He crossed the room and picked up his phone from where he’d thrown it. The screen had a crack in it. The device still worked, though. He’d just hold on to it and carry it around wherever he was, like tucking it under his pillow when he slept, or putting it on the vanity when he was showering so he could hear it.

If Raj called him and told him how she felt, asked him if they could try again, he’d do everything in his power to prove that she deserved happiness, too, and he was eager to give it to her. But until then, he’d have to focus on his first love.

His father’s company.

The only problem was that work was starting to let him down, too. Hopefully if he put in the effort, things would go back to normal.

That way, Ajay could figure out a way to stop hurting.

Chapter Sixteen
Rajneet

Raj never cried over men, but Ajay had made her weep. Their argument circled her mind as her car carried her along the early-morning New Jersey streets.

She’d felt uneasy from the moment she’d woken up alone in that bed. She’d never experienced the morning-after scene. She couldn’t chance it. After she married, it had been imperative for her to keep her hookups short and sweet. No small talk, no dinner dates, no expectations.

But she’d fallen asleep at Ajay’s house and in his arms. When she’d woken in an empty bed to the sound of his raised voice coming from the living room, she knew that she had to get out of there, go home, and build some space between herself, Ajay, and Ajay’s family.

She pinched the bridge of her nose as the ugly memory of his one-sided conversation echoed in her head. And then, when he’d looked at her, she’d seen pain in his eyes. However, comforting him about the state of his feelings for her were outside the boundaries she’d set for herself and for their relationship.

And then he’d delivered a blow that had rocked her back on her feet. With no care in the world for how it affects other people, right?

Her parents had accused her of the same thing when she decided to stay in the States. Her brother had made the same accusation. Even Robert occasionally used to tell her that she would make decisions and screw the consequences.

Did people really think she was that heartless? That selfish?

Ajay had no right to push her, to demand anything from her. More importantly, if he didn’t get what he wanted, he was supposed to accept it as Raj’s right to choose.

Sure, he’d gotten angry, but she was an intelligent woman who was smart enough to admit that he’d been right about one small detail.

She was a coward when it came to her feelings.