"Rohit!" Radhika cried frantically. She looked frazzled. Her hair was tousled and her clothes were wrinkled and and disheveled. Her tears continued to fall. No one said a word. All Rohit could see was the purple bruise on her face and the blood dripping from her mouth.

"R-rohit..." Radhika said again, trying to calm down. She cried even harder.

Gita moved forward and wrapped her arms around Radhika, walking her inside. She helped her sit down on the couch before asking her what was wrong. Radhika said nothing and continued to cry. Rohit stood frozen near the door, unsure whether or not it was appropriate to approach Radhika, especially while Sanjana was standing right beside him.

"Radhika, dear, calm down. Tell us what happened." Gita tried to console Radhika.

Finally, Rohit decided he should talk to Radhika. She clearly came to him for a reason. He walked over to the sofa and sat down beside Radhika, careful to keep some distance between them.

"Radhika," He started, "tell me what happened."

Radhika looked up at him. She saw the concern in his eyes and could no longer control herself. She moved away from Gita and wrapped her arms around Rohit, crying onto his shoulder. Rohit froze. Sanjana's brows furrowed. He didn't comfort Radhika, so Gita moved closer to the two and attempted to comfort her.

"Rohit, take her to your room. Maybe she wants to tell you in private. She looks like she's been through hell. Take care of her." Gita said to Rohit.

Rohit's jaw clenched, but he made no effort to move.

"Rohit. Go." Gita said more sternly.

Rohit looked at his mother and back at Radhika, who was still crying on his shoulder. He grasped her arms and helped her stand up, wrapping an arm around her to balance her. As they walked towards Rohit's room, Sanjana caught Rohit's eye. He gave her an apologetic look before continuing to his room. Sanjana's eyes sadly followed them until Rohit closed the door.

Sanjana moved forward without thinking. She walked towards the bedroom, hoping that Rohit would emerge moments later to inform them that everything was fine and that Radhika would be leaving soon. Sanjana hadn't imagined that Radhika would be so beautiful. Even in a frantic state, she was beautiful...and she was alone in a room with Rohit.

Rohit closed and locked the bedroom door, giving Radhika privacy. He turned to her to find her sitting on the bed still crying. He sat down next to her, not looking at her.

"What happened Radhika?" He asked.

Radhika continued to cry, saying nothing.

Rohit sighed. He knew she wanted him to comfort her, but it didn't feel right now that he was married.

"Radhika," he tried again. "Who hit you?"

Radhika's eyes shot up to meet his.

"Rohit..he...we...you were so good to me." Radhika said, crying even harder. She hugged Rohit again.

Rohit took a deep breath. The man Radhika was dating had hit her. This time, Rohit hugged Radhika back, feeling the need to protect her.

"Why are you with someone who hits you?" Rohit asked angrily.

"It's never happened before." Radhika answered. She'd calmed down considerably. "I don't know what I did."

"You did nothing wrong, Radhika." Rohit whispered.

"Rohit, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry about everything. You were the best thing to ever happen to me, and I took you for granted." Radhika said sadly.

Rohit didn't know what to say in response to her apology, so he changed the subject.

"What are you going to do? Leave him, right?" He asked.

"Yes." Radhika answered immediately. "Oh God! Oh no. Oh god! Rohit, we live together! Where do I go? I need to find another apartment? I need to get off the lease. Oh god!" Radhika began crying again. "I can't go back there. I can't face him."

"It's okay. We'll figure something out." Rohit said softly.

"Thank you." Radhika said, hugging Rohit tighter.

"We should get back out there. I think Mom is worried about you." Rohit said, pulling away from Radhika.

"I'm sorry for just showing up and causing a scene." Radhika said guiltily.

"It's alright, Radhika. It happens." Rohit said.

Rohit stood up and opened the door. Radhika followed him out and into the kitchen, where Sanjana and Gita were having breakfast.

"Rohit, what happened? Radhika, are you alright?" Gita asked.

"Things are fine." Rohit said. "Radhika just needs to find another apartment."

"What? Why?" Gita asked, confused.

