After Arjun went home that night, we just ordered Thai food and called it a day. We were all too exhausted to deal with cooking and cleaning up, so we just decided to get something ready made and eat. Plus, I can't resist Thai food.

Mason has said that he's going to probably divorce Sarah after she's convicted, which is great. Nathan still hasn't really gotten over it, but I promised him that he can have therapy if he really needs it. But overall, things are still crazy. But, with Mason's approval, there's something that I can finally offer to Arjun, and hopefully it will put a smile on his face.

After I finish up work, which thankfully isn't super stressful, I head on over to Arjun's apartment. I was able to get his number at the party, so I texted him while I was walking through the halls at Facebook. I've got something to do, and it's a question that honestly is long overdue.

I pull my light coat a little bit tighter over my body, and look at the apartment building that's standing in front of me. It's refreshing to be able to visit my dad without having to hide it from Mason and be so covert about it. I'm glad I can finally go and acknowledge him without any layer of bias or hatred. I walk inside, and then text Arjun that I'm here and coming up the elevator.

Eventually, I hit the desired floor, and walk down the hallway to find his apartment. I knock on the door, and without even thirty seconds of waiting time, the door swings open. Arjun is standing there, and even though I haven't seen him too much, it's the first time I've seen him so happy. His dark skin has a new kind of glow to it, with his brown eyes having so much more life than I've ever seen.

A big smile is on his face, and it only grows bigger when he sees that it's me. "Come in, come in," he welcomes, and I walk in, as he closes the door behind me. Everything just feels so much more refreshing and freeing now that I don't have to stress about if Mason were to secretly come here or if he was waiting at home, knowing that I went against his rules.

"How have you been doing? I know it's been crazy lately, with college, and you're graduating soon."

I shrug. "Yeah, I mean, it's going fine. I've been working at an internship for Facebook lately, and that's been paying well. I'm just waiting until my classes are over."

Arjun nods, and gives me a gentle smile. "You look better. And I mean a lot better."

Arjun nods. "Yeah, I mean it's easier to sleep at night knowing that your daughter proved you innocent and that everyone who had accused me of being a cold blooded killer was wrong. I used to get so stressed at night, and especially when I first got out of prison, because I didn't know if I was going to get a job, or if I was going to be sleeping on the streets. It's a scary world out there, though it's so much better than prison. And even if I got the job, I was so scared that they'd let me go at some point. It's not easy to have a criminal record and be employed, even if the conviction is false. Trust me, these past few nights of sleep have been the best I've gotten in the last 17 years."

I nod, although I feel kind of terrible still. I went for so long thinking that my dad was a cold blooded killer, and turned him away when he came to build a relationship with me. My dad is just a good guy caught up in bad circumstances. "Man, that's rough. I feel terrible now. I can't believe I just thought you were a cold blooded piece of garbage."

The look on Arjun's face morphs into more of an understanding one. "No, no, it wasn't your fault. You were too young to judge me. Plus, you were surrounded by people who firmly believed it. I don't blame you, really."

I smile, and then his eyes widen. "Oh, you can sit down if you want! You don't have to stand for the entire time. My feet start to hate me when I stand for too long. Oh, and do you want anything?"

I shrug. "What do you have?"

Arjun again shrugs. "You decide. Water? Milk? Coffee? Tea?"

"Water's fine." He fills up a glass of water, while I wait to ask him what I've been meaning to for so long.

I cross my legs, and continue to wait for the perfect opportunity. "So, my question is, why did you confess to the murder, if you never even did it in the first place?"

Arjun brings me the water, and then sits down next to me. "Ashmita, interrogation rooms are absolutely brutal. And I mean brutal. They show no mercy. They basically forced parts of the confession out of me. They nitpick and then use parts of your testimony against you to form a case. I kept on saying that I didn't do it, but they still convicted me anyways. It sucks, but the number one suspect in any murder case is the ex. In my case, the estranged husband had the most possibility of doing it."

I look down a little bit, because guilt continues to eat me up inside like an infestation of termites, but he notices my guilt. "Hey, don't feel guilty. You did nothing wrong."

I gulp. "Did they use my testimony against you?"

Arjun shakes his head. "Barely. I think they didn't put too much importance into that because you were young and stuff. Don't worry, you did nothing wrong."

I smile a bit. Arjun sits down, hands me the glass of water, and relaxes on the couch a little bit. "I actually wanted to ask you something."

Arjun nods. "Sure."

"So, Mason and I talked, and we were thinking that you should move in with us. Mason won't make you pay the mortgage or anything, unless you want to. We think that you'd be great to live with, and I really want to get to form a relationship with you, because I'm the person who likes to make up for lost time. What do you say?"

A smile continues to form on Arjun's face, and when I finish off my offer, it becomes the biggest smile on his face. "That sounds amazing. I'd love to move in with you guys."

I smile, then move in for a hug, to which Arjun gladly takes. He hugs me tightly, to which I can't help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside. "Oh, I can't wait to start living with you guys," he says, to which I smile.

"If you live with us, you won't cook seafood, right? I'm deathly allergic."

"I am too. I think you inherited that from me."

I continue to hug him, until my ringtone fills the air abruptly. I curse a little bit to myself, then break the hug and pick up my phone. The caller ID reveals that it's Mason, so I pick it up. "Hey, Mason," I say in the line.

"Hey, Ashmita. Did you talk to Arjun?" he asks.

I nod. "Yeah, he said that he'd love to move in."

I can almost feel him smile over the phone, and he says, "That's great. Well, I have more good news. I got off the phone with the police department. Sarah's pleading guilty to the charges that's against her. The trial is in two weeks."

I smile even wider, and then look at Arjun, who's still wildly confused. "What's happening?" he asks me.

I lower the phone, and say, "Sarah confessed. The trial is in 2 weeks."

Arjun's eyes widen in pure shock and joy, to which I say back to Mason, "That's great."

"It is. I'll talk to you when you come home, alright? I still have to call up some people."

"Sure. Bye." I hang up, and then look at Arjun, who just has a look of shock on his face.

I smile a little bit, and then he says, "You know something? You're special, Ashmita. Really special."

I let out a little chuckle, and say, "Thank you. It's not everyday that I get that."

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Aw, man, happiness. I love that. I can't imagine how relieved Arjun must have felt. Why do you guys think Sarah pled guilty? Let me know in the comments.

Hey everyone! How's it going? So, if you guys didn't see my announcement, then here it is. I finished TSOC. We've got two more chapters to go. I can't believe it, and I hope you guys loved this story. I think you guys will like the ending. It was so satisfying for me to write.

Oh, yeah, and just like with Phoenix, if you guys want me to write any bonus chapters, do let me know! I'll be happy to whip those up!

Other than that, that's all I got. Hope you guys liked this chapter!

Please vote/comment/share/follow/message if you like my work! See you all next Sunday with a new chapter of TSOC! Have a great week!

Love you guys,

Shree