Sulochana surveyed the scene around her, "So, Raghav, you weren't happy getting the milk for free, you decided to buy the cow itself? Doesn't seem like such a smart decision, considering what happened to Pallavi's first husband—"
"Sulochana, shut up," Milind interrupted her, "Raghav, your mother called Sharda, why is Pallavi here, what happened to her? Is she okay?"
Raghav closed his eyes, in order to bring his mother and sister back home he had invited this circus into his orbit too.
"Pallavi is fine. She hadn't eaten today, so she fainted, but Amma and Keerthi are taking fine care of her, and she's awake."
Sharda made to go upstairs and meet with her daughter, hoping to god she hadn't made some stupid decision like marrying this idiot.
"Wait." Raghav stopped Sharda from going up the stairs, "let your daughter rest, she will be fine here, you can meet her later."
"What do you mean she will be fine here, why would she stay here?" Sharda spit out.
"Because Pallavi and Raghav have gotten married," Amma had come down the stairs.
"Jaya, what are you talking about?" Sharda was shocked and confused.
"You yourself told me you wanted your daughter to settle down, and I wanted my son to get married as well. I know this all seems rushed, but all's well that ends well isn't it."
Sharda was furious, "how dare you? How dare you make such a decision for my daughter without consulting me?"
Amma was confused, "Pallavi didn't tell you, she said she left your house with your blessing—"
Sharda didn't stop to listen to the rest of what Amma was saying.
She sped up the stairs and looked for Pallavi.
Raghav followed behind her, ignoring Sulochana and Mansi's dirty looks at him.
"Pallavi, what is this nonsense? Your Baba is in hospital, your brother is in jail, and you're here, getting married?!" Sharda had found Pallavi, who immediately got out of the bed and tried to calm her mother down.
"Aai, I can explain everything, I just—" Pallavi held her head in pain, it was throbbing, she knew that she needed to eat more, but first she had to explain everything to her mother.
"Mrs. Deshmukh," Raghav had entered the bedroom, "as I said before your daughter is not feeling too well, so I think it best if you meet with her another time."
"Raghav—" Pallavi started, but Raghav held up a hand to signal her to stop speaking.
"As for your son, he will be out of jail shortly, Pallavi managed to find a lawyer to take his case and more importantly it seems the police made a mistake in arresting him, so he's fine. I suggest you leave and go back to see your husband in the hospital."
Pallavi was shocked, so Ghamandi Rao had lived up to his first promise.
Sharda was still confused, and furious, "Pallavi, I don't know what you and Raghav did to get Nikhil out of jail, but know this, I do not accept this marriage and I never will. Vijay was right, you are the most selfish and disloyal girl I have ever—"
"Aunty, this is my house, and the woman you are yelling at for no reason, is now my wife. So I will ask you a third time, to leave. I will not ask again."
Sharda glared at Raghav and Pallavi, and ignoring Pallavi's protests she turned on her heel and left the room.
"Raghav, why did you insult her so much? What is wrong with you? I was explaining everything to her—" Pallavi started towards Raghav, fighting the urge to slap him.
"If you let a word slip about Nikhil she would go straight to Amma and tell her everything. You said it yourself, right? We are two people who decided to get married in order to get married, that's it." Raghav responded, impervious to her anger. "Now you might want to eat some more before you go to sleep, because I don't plan to catch you every time you faint."
He walked Pallavi back to the bed, and put the tray of food back in front of her, and then turned and left the room.
Downstairs, Sharda wasn't listening to Jaya's explanations.
"Sharda Ji, Raghav and Pallavi will be very happy together, I can just feel that their match was made in heaven."
"No, Jaya Ji, Pallavi's match was my son, Mandaar. Even if he is dead now, he will always be the heaven-sent match for her. I know I wanted Pallavi to get married again, but never to a good-for-nothing son like—"
Amma held up her hand, "Sharda Ji, please don't make the mistake of insulting my son. I know he has made mistakes, maybe too many mistakes for you to forgive, but I vow to you, he will keep your daughter happy."
Raghav was dumbstruck. How was it that this woman, who was too stupid to remember to eat every day, was being fought over with such ferocity by two different mothers? Then his confusion doubled when he heard Sharda Aunty mention her son, Mandaar. Pallavi wasn't her real daughter? She had been her daughter-in-law? And despite having no blood relation to the Deshmukhs, Pallavi was spending her days and nights working in their saree shop? What kind of family was this?
Sharda's eyes narrowed as she saw Raghav come down the stairs.
"Raghav, beta, come take blessings from Sharda before she leaves." Amma was trying to pretend that everything was normal.
Sulochana started to say something, but Milind stopped her.
Raghav walked and bent down to touch Sharda Aunty's feet. As he stood up, Sharda embraced him and whispered in his ear, "If I find out that Pallavi has even a scratch on her, there will be no one more dangerous to you in this world than me."
When she pulled away, she put on a fake smile, and turned to Jaya, "I think it's best if we leave, we can figure out all of this tomorrow, I should return to the hospital."
Sulochana refused to shut up any longer, "Isn't it amazing, Mansi, Pallavi already sucked everything out of one family, and now like the true vampire that she is, she found another victim to bleed dry."
Raghav couldn't handle his anger anymore, "Listen here, Bindi Waali Aunty, no one here asked your opinion, and no one is interested in hearing it either. I don't know why you hate Pallavi so much, and frankly I don't care. But next time I see you, either you have something nice to say about my wife, or just shut up."
Mansi was furious, "Raghav, you have no right to talk to my mother like that—" Milind pulled his daughter back away and started to direct her and Sharda to the door.
"This is my house, and if anyone insults a member of this house, I will talk to them any goddamn way I want. Now leave."
With that Raghav shut the doors.
"Raghav, they are now our relatives, you didn't need to be so rude, we could have explained better to Sharda—"
"Amma, I don't know why you wanted this wedding, and now I don't care. I don't treat those people as my family, you and Keerthi are my family—"
"And Pallavi now" Amma added, getting a little angry at her son's childish behavior.
"Whatever, I accepted and fulfilled your condition, it's late, a lot has happened today, maybe it's best if everyone goes to sleep."
Raghav turned and walked back upstairs to his room. But now his room was no longer just his. A woman had invaded his room and the rest of his life, and he had no idea how to manage now.