"I live with my boyfriend." Radhika started, "and he hit me. I'm not going back there."

"Oh you poor thing!" Gita jumped up from her chair and rushed to Radhika, engulfing her in a hug. "You're not going back to that monster. We can go apartment hunting together. I don't want you walking around the city alone."

"Thank you." Radhika said.

"You can stay here until you find another apartment." Gita said.

Rohit looked at Sanjana, and Sanjana met his gaze.

"No that's alright." Radhika said.

"You're staying right here. If you're worried about space, we can go to my house, but Sudhir is out of town, so it'll just be us two." Gita suggested. "But I think it's better for you to be around more people, especially Rohit. It will calm your nerves. I know you're scared."

Rohit wanted to intervene. This was his place. His mother had no right to invite Radhika to stay with them. He looked at Sanjana again. She had busied herself with preparing plates for him and Radhika. There was no way she was alright with having her husband's former lover living with them.

"Mom,"Rohit began, "I don't think this is a good idea."

"What on earth are you saying? Where is she supposed to go?" Gita retorted.

"That's okay. I can crash on a friend's couch or stay in a hotel." Radhika interrupted.

"No! Rohit, how can you let her stay in a hotel? Weren't you raised better than that?" Gita scolded.

"I need to talk to Sanjana about it." Rohit said.

"What does she have to do with this?" Gita challenged.

"She's my wife, so this needs to be is our decision. Together." Rohit said. "Sanjana, will you come with me?"

Rohit and Sanjana went into their room to talk about whether or not Radhika should stay with them until she found another apartment.

"I know you don't want this." Rohit started. "But it might be easier just to deal with it for a few days. Mom wants Radhika to stay here."

"Do you?" Sanjana asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well..I mean...where else is she supposed to go? I really don't want her to have to go back to that man." Rohit fumbled. "But if you don't want her here, then I won't let her stay here. This is your home now too."

Sanjana paused. If she said no to letting Radhika stay, she would be the bad guy. Gita would blame her and she knew that deep down Rohit would be unhappy with her opposition as well. She had no choice but to agree to let Radhika stay with them.

"She can stay." Sanjana said. She walked out of the bedroom and went back to the kitchen. It took a moment for Rohit to follow her.

"Well?" Gita said when Rohit returned.

"Radhika can stay here until she finds another apartment." Rohit said. "But there's only one spare bedroom."

"That's okay. We can share. It will be like a slumber party." Gita said.

Gita and Radhika got along really well, so the thought of having to share a room with Gita did not bother Radhika. Plus, it would be nice to have constant company.

"Yes, I don't mind. Thank you for having me. I really can't be alone right now." Radhika said.

"That's alright, dear. It's completely understandable." Gita said. "Rohit, she needs to get a restraining order against this man."

"I agree." Rohit said. "But I need to get to the hospital right now."

Rohit rushed to the living room to get his things. Sanjana stopped him before he reached the door.

"Breakfast?" She asked. All this drama had prevented Rohit from having breakfast.

"I'll just grab something at the hospital. I'm running late already." Rohit said. "I'm sorry." he added. Sanjana knew he wasn't apologizing for running out without eating.

"Radhika, this is Rohit's wife, Sanjana." Gita said once Rohit left.

Radhika's eyes moved up and down Sanjana. They grew sad as they examined her.

"Hi, Sanjana. It's nice to meet you. It's unfortunate that it had to happen under these circumstances." Radhika said. Sanjana gave her a brief smile.

------

"What the hell is your life?" Sheila said after hearing the morning's events from Rohit.

"I know right. Everything is so complicated. I don't even know how Sanjana is feeling about all of this. She literally stays on campus all day, so she doesn't have to deal with my mom. She stays in our room, starving to death when I'm not home. And now my ex is living under the same roof. She must hate me." Rohit said.

"I think Sanjana is fine. It's not exactly the best situation to be in, but it's only temporary. And it's not like anyone is hitting her. I can't believe what Radhika has been through. It's good that you're helping her out... despite the fact that she..." Sheila trailed off.

"She made a mistake, but she doesn't deserve this. I wish I could do more...but Sanjana." Rohit replied.

