Chapter 7: Final Threats

From then on, Ananya became even more reckless. Because of her bullying, several parents came looking for us. Meera called me in a panic:

“Rajeev, several parents are here, saying Ananya bullied their kids. Come home now—they’re about to hit me!”

I sneered. Meera loves spoiling Ananya so much—let her deal with the consequences herself.

“I’m busy. I can’t leave.”

“What could be more important than family? That little money you make—what good is it?”

I laughed.

“If you look down on that little money, then stop giving it to your brother.”

Meera exploded.

“Rajeev, what do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what it sounds like.”

Meera must’ve really been scared by those parents, so she didn’t argue about the money anymore and kept pressing:

“Are you coming back or not?”

Of course, my answer was no.

Meera grew desperate:

“Rajeev, I’m giving you half an hour. If you’re not back, we’re getting a divorce!”

“Fine. Let’s divorce.”

“Scared now? There’s no room for negotiation on this—wait, you actually want to divorce me?”

Her voice cracked, disbelief fighting with anger, and for a moment there was only the buzz of the landline in my ear. I leaned back in my chair, the city’s noise outside my office window muffled, and waited to see what would happen next. For the first time, Meera’s voice trembled, and I realised neither of us knew what would happen next.