The taste of him still lingered on her lips. The scent of his skin clung to her hoodie. Ananya hadn't stopped thinking about the way his arms had wrapped around her, or the way his voice had cracked when he whispered her name like it hurt to say.
But it was all a lie.
She found out two days later.
The rumors started small. Whispers in the hallway. Snickering glances. And then, a photo — not grainy, not vague. Crystal clear.
Rael Valtor. Holding another girl's waist. Laughing. Kissing her cheek in a dimly lit lounge.
Ananya stared at the screen in silence.
She didn't cry. She didn't scream.
She smiled.
A calm, terrifying smile.
---
She didn't confront him right away. That would've been too easy. Too expected.
Instead, she disappeared from his radar — no texts, no hallway glances, no private visits. She returned to her cold, calculated self: the perfect student, the silent storm. While Rael waited.
He noticed.
He texted once: "We should talk."
She didn't respond.
He cornered her after a lecture. "Ananya, what's wrong with you?"
She looked him in the eye and said sweetly, "Nothing at all. Why do you ask, Professor?"
He stiffened. She walked away.
---
Her revenge wasn't loud. It was strategic.
First, she flirted — not with Rael, but with another professor. Young, attractive, charming. She laughed in front of Rael's office, touched the man's arm during conversation, made sure Rael saw every moment.
Then, she leaked the photo.
Not the one of Rael and his new girl. But one of her and Rael — kissing, hands tangled, undeniable. It spread through campus like wildfire. Students talked. Faculty whispered. Administration called a meeting.
He was summoned. Investigated.
Ananya never said a word.
When Rael finally confronted her, he was furious. "You think this will scare me?"
She stepped closer, her voice like venom wrapped in silk.
"No. I think it'll humble you."
"You were nothing but a student to me."
She smirked. "And you were just another man who thought he couldn't be replaced. I replaced you the second you touched her."
He reached for her wrist. She pulled away.
"You thought I was sweet, clingy, desperate?" she whispered. "You should've asked what happens when someone breaks me."
She turned to leave, pausing at the door.
"Consider this your lesson in consequences, Dr. Valtor. Midterms are over. And you failed."
---
By the end of the week, he was placed on probation. The girl he kissed? Gone.
Ananya? Still on top.
And this time, she didn't need love to win.
She needed revenge.
And she got it .
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