Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 118042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 590(@200wpm)___ 472(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 590(@200wpm)___ 472(@250wpm)___ 393(@300wpm)
Twisting in my chair where I sat by the window, I glanced at his immaculate linen suit. “Shouldn’t you be waiting at the altar with the best man?”
“Shouldn’t you be?” He scowled, giving me the same once over. I wore a similar suit, only difference was mine was white with a bright yellow calendula flower in my lapel and longer coat tails.
“You know if Ily had agreed with me to get married the day I found out she was pregnant, this whole circus could’ve been avoided.”
He smirked and looked out the window. “That circus is now your family. I got lucky with Tess being a single child with elderly parents. You? Not so much.” His smirk turned into a laugh. “You’re not only inheriting a bride today but a million different meddlers.”
I chuckled. “Least I like them. They’re good people.”
“Still a circus though.”
“Agreed.”
Down below, the entire lawn and part of the meadow had been transformed into an exotic wonderland. Lanterns danced on strings, strung across a white carpet leading to a gazebo decorated with shimmering fabrics and pretty flowers. Far too many chairs waited for the ceremony to begin, and our guests mingled and laughed beneath shade awnings by the refreshment tables.
I still didn’t understand how I’d gone from a kid who’d barely been tolerated by his own mother to somehow having an extended family of over four hundred guests.
Almost all the surviving jewels from Joyero had flown in, including Rose and Melanie, May and Faiza. The more recent slaves that Q and I had found over the past year and brought here—rehabbed by Tess and Ily—had also accepted an invitation, bringing a significant other who’d helped them move on.
Ily’s family numbered close to fifty with so many cousins and aunties and uncles. When we’d gone to visit them last year, I’d still held the fear they wouldn’t accept me. Especially seeing as Peter came too.
He was the better choice for Ily.
He was one of them.
But…the moment I’d been hugged and welcomed, I’d never once felt like an outsider. I’d feared they’d judge me for knocking up their daughter without a visible ring on her finger. Yet they merely booked in a Vedic astrologer to make predictions for our child and arranged for special mantras to be said while Ily was pregnant.
“You know two of them came, don’t you?” Q pointed at a dark-haired guy and a slender woman, standing slightly removed from the chaos of colour that was Ily’s extended family. The jingle of bangles and glitter of rhinestone-covered saris ensured my brother’s estate resembled the set of a Bollywood movie.
I’d been born into a world with no faith or culture.
I’d had nothing and no one and let fear and despair twist my view. But thanks to Ily’s daily routine of meditation and yoga that I’d adopted, I’d learned that life wasn’t out to destroy me. I wasn’t evil—despite the things I did to the rapists and traffickers we hunted. Every experience, good and bad, was only there to teach and guide and grow.
My love of reading had naturally gravitated toward texts that her father recommended, feeling more awake in this life, more aware, and more grateful than I ever thought possible.
No matter that I spent days hunting, baiting, and killing, I didn’t bring home those memories. I didn’t let hate shadow my happiness. And I never let any monster—including my own—trespass on my peace.
Never again would I ever think ending my life was the answer.
Never again would I be so ungrateful not to appreciate every fucking moment that I got to spend on this planet, in this body, with these people.
Christ, I’m lucky.
Abandoning my laptop, already knowing the words I’d say to Ily in my heart, I joined my brother by the window. I found the two people he stared at. Relations of ours even though we’d never met. “And how do you feel about that? Any second thoughts?”
He sniffed and rubbed his temples. “This is on you. You’re the one who tracked them down and gave away most of your money. They might be monsters.”
“Your money. Not my money. And we’re monsters. Yet…we’re tame enough. I’m sure our half-siblings will be too.”
“Speak for yourself.”
I studied him as he stopped massaging his temples and dropped his hands.
After the year and a half of living here, I’d noticed Q had a similar sensitive system as I did. Only he got migraines instead of nausea. I hadn’t thrown up in a long time. The barometer of right and wrong no longer needed to keep me leashed, yet Q suffered quite regularly.
“Another headache?”
He scowled. “Too many people, that’s all.”
“You sound like Krish.”
“He has it right about people being too noisy.” He huffed and waved off my concern. “I’m fine. Drop it.” Keeping his eyes on the festival below, he stiffened as he noticed Tess mingling. He always did that. Whenever he’d see her, he’d freeze as if still unsure how he had her in his life.