The days after blocking Arjun felt heavier than Mia had expected. The phone screen remained painfully blank—no curious follow-up messages, no polite check-ins, no accidental glimpses of him during inter-college events. She repeatedly told herself it was relief. Freedom from temptation. A necessary sacrifice to keep the peace with her seniors and protect whatever fragile stability she had left. Yet every quiet moment—walking alone between classes, sitting in the library staring at blank pages, or lying awake in her dorm bed—brought the haunting echo of Arjun’s gentle voice. The way he had asked real questions, listened without judgment, and looked at her like she was a person with thoughts worth hearing. The contrast clawed viciously at her insides, leaving her torn between guilt and an aching sense of loss.

The seniors sensed the subtle shift in her almost immediately. Their possessiveness, already intense, sharpened into something even more invasive and absolute.