"More? Like get back together with her?" Sheila asked.

"No." Rohit said. "No, I'm married."

"If you hadn't jumped into marriage and this happened, you would have gotten back together with her." Sheila stated. "That man is the guy she cheated on you with."

Rohit looked at Sheila in shock. He hadn't known that Radhika's new boyfriend was the same man that broke their relationship.

"Don't you get it, Rohit? She loved you but you were never around. She was lonely. She gravitated towards another man because he gave her attention and actually showed that he cared, but she always loved you." Sheila tried to explain.

"It's too late. I'm a married man now." was all Rohit said.

"She's living with you. You don't think that will cause any sparks to rekindle?" Sheila pointed out.

Rohit paused. He didn't even think about that. Being in such close proximity with Radhika would surely provoke some feelings to rise again. He would have to be strong though. He had been cheated on and it hurt him. He would not do the same thing to Sanjana.

"I hope not." Rohit said dismally.

"Be careful, Rohit." Sheila said.

----

It was past nine o'clock at night and Sanjana was absolutely alone at home. She took to writing in her diary in her cocoon chair to pass the time. She was eerily aware that she was alone, however. The cocoon chair offered some sanctity, but she was still afraid. Gita and Radhika had been out all day. Gita went with Radhika to get a restraining order, apartment hunting, and had also done some much needed retail therapy, which Sanjana remained in the condo alone. She cooked dinner but hadn't eaten.

Sanjana heard a noise from the living room. She peered out of the curtain walls of the cocoon chair and stared at the closed bedroom door. Another noise. Someone was home. She dreaded that idea of having to face Gita and Radhika. Sanjana stood up and cracked open the door. She left the room and walked towards the kitchen. She was relieved to find Rohit.

"Hi. Where is everyone?" He asked, opening the fridge.

Sanjana shrugged.

"That's alright. We can have some alone time." Rohit said, meeting Sanjana's gaze.

Sanjana looked down, blushing.

"What's for dinner? I made sure I came home a little earlier so I could eat with you." Rohit said sweetly.

Sanjana smiled at him and began heating up the food she's made earlier in the day. Rohit handed her some plates, playfully grabbing her hand. He pulled her a little closer to him but moved away when she took a step back.

"This looks great!" Rohit exclaimed as they sat down. "I'm not waiting for Mom and Radhika to get back." He laughed.

Sanjana frowned at the mention of Radhika's name.

"Sanjana, I know that you aren't okay with Radhika staying here. I promise you that it's completely innocent. There's nothing between me and her anymore."

Sanjana said nothing. She looked down at her food. Rohit said nothing further. He changed the subject and started telling Sanjana about his day at the hospital even though he wasn't quite sure if she cared.

"How was your day?" Rohit asked.

Sanjana paused just as she was about to take a bite.

"Did you do anything interesting?" Rohit continued.

Sanjana's day was absolutely boring. After Gita and Radhika deserted her, she cooked dinner and then spent the rest of the day trying to occupy her time by reading, watching TV, napping, and doing anything she could to make the time move more quickly.

Sanjana shook her head in response to Rohit's question.

"I'm going to put these in the dishwasher." Rohit said after they were done eating.

Sanjana helped him clear the table. They retreated to the bedroom. Sanjana didn't feel tired at all, since she didn't have a demanding day. She started to walk to her cocoon chair with the intent to get some writing done for her class, but Rohit stopped her.

"Sanjana," Rohit said, taking her hand.

He pulled her closer to his body, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you today. You have no idea how glad I am that we got a chance to be alone tonight." Rohit said.

Sanjana looked away, afraid that Rohit would try to get romantic.

"No, not in that way," Rohit stated once he noticed Sanjana's discomfort. "It's just that we just got married. I was looking forward to spending time with you and getting to know you more, and then all of this happened....The whole world just decided to come live in my condo." Rohit said, slightly annoyed.

Sanjana gave him a small smile, appreciating his words. She felt the same way. She wanted to spend time getting to know the man she married, but there was hardly an opportunity to do that with so many people in their condo.

Rohit started Sanjana by caressing her cheek with his hand. He moved closer to her, slipping an arm around her waist. Rohit paused, sensing that he might be going too far. He expecting Sanjana to give him a sign telling him to stop, but she didn't. Sanjana looked down, a smile still on her face. Rohit took this as a sign giving him permission to continue. He pressed his lips to hers slowly deepening the kiss. Sanjana wrapped her arms around Rohit's neck, giving into his affection.

"Rohit!" Gita's voice shrilled through the condo, interrupting Rohit and Sanjana's kiss.

Rohit broke the kiss and looked up towards the bedroom door. He sighed and looked back at Sanjana.

"Rohit!" Gita exclaimed again. "Are you home? We're back."

Rohit glanced at the clock. It was almost midnight.

"We should go out there." Rohit said, moving towards the door.

Rohit and Sanjana exited their bedroom and walked into the kitchen to join Gita and Radhika.

"Hi Mom. How was shopping?" Rohit said.

"Oh good you're home. We definitely needed some retail therapy. Radhika chose an apartment. She's all set to move in next month. And we ate dinner out because we weren't sure whether or not Sanjana cooked today." Gita nearly scowled at Sanjana while she said her last sentence.

"Oh...that's good. Sanjana and I just had dinner. We were heading to bed...." Rohit replied, hoping she'd take the hint and let them return to their room.

"Guess who we ran into, Rohit? One of your friends." Gita continued, clearly not taking the hint.

"Really? Who was it?" Rohit asked.

"Um...what was his name, Radhika?" Gita turned to Radhika.

"We saw Ajit! He's back from San Francisco. Did you know he moved back?" Radhika chimed in.

"What? No way. He didn't tell me." Rohit replied excitedly.

"Old friends, right?" Gita asked.

"Yeah, he got a job offer in San Francisco that was too good to turn down." Rohit answered. "What's he doing back here?" He asked Radhika.

"He got a job transfer back here. You know how Ajit is. He always gets his way. He wanted to come back to New York, so he's coming back to New York. He's throwing himself a welcome back party. He's going to give you a call tomorrow. I told him you'd want to see him." Radhika said.

"Damn right I want to see him! It's been almost a year. And I'm definitely going to that party. If he told me earlier that he was coming back, I would have hosted it." Rohit said.

Sanjana noticed that excitement in Rohit's voice. She felt a little jealous that Radhika and Rohit were bonding over something that she had no idea about.

"You two should go. It'll be fun to see an old friend again." Gita said.

"The three of us. I'm going to take Sanjana with me, of course." Rohit said, smiling at Sanjana.

"Oh no. You don't want to do that. This party is probably for all of Ajit's close friends. He's never met Sanjana. You and Radhika should just go." Gita said.

"All the more reason to take Sanjana. She needs to meet Ajit. He's a good friend of mine." Rohit said a little more sternly.

"Oh Rohit, you know I can't be left all alone, especially at night. Sanjana has to stay with me. She can meet your friend another time." Gita declared.

"It's tomorrow night, Rohit." Radhika interrupted. "Are you working late?

"Not that late." Answered Rohit. "We'll be fashionably late."

Radhika smiled at him. Rohit briefly locked eyes with her but then looked past her at Sanjana. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

"We should all go to sleep. It's really late." Rohit announced.

"You're right. Goodnight everyone. Come Radhika dear." Gita said.

Once Radhika and Gita left, Rohit turned to Sanjana. He took her hand and led her to the bedroom, hoping to continue what they were doing, this time without interruption.  

_______________________________________________________________

Hi! How did y'all like the chapter?!  Can you believe Radhika is living with Rohit and Sanjana?? What's gonna happen? OMG! Will Radhika make a move on Rohit?  What's gonna happen at this party????  SPOILER: ROHIT DOES NOT CHEAT ON SANJANA....Unless you guys wanna see that happen lol lemme knowwww

PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT!! I literally have no faith in this book lol so I need to know people love it PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!! 

I'll be out of the country for a couple weeks, but I already started the next chapter so it'll be up as soon as I come back to America