The tension between Reyansh and I had always been a constant undercurrent, something neither of us could fully ignore but which neither of us dared to acknowledge. Until now. The whispers that followed us—the ones I had always dismissed as paranoia—had begun to feel too real. Something was different, and I could feel it, a creeping sense of unease curling in the pit of my stomach.

It all started when Professor Mehra, a fellow faculty member who had never been shy about voicing his opinions, gave me a pointed look as I walked out of the faculty lounge one afternoon. His gaze was sharp, calculating, as if he had just uncovered a secret that didn’t belong to him. I had shrugged it off at first, dismissing it as nothing more than an idle suspicion. But the unease lingered, gnawing at me, and the following days only confirmed my growing fear.