Chapter 23
Shadows
(Esha’s POV)
I hated London.
I hated the way it made me feel—small, trapped, like I was some sort of puppet being maneuvered through a series of familiar steps. I hated the cold, lifeless walls of my father’s house, the hushed, strained silence that clung to every room like a shroud. Most of all, I hated who I had to be here. The role I was expected to play. The dutiful, obedient daughter of Vijay Sood, the brilliant entrepreneur, the well-mannered gentleman, and—at least in the eyes of the world—the perfect role model.
Except for us. His daughters.
For Amara and me, he was more than just a father. He was a looming presence, a storm cloud that darkened everything around him. He cast long shadows that we were expected to live under, shadows that swallowed up any li
