Page 66 of Born in Ruin

His mother flushed, averting her eyes from his. “We needed you to get that education. You were the only one smart enough to get the scholarship. The others were in a government school, Ishaan! What would we have done if you had come home?”

His lips twisted, in a bitter smile. “You abandoned me to that hell. You sacrificed me for the hope of a better future. And now, you want what from me? To come home and play happy families?”

“I want you to remember that we are your family. We-“

“No, you’re not. Amay and Virat are my family. You wanted me to provide for your future. I’ve done that in spades. I suggest you abandon any other expectations from me.”

“And your siblings? Karun and Myra? What did they do to you, Ishaan?”

“They haven’t reached out to me once, Mom. If they wanted to, they would have. They know where to find me. Just like you did.”

She fell silent, her hands twisting together. “But Ishaan-“

“This isn’t about anyone else, is it?” he asked perceptively. “You’re here to pander to your guilty conscience.”

“I’m sorry,” she said again.

“Too little, too late.” He shook his head. “Apologies don’t make things right. The choices you make, those are the ones you haveto live with. The choices and their consequences. You made your choice. It worked out exactly the way you hoped. Leave me to live with mine. I’d like you to go. Please.”

He stepped aside as his mother made her slow way to the door. She stopped beside him.

“The thing is Ishaan, it’s also about the other person caring enough to forgive someone. I hope one day you’ll be able to. I’ll wait for as long as it takes for that day to come.”

She walked out of his home, closing the door behind her, leaving him to the silence of his life, the one he’d chosen.

“It’s also about the other person caring enough to forgive someone.”

Ishaan would also wait forever for Mayukhi to forgive him but he knew, better than anyone, that that day wouldn’t come. If he couldn’t forgive the people who brought him into this world, would she forgive the man who’d so recklessly played with her life for his own gains?

His phone rang and he saw the number of his financial advisor. He answered immediately. He’d been waiting for this.

“It’s done, Ishaan. All the shares in that company have been transferred back to Mr. Chatterjee.”

“Thank you, Rathore.”

“You should have sold it to him. I don’t understand why you’d lose all that money by transferring it to him like this.”

“You don’t have to understand,” he said curtly. “Thank you for this.”

He disconnected and took a deep breath, the band of shame around his heart loosening a little. It was something, he thought, giving her father his company back.

Too little, too late.

His words to his mother played in his mind. He was their son, after all. Making all the wrong choices out of selfishness, not caring to see what it was doing to the other person.

His phone dinged again and he glanced at it. It was Ashish.

Thank you again, my friend, for what you did that night. Naveen is better and back home, recovering nicely.

Ishaan ignored the message. He’d check with Virat when he was in a calmer frame of mind and reply with some carefully thought out response. But before he could put the phone aside, the display lit up with a second message.

We’d like you to join us for a boy’s night at Naveen’s place in Alibaug. Two days from now. I’ll text you the details.

And there it was. What they’d been hoping for…Ishaan’s heart raced as he stared at his phone. He should be running down to Amay’s place to tell the others the good news. Instead all he wanted to do was call Mayukhi, to tell her that they’d done it. They’d done what they’d started out to do. But he couldn’t. As much as it killed him, he couldn’t call her. She deserved better and he needed to remember that.

He took a deep breath and pocketed his phone, turning around and walking out his front door to go find his friends and give them the good news. The first break in what he hoped would be the downfall of the Dusty Devils.

And then, maybe then, he’d allow himself to meet Mayukhi’s eyes again, even if it was only to see them blaze with victory. Their victory. One that was won on the ashes of their happiness.

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