send you here again?”
“I told you...she wanted me to make sure you were okay.”
“And why would she think I wasn’t okay?”
Tyson grins. “You do realize we’ve already had this conversation, don’t you?”
“Have we?”
“Yes. I told you...Padma saw some bruises on your neck...and everyone knows how cruel Dilvan can be. Why do you think his brothers don’t come over here anymore?”
“Okay, so in the grand scheme of things, you are Padma’s clean-up guy?”
Tyson laughs. “You’re making me sound like a mobster.”
I grin a little.
“Nah, I’m not Padma’s clean-up guy ,” he says then laughs again.
“So what do you do? Maintain her properties?”
“ Something like that.”
“And she sent you here to look after me?”
“She sent me here to find out what’s been going on and to determine if Dilvan had been treating you okay. But you haven’t been particularly forthcoming with me so she’s coming to find out for herself this morning. I understand you two are pretty close.”
“Yes. I love Padma like a Mother.”
“Then make sure you pour your heart out to her like one.”
“But—”
“Well hello, my daughter,” Padma says, stepping into the dining room, interrupting my conversation with Tyson.
“Hi,” I say , then get up from the table to greet her with a hug.
Tyson stands and says, “I’m going to give you ladies your privacy. Holla if you need me.” He disappears somewhere in the living room and now, it’s just Padma and I, sitting at the table. She takes a plate, grabs a few food items and asks, “How have you been, daughter?”
“U m...” Before I can lie and say I’m okay , she says, “Tyson told me the story about what happened last night.”
I frown. “He did?”
“Yes, now I want to hear it from you, dear. What has been going on in this house?”
“Padma, I don’t want to get Dilvan in any sort of trouble.” Translation: I don’t want Dilvan to kill me.
“Forget about Dilvan! ” she snaps, her home country accent dominating her vernacular. “I made your Father a promise that I would take care of you, and I’ve been so busy with the business, that I have failed. Now I want to know what’s going on.”
“ Okay...um...last night, Dilvan forced himself on me and he pushed me to the floor. When I woke up, blood was underneath me and that’s when Tyson came in and found me. I’d had another miscarriage.”
“Another? Meaning you’ve had one before?”
I nod, dab the tears from my eyes and say, “Yes.”
Padma’s lips trembled. She was so angry, so troubled that she pushed her breakfast plate away and stood up, pacing back and forth by the dining ro om table, her hands balled into fists. “What else has he done to you?”
“ Not sure if you were aware, but we have separate bedrooms. Every Tuesday and Thursday, he comes to my room to have sex with me...said I wasn’t good enough to sleep in his bed. He calls me names, makes me eat off of the floor...one time, he made eat my dinner in the rain...said if I didn’t finish it, I couldn’t come back in the house.”
I was so shaken at this point, I wasn’t sure if I could finish telling her all the things Dilvan had made me suffer through.
“What else?”
“ He yells at me...makes me call him ‘My Lord’...makes me stand naked in front of him...when you come over for breakfast, he kicks me underneath the table if he thinks I said, or am about to say, something out of line.”
I take a moment to catch my breath and dry more tears, then I say, “I tried so hard to love him, Padma. I tried to make this marriage work. Even though I know I’m not deserving of him and that he could be with someone better than me—”
“No,” Padma interrupts. “You deserve someone better than him!” She sits next to me again, holds my hands and say, “I’m so sorry, Gabrielle. I thought marriage would change him. This is my fault for trying to fix my flawed, narcissistic son...he’s so
“I told you...she wanted me to make sure you were okay.”
“And why would she think I wasn’t okay?”
Tyson grins. “You do realize we’ve already had this conversation, don’t you?”
“Have we?”
“Yes. I told you...Padma saw some bruises on your neck...and everyone knows how cruel Dilvan can be. Why do you think his brothers don’t come over here anymore?”
“Okay, so in the grand scheme of things, you are Padma’s clean-up guy?”
Tyson laughs. “You’re making me sound like a mobster.”
I grin a little.
“Nah, I’m not Padma’s clean-up guy ,” he says then laughs again.
“So what do you do? Maintain her properties?”
“ Something like that.”
“And she sent you here to look after me?”
“She sent me here to find out what’s been going on and to determine if Dilvan had been treating you okay. But you haven’t been particularly forthcoming with me so she’s coming to find out for herself this morning. I understand you two are pretty close.”
“Yes. I love Padma like a Mother.”
“Then make sure you pour your heart out to her like one.”
“But—”
“Well hello, my daughter,” Padma says, stepping into the dining room, interrupting my conversation with Tyson.
“Hi,” I say , then get up from the table to greet her with a hug.
Tyson stands and says, “I’m going to give you ladies your privacy. Holla if you need me.” He disappears somewhere in the living room and now, it’s just Padma and I, sitting at the table. She takes a plate, grabs a few food items and asks, “How have you been, daughter?”
“U m...” Before I can lie and say I’m okay , she says, “Tyson told me the story about what happened last night.”
I frown. “He did?”
“Yes, now I want to hear it from you, dear. What has been going on in this house?”
“Padma, I don’t want to get Dilvan in any sort of trouble.” Translation: I don’t want Dilvan to kill me.
“Forget about Dilvan! ” she snaps, her home country accent dominating her vernacular. “I made your Father a promise that I would take care of you, and I’ve been so busy with the business, that I have failed. Now I want to know what’s going on.”
“ Okay...um...last night, Dilvan forced himself on me and he pushed me to the floor. When I woke up, blood was underneath me and that’s when Tyson came in and found me. I’d had another miscarriage.”
“Another? Meaning you’ve had one before?”
I nod, dab the tears from my eyes and say, “Yes.”
Padma’s lips trembled. She was so angry, so troubled that she pushed her breakfast plate away and stood up, pacing back and forth by the dining ro om table, her hands balled into fists. “What else has he done to you?”
“ Not sure if you were aware, but we have separate bedrooms. Every Tuesday and Thursday, he comes to my room to have sex with me...said I wasn’t good enough to sleep in his bed. He calls me names, makes me eat off of the floor...one time, he made eat my dinner in the rain...said if I didn’t finish it, I couldn’t come back in the house.”
I was so shaken at this point, I wasn’t sure if I could finish telling her all the things Dilvan had made me suffer through.
“What else?”
“ He yells at me...makes me call him ‘My Lord’...makes me stand naked in front of him...when you come over for breakfast, he kicks me underneath the table if he thinks I said, or am about to say, something out of line.”
I take a moment to catch my breath and dry more tears, then I say, “I tried so hard to love him, Padma. I tried to make this marriage work. Even though I know I’m not deserving of him and that he could be with someone better than me—”
“No,” Padma interrupts. “You deserve someone better than him!” She sits next to me again, holds my hands and say, “I’m so sorry, Gabrielle. I thought marriage would change him. This is my fault for trying to fix my flawed, narcissistic son...he’s so
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