Read Trail of Broken Wings for Free Online Page A

quick, but if it took more than ten minutes she would pull away. Her body’s failure to respond meant she was not ready. It was a waste of both of their time and of precious sleep to continue trying.
    Tonight, however, Marin is not in the mood. She can pinpoint a number of reasons. Work has exhausted her. The hours of reviewing documents, finalizing deals, and instructing her team on projects seemed harder than before. The conversation with Gia. But the scene at the hospital, if she is honest, is the real culprit. The realization that herfather might never emerge from his coma—that the man who defined her life was now losing his—jars her.
    “Are you wanting to have sex?” Marin asks. Her voice is sharper than she means it to be. Before he can answer or move toward her, Marin says, “It is probably not a good night.”
    “Of course. No, it is fine.”
    He is embarrassed. She can hear it in his voice. In all the years they have been married, Marin has turned him away only when she has her period or is ill. Today neither is true. Instead, it is the chains of the past rattling. Trapped in place for so long, they became rusty with age. With Brent in a coma, the lock seems to have loosened, but no matter how hard Marin tries, she cannot free herself of them. She imagines her father’s disappointment in her failure to please her husband. She shakes the thought aside and turns to the man she has shared a bed with for years. “I have a lot on my mind,” she says as an explanation, though he did not ask for one. “The hospital, everyone there.”
    “It is not a problem.” He shifts, turning his back to her. “Good-night, Marin.”
    Humiliated at the panic that envelops her at the thought of her father’s demise, she remains quiet. But because Raj doesn’t ask, she is spared from forming a response. She keeps to herself that she is scared and alone. That she wants to be held but wouldn’t know what to do if he offered.
    She lies down on the farthest side of the bed. With his back to her, there is no one left to face but herself. Pulling the sheet over her body, she yearns for comfort that proves inaccessible. Her mind, begging for sleep only minutes ago, now wanders. Everyone was there for her father, wondering, watching, waiting. For what, she does not know. If he lives, then they return to normal. Of course, their normal is not like everyone else’s. They each have their role and are exceptional at it. Trisha is the glue that connects the family. As the favorite, she deems it her responsibility to plan the family gatherings. As long as they breakbread together, she has her illusion of a perfect family. Trisha organizes the holiday get-togethers; whether it be Diwali or Christmas, she makes sure that no one is left out. When Sonya left, Trisha seemed to take her duties even more seriously. As if she could fill the void left by the sister who decided that life was better without them than with.
    Marin performs her own role with precision. She is the victory story, the example of why they came to America. The one they can point to and say, this is the reason we endured all the heartaches. While Trisha plays the role of pampered housewife, Marin continues to exemplify success. And her daughter is the next generation, the one who doesn’t carry the burdens Marin did. She is free to achieve everything—she doesn’t need to get away from any anchors.
    Tired of tossing, Marin slips out of bed. She can hear Raj’s quiet snoring; he barely moves with her departure. They have never held one another at night. Both learned soon after their wedding ceremony that they preferred their own space.
    With the events of the day barking at her heels, peace eludes her. Gingerly, she finds her way down the steps in the dark. In the light from the moon via the skylight, she pours a cup of milk and heats it. The steaming cup warms her hands as the darkness brings her a bit of calm. She has always preferred it to daylight. Secrets stay