Chapter 2: The Red Thread of Control

The bus stop was a chaotic hive of activity. Students in crisp uniforms, office workers checking their watches, and vendors hawking tea. Among them stood Vaani and Rekha.

"Finally!" Rekha complained as the third overcrowded bus passed them by. "We’re going to be late, and it’s all because the universe hates us."

"The next one," Vaani said firmly. "Even if we have to hang off the back, we’re getting on."

Rekha sighed, then her eyes brightened. "Hey, remember? Tonight is our shopping trip. Just us and Priya. No excuses."

Vaani didn't answer. She was staring across the road at a young man leaning against a black motorbike. He was handsome in a rugged, dangerous way, but there was an edge to his posture that made Vaani's stomach turn.

"Is that...?" Rekha squinted. "He looks familiar."

"Karthi," Vaani spat the name like it was poison. "Priya’s boyfriend."

"He’s actually really good-looking," Rekha admitted, impressed.

"Looks don't mean much when you're a jerk," Vaani muttered.

At that moment, Suri’s auto-rickshaw cruised past. Priya was in the back, her eyes locked onto Karthi. She didn't even notice her friends. Her thumbs flew across her phone screen.

Priya: I’m so sorry, Karthi. Ma forced me to go with Nanna today. Please don’t be mad. I’ll make it up to you.

She watched the screen, her heart hammering against her ribs.

"I wish my dad had an auto," Rekha joked, oblivious to the tension. "Free rides everywhere."

Vaani shook her head. "She’s too soft, Rekha. She trusts everyone. She believes everyone is as good as she is. I’ve tried telling her, but we just end up fighting."

"Leave it, Vaani. It’s her life," Rekha said as the bus finally screeched to a halt. "Come on, let's go."

Across the street, Karthi pulled his phone from his pocket. He saw the message. He saw the "Double Blue Ticks" indicating she knew he had read it. His grip tightened on the handlebars until his knuckles turned white. His eyes grew bloodshot, a single tear of pure, unadulterated rage escaped.

"I waited two hours," he hissed to himself. "Two hours in the heat for her. And she chooses her father's auto."

He didn't reply. He tucked the phone away, kicked the bike into gear, and roared away, the exhaust smoke stinging the air.

The Breaking Point

The college lecture was a blur of white noise to Priya. She sat by the window, staring at the swaying branches of a neem tree.

Why isn't he replying? Is he done with me? Did I ruin everything?

"Priya!"

The shout was like a gunshot. Priya leaped to her feet. "Yes, sir!"

The professor glared at her. "The lesson is on the chalkboard, Priya, not in the clouds. If you find the trees more interesting than my class, perhaps you should join them outside."

"I... I’m sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

"Out!" he pointed to the door. "Get out of my classroom."

The hum of whispers followed her as she gathered her things. She caught Vaani’s worried look and Rekha’s confused one. Burning with shame, Priya walked into the empty corridor.

Hours later, the lunch bell rang. Vaani sprinted through the halls, looking for her friend. She found Rekha at the canteen, battling through a crowd for samosas.

"Have you seen her?" Vaani asked, breathless.

"Not since the classroom," Rekha grunted, shoving a student aside. "Owner! Two plates!"

A girl named Sowmya leaned over. "I saw Priya. She went toward the washrooms about ten minutes ago. She looked... off."

Vaani didn't wait. She ran toward the back of the building.

Inside the quiet of the bathroom, Priya was hunched over the sink. The nosebleed had returned, more aggressive this time.

"Again," she whispered, watching the red drops splash against the white porcelain. "Why does this keep happening?"

The door swung open. Vaani stopped dead. "Priya? Oh my god, the blood—what happened?"

Priya began to sob, the kind of deep, racking sobs that make it hard to breathe. "Karthi... he's so mad at me, Vaani. He told me to choose between you guys and him for tonight. He told me to forget him."

Vaani moved instantly, pulling Priya into a hug. "Listen to me. You haven't done anything wrong. He is trying to control you, Priya. That's not love."

"But I hurt everyone," Priya cried into Vaani's shoulder. "I make everyone miserable. I’m the problem."

"Shut up," Vaani said firmly, pulling back to look her in the eye. "You are the best person I know. You’re my best friend. We’re going to have lunch, we’re going to go shopping, and you’re going to realize you’re worth more than some guy's temper tantrum."

Priya wiped her eyes and nose, managed a small, shaky laugh. "I look like a ghost, don't I?"

"A very pretty ghost," Vaani smiled. "Now wash your face. I’m starving."

The Shrine of Obsession

While the girls laughed in the garden, sharing Raji’s halwa, a different kind of scene was unfolding in the house across from Priya’s.

The room was pitch black, save for a single candle flickering on a wooden table. The walls were not covered in wallpaper, but in photographs. Hundreds of them.

Priya laughing. Priya tying her shoes. Priya through a window, half-dressed. Priya sleeping.

The sound of a knife hitting a wooden block echoed—Chop. Chop. Chop.

Katthi sat at the table. He had removed his mask. His face was a landscape of deep scars and pitted skin, the result of severe childhood illness. He looked at a photo of Priya and smiled—a jagged, terrifying expression.

"Hi, Priya," he whispered to the empty room. "It’s our sixth date. You look so beautiful in your uniform today."

He picked up a piece of raw mutton he had been preparing and placed it on a plate.

"You asked for this, didn't you? You wanted me to bring you mutton. I remembered. I always remember what you want."

His phone buzzed. It was his boss from the butcher shop. "Where the hell are you? Get to the shop now!"

Katthi’s eyes never left the photo. "I'm coming," he said softly into the phone.

He stood up, his massive shadow dancing against the wall of photos. He touched the face of the girl in the picture—the girl who was kind to him, the girl who didn't know he was the monster under her bed.

"Our dinner will have to wait, my love. But soon. Very soon, we will be together forever."

He blew out the candle, plunging the room into a darkness that felt like a promise.