The words landed heavily, one after another. Lakshmi felt them like physical blows. Aarav, who had been sitting on the floor with his toys, froze. Slowly, he stood and slipped behind his mother’s dupatta, peering out with wide, confused eyes.
Lakshmi opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her hands trembled slightly as she set the glass back on the table.
“I didn’t mean any harm,” she whispered. “I thought…”
“You thought what?” Riya interrupted. Her voice rose. “That you can take whatever you want? That everything in this house is yours?”
She stretched out her arm and pointed at the front door. Her finger shook, whether from anger or something deeper, Lakshmi could not tell.
“This house doesn’t feed useless old people who contribute nothing,” Riya said. “Get out. Go wherever you want.”
The room seemed to go very still. Even the fan sounded distant now.
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