Zareen finally spoke. “No. You ruined me first. For years.”

Her voice was clear, but shaking slightly. Not with fear. With decades of swallowed rage.

“I was never good enough for you, because I didn’t want to marry a rich banker or learn to cook for twenty people. You made me feel worthless when I joined the civil guard, even though I was the first woman in our town to pass the physical. I supported myself without asking for a rupee from you. I got stationed overseas. I’ve faced threats, bombs, embassy riots—”

She took a breath, glancing at Nayan. “And somewhere in all that mess, I found someone who actually saw me.”