Here's Chapter 142 of En Manadhin Irul (The Dangers in My Heart) – Arc 5: A Love Beyond Words.
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Chapter 142 – The Weight of a Whisper
The sunlight spilled into the classroom gently that morning, dancing across the floor like it didn't carry the weight of yesterday's silence. Karthik sat at his desk, his fingers curled loosely around a pen he hadn't used in ten minutes. The page before him remained half-filled, his handwriting slanting off toward the margins as his mind wandered.
Ananya hadn't spoken to him since the moment she'd left the corridor yesterday. No texts. No "good morning." Not even a glance during assembly.
It was a silence that didn't scream—but a silence that ached.
He watched her from across the classroom. She was speaking to someone—maybe Shruthi—but her smile was faint, too polite. Her laugh didn't carry the usual rhythm. Her fingers toyed with her bracelet the way they did when something was bothering her.
She was hurting too.
Karthik sighed and looked down again, the ache in his chest like a whisper he couldn't quite push away. The words from their last real conversation echoed in his head: "You say you love me, but sometimes I feel like you still don't love yourself enough to let me in."
That had struck deeper than he admitted, even to himself.
During lunch, he tried approaching her. It took every ounce of courage. The corridor was empty—everyone else had gone to the canteen. Ananya leaned against the wall near the stairway, gazing out at the school courtyard, her arms folded.
Karthik stood a few feet away, unsure how to begin.
"Hey."
She turned, eyes unreadable. "Hi."
He hesitated. "I… I didn't mean to shut down on you yesterday."
She looked at him, arms still crossed. "You always do, Karthik. And I'm trying to be patient. But I can't be the only one fighting for us."
That word—us—hit like a breath of hope and guilt tangled together.
"I'm scared," he admitted softly. "Of being too much… or not enough."
Her expression softened slightly.
"I've spent so long hating parts of myself that when you said you loved me—it felt unreal. Like you were loving someone I hadn't even met yet."
Ananya stepped closer. "Then maybe it's time you met him."
He blinked.
"The Karthik I know," she continued, voice low but fierce, "is quiet but thoughtful. Awkward, but always listening. Honest to a fault. And when he smiles… it feels real."
A lump rose in his throat. "I'm trying, Ananya. I really am."
She nodded slowly. "Then let me try with you. Not alone."
He looked at her—really looked—and for the first time in days, his fear didn't drown him. It was still there, yes, but her presence gave it less power.
"I don't deserve you," he murmured.