I looked over at Miss Padmaraj.

“Maybe we should give them some space?”

35

AMAYA

One Week Later

She was playing outside in the garden. Her nanny was sitting next to her while she poured imaginary tea into the delicate real china tea set that lay on a low picnic table. Both of them were wearing fairy wings. Her smile was so bright that I could barely look at her.

Nadia—the real reason I came back here. I couldn’t have Spencer around her. I did everything I could back then to keep her safe. I wasn’t about to stop now.

A part of me longed to go up to her. To say hello. To say goodbye.

But she was happy and peaceful and had no idea what the real world was like. I let her be that way. It was a choice I made five years ago, and despite what Mrs. Fonseka seems to think, it’s not one I regret. I am many things—I am stronger than I give myself credit for, I am fiercely protective of the people I love, but I also need to heal. And healing is a solitary journey. Not one worth disrupting a childhood for.

I checked the time. 11:11 a.m.

I whispered a goodbye that no one would hear. My biggest gift to Nadia was the life I had always wanted for myself.

Turning around, I saw Tehani a few feet away from me. She’d been watching me, judging from her expression.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to kidnap her or something, if that’s what you’re concerned about. I just wanted to get one last look at her before I left.”

“I—I wanted to speak to you really quickly, if that’s okay?”

“I think you’ve said enough, to be honest.”

I had heard, because every bit of the investigation had been dragged open by gossips and well-wishers and aunties and uncles, about what Tehani had done. How she had invited me to the wedding. How she had pretended to be Beth. It’s a good thing that everyone was so focused on Mr. Ananda’s attack because Tehani would surely have been made out to be a straight-up sociopath otherwise.

It felt like my heart was ripped out all over again, when I heard about Beth. To think I had spent so long speaking to someone, opening up to them, telling them my innermost thoughts, all to find out later that it was a lie. It hurt to even think about it. It was excruciating to have to speak to Tehani now.

“Okay, look, I just wanted to apologize, okay?” Her tone was defensive, so I started to leave.

“The truth was that I wanted what you and Kaavi had, okay? I wanted a friend too.”

Something about the way she said it made me pause, though I still didn’t turn back to face her.

“All those things I said, not all of them were lies, you know. I know I gave you a different name. And different circumstances, of course. But look, all the real shit I said, you know, the stuff about how I felt so comfortable opening up to you and all that, that wasn’t a lie. Okay?”