to Kaavi. Parents that, as you can see, I was never lucky enough to have. I thought my luck had finally changed, but I see now that that is not to be the case.”

“What are you saying?” my father asked, the wrinkle between his eyebrows deepening.

“This is why you asked me to come here, isn’t it? To tell me that you are ending our engagement? I must say that I’m not surprised. Ashamed, yes, but not surprised. I also wouldn’t want my daughter, if I’m ever so lucky one day, to marry the son of a convict and a drug addict.” He looked at my mother, whose face was beet red as she refused to meet his eye.

“Spencer, we didn’t ask you here to end anything. We asked you here to find out if this is true, and if it is, why you felt you had to lie to us?”

All this time I held my anger at bay. This fucker promised me, just last night, no more lies. And here he was, caught in another. I mean, he didn’t deny it. He was ready to leave. So let’s just fucking let him.

“Yes, Thaththa, I mean, yes, sir, it’s true. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. It’s just that I was so ashamed. When I look at Kaavi, when I look at your beautiful family, all I see is perfection. And I am not my parents. I haven’t seen them or wanted anything to do with them since I was sixteen years old. In my mind, they are as good as dead.”

My mother winced, and Spencer caught on.

“I’m sorry, I know we aren’t supposed to speak of our parents this way. But they have done nothing for me. Every cent I earned was my own. Everywhere I’ve gotten, I’ve gotten because I’ve had to push myself. So, yes, in my mind, I’m on my own. That’s how I’ve always felt. And then I met Kaavi—and all of you, and I thought, well, maybe I didn’t have to be on my own anymore? Maybe I could have the only thing I’ve ever wanted? A family. That’s why I never told you, sir—”