Chapter 32

In the paradox of emotions, a man may find himself torn between the fire of hate and the magnetic pull of longing, caught in a storm of conflicting feelings.

-Unknown.

|K I R I L L|

In the college corridors, my strides carried an unspoken declaration of dominance. Each step echoed with the assurance of someone who knew their place at the top. The lift of my chin and the piercing gaze were deliberate.

As I walked inside the college, a heavy cloud of frustration hung over me. The once-familiar corridors now felt strained and unfamiliar, filled with an uneasy tension that seemed to cling to the air.

She, who had been a constant – if somewhat annoying – presence, had now become like a ghost, flitting through my peripheral vision. It was as if she had mastered the art of avoiding me, turning the shared spaces into a stage for her deliberate avoidance.

In the dance of college life, her strategic maneuvers to dodge any accidental encounter became