Page 43 of Shattered

I am about to put the journal back whensomething slips from its pages and lands on the floor, catching my eye—a photograph. Slowly, I pick up the photograph and see it’s a picture of Nisha at a café, taken from a distance. The café in the photo was ‘Coffee Lover,’ a place Nisha loved and visited often. I turn it over and notice something scribbled in messy handwriting.

I always know where to find you.

My blood runs cold. This person had been stalking her,keeping tabs on her every move, even at her college. My heart thumps in my chest as I re-read her diary entries.

I’ve seen you staring at me in class.

Meet me at the usual spot in college.

This means the person is someone who studied at her college—someone close enough to know her schedule and make her feel uneasy.The danger suddenly feels much more real.But I’m not going to let him get away with this. Not this time.

Placing everything back in its place, I let my brain do the thinking.I need to visit Nisha’s college and get a hold of her classmate list.

???

After a quick breakfastand a quick excuse to Aunty about not finding anything suitable to donate, I grab my keys and head out.An hour later, I find myself driving to Nisha’s college, which is about twenty minutes from my place. I had already messaged Akash earlier to let him know that I would be late to the office. Thankfully, he was okay with it.

As I pull up at the signal, my eyes flick to the rearview mirror, and there he is—Karan Singh, my so-called bodyguard. I couldn’t help but shake my head, recalling how I’d stepped out of the house and was greeted by Mr. Hulk.I suppress a giggle at the nickname I’ve given him, but honestly, it suits him perfectly. Tall, broad-shouldered, dark-haired, with a thick, well-trimmed beard that almost obscured half his face. But the next second, my smile turns into a frown at the thought of him following me. I am still questioning Reyansh’s decision to have a bodyguard, but I know it’s not a battle I can win. Besides, right now, I have other pressing concerns to focus on, and the bodyguard seems to be the least of my worries.

As the signal turns green, I shift the car into gear and drive off. Deep down, I know I should call Officer Viraj and inform him about this, but I can’t afford to take the threats lightly. What if the sender finds out I contacted Officer Viraj? No, for now, I must handle this on my own. Perhaps later, once I have more information, I can figure out a way to discreetly discuss it with Officer Viraj.

Twenty minutes later, I pull into the college parking lot. Stepping out of the car, I signal Karan to wait for me here while I make my way into the college. Entering the campus, I head straight to the office.It’s college hours now, and I catch sight of a few students bustling about, chatting and laughing as if they have no worries at all.

As I approach the office door, I spot a woman in her thirties, dressed in formal pants and a silk shirt, typing away on her laptop. I knock gently and step inside.

“Hi, I am Kavya,” I say, giving her a friendly smile.

She looks up from her laptop and gives me a bored look. “Yes, what can I do for you?”

Her rudeness makes me frown, but I try to stay focused on the reason I am here. “Could I please get the list of all the student from last year’s B. Com batch, section A?”

“Do you have permission from the principal?” she asks, raising her eyebrows.

“No,” I say hesitantly.

“Then I am sorry, I can’t help you,” she says dismissively, turning her attention back to her laptop.

“If you can show me the way to the principal’s office, I’ll get the permission,”I suggest.

“She’s on leave. She’ll be back in four days. You can come then,”she replies, not even looking up.

Damn! She’s testing my patience. However, I choose to remain calm and polite. “Please, ma’am, it’s really important,” I implore.

“I am sorry, but such things take time. They don’t happen with the snap of a finger,”she says, finally looking upfrom her screen.

Taking a deep breath to steady my nerves, I ask, “How long?”

She shrugs. “One hour, one week, one month, or maybe even a year?”

I open my mouth to give her a piece of my mind when a baritone voice cuts through, interrupting me.

“I don’t think it should take that long to give my wife the information she needs,”a deep, authoritative voice fills the room.

I glance over my shoulder to see Reyansh walking over to stand beside me.My heart does a little flip at the mention of him calling me his wife, but I ignore my stupid heart. Instead, I ask him, “What are you doing here?”

“I told you I’d be there whenever you need me,” he says, kissing my forehead and wrapping his hand around my waist. Then he turns to the woman at the desk, who is now on her feet, trembling under Reyansh’s cold gaze.

“Good morning, Mr. Kk… Kundra?” she stammers.

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