Chapter 24

Abhimanyu

The air around me felt heavier than usual. Maybe it was just my overthinking, or maybe it was the weight of everything unspoken between us.

Shubhi was avoiding me again. Not just the subtle ignorance she had been giving me lately, but an outright cold shoulder. She wouldn’t even look in my direction, wouldn’t acknowledge my presence in a room. It was as if I had ceased to exist.

And for the first time, it actually hurt.

I never wanted to care. I was never supposed to care.

But here I was, standing in the hallway, watching her laugh at something her friend said while she walked past me—without even a glance.

I clenched my fists, turning away before the bitterness in my chest could consume me. I wasn’t going to beg for answers. Not again.

Yet, something inside me refused to let this go.

I had to know what had changed. Why did she suddenly start acting this way after our last conversation? It didn’t make sense.

The way she looked at me that day near the library—it wasn’t just ignorance. It was something else. Something deeper. A misunderstanding, maybe? But what?

I had been trying to piece everything together when I heard my name from the other side of the corridor.

“Abhimanyu?”

I turned, surprised to see a familiar face. Aarav.

It had been a long time since we had spoken properly. He had been my closest friend once—before everything fell apart, before I distanced myself from people, before I became the person I was now.

He walked up to me with an easy smile. “Long time, huh?”

I nodded, trying to match his energy. “Yeah.”

Aarav studied me for a second before letting out a short laugh. “You still suck at conversations, don’t you?”

A ghost of a smile formed on my lips. “Some things never change.”

He nodded, his expression turning more serious. “Listen, there’s something I need to ask you.”

I frowned slightly. “What is it?”

He hesitated for a moment before glancing around, as if making sure no one else was listening. “Did… did you tell her?”

My heart skipped a beat. Her?

“Tell who?” I asked, but deep down, I already knew.

Aarav sighed. “Shubhi.”

I stiffened. My jaw clenched involuntarily.

I didn’t need to ask what he was referring to. I knew.

The truth.

My past.

The one thing I had buried deep within me, refusing to let it surface.

Aarav continued, unaware of how hard his words were hitting me. “I saw her today. She looked… different. Like she was overthinking something, like something was eating her up from the inside.”

I exhaled sharply, trying to steady myself. “And why would that have anything to do with me?”

Aarav gave me a look. “Because it’s obvious, man. She was asking about you. About your past. And if she doesn’t know the truth yet…” He trailed off before shaking his head. “I think she’s close to finding out.”

My breath hitched.

No.

She couldn’t.

She wasn’t supposed to.

I had spent years locking away that part of my life, making sure no one pried into it. And now, if she was digging…

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

She would never look at me the same way again.

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