"Mowgli, pick up your phone, will you! What's wrong? I have been trying to reach you for two days now! Is something the matter? Please, please just talk to me!" His fingers tapped the message almost involuntarily.

Randhir was frantically trying to reach Sanyukta for two days after the cocktail party. Every time he tried to call her, her phone was either switched off or was out of network coverage. He guessed that she was upset over the news about Nicole but he had categorically told Sanyukta that he had not consented to the match so far. Then why did she have to freak out and go into hiding? Several times he had contemplated approaching Anju to ask after her daughter but involving her would make things even more complicated. The next person he had considered asking was Parth, but Parth and Vidushi were on their way to Koh Samui and Randhir did not want to bother them in the midst of their honeymoon.

Not too far from there Sanyukta stared at the message on her phone screen. She had lost count of how many times she had viewed it but ignored it just the same. She had retreated into her shell to make herself impervious to him. Her phone was unreachable for nearly two days. It was almost as if she had vanished off the face of the earth. Ironically Randhir had no clue about what had passed that fateful night and the state she was in, as a direct consequence. Had he known he would be shocked beyond words.

Sanyukta did not report to work for two days, having tendered her leave application via email. She did not share this with Anju lest she notice that something was amiss. She would leave home at the usual time and board any bus that took her far away from her usual route. She would stare outside with a vacant look, unable to come to terms with the bitter truth that had dawned on her after her conversation with Renuka. Fortunately for her when she had returned from the resort Anju was not home. Sanyukta could not wipe off the memory of the pictures Renuka had shown her. Those images flashed in her mind's eye in a continuous loop disturbing her, she was lying in bed next to Vishad and neither of them had any clothes on. 

She had asked herself the same questions again and again. If Randhir had not left his own room that night how could he have been with her in Tanya's room? If she really had been with Randhir that night how did he not have any memory of what happened between them? If Tanya had snapped pictures of Sanyukta and Vishad together it could only mean that Sanyukta had surrendered herself to Vishad's advances, assuming that he was Randhir. Sanyukta knew Vishad well, if she had spent the night with him it was absolutely certain that he had enjoyed her like he would a tasty confection.

 When it came to Sanyukta Vishad's priorities were crystal clear. That has been evident from his behaviour when he had tried to drug her and take advantage of her lowered defences many years ago on the beach in Goa. On the other hand it was certainly possible that Vishad was very drunk and had assumed that she was Tanya instead of Sanyukta. She had been lying in Tanya's bed that night and Vishad was bound to have the spare key to the room.

Sanyukta had cried in the shower , trying to scrub away the traces of Vishad's touch from every inch of her skin. She felt soiled. It was not the first time that someone had violated her body without her consent or knowledge. The repressed memories of her father abusing her in the still of the night had come flooding back, destroying her self esteem. 

"You are a cheddi, and shall always remain one! You are just a piece of meat for unworthy men to feast on! You don't deserve Randhir. And he must never know about what happened that night." She said to her image in the mirror. She had chanted those words repeatedly, blaming herself for what had happened. She was ashamed, she could never face Randhir or disclose her agony to him. She chose to shut herself out instead, running from the world and from herself. Had Anju not been too occupied with her professional responsibilities she would have realised that something was seriously wrong. 

"Am spending the afternoon at the Atrium Arena. It is the last day for our camera crew filming our product promotion! Please meet me there before 7pm if you can. Am flying back tonight and don't know when I'll be back!" His message was sent early that morning. Ever since she saw it Sanyukta was in a quandary. It was now or never, if she did not meet him that afternoon it could be too late afterwards. She was sick at heart trying to avoid contact with him. She longed to explain to him, he deserved to know. But could she bear to tell him the truth? How would he react? She knew how much Randhir resented Vishad. She felt both scared and devastated at the same time. Let me just see him for one last time, I deserve at least a glance of him, she told herself. She showered, dressed, forced herself to eat something and left home. She could not forgive herself if she missed that chance.

It was easy to melt into the crowd. A large number of onlookers gawked at the crew filming on location. Sanyukta hid behind people, ensuring that she was not detected. She had a clear view of Randhir as he stood chatting with the production team. He checked his watch every now and then and took a cursory glance around, surveying the faces in the crowd to see if he could spot the one person he was waiting to see. A girl stood close to him. Sanyukta noticed that she was very young, vivacious and had a sprightly air about her. She had a big smile on her face whenever she turned to Randhir to speak to him. Even he seemed to respond to her with a good-natured smile. 

Nicole! Sanyukta's mind found a name for the new fresh-faced girl. Their parents want them to get together. Is she better than me? Sanyukta asked herself and her rational mind answered in the affirmative. She is prettier, comes from an influential family like his own, and he seems to like her too. Maybe he deserves her, he has always deserved the best. Sanyukta's eyes began to fill with tears. She looked away and hastened to the exit, her mind made up that she would not stand around anywhere near him wallowing in self-pity. 

"I will always love you, Randhir! And I want you to be happy forever!" She chanted to herself as she sped away towards the street. A cab stopped before her and she almost jumped in. She felt suffocated, she had to get away from it all as soon as she could. She was halfway home when her phone buzzed with a new message from Renuka.

"Need one last favour from you! Trust me, I have everybody's best interest in mind!" Her words read. Sanyukta did not acknowledge the message immediately. She was not ready for anything new, she had to heal her heart and mind first! As such it was too late for her to undo the damage her body had been inflicted with unknowingly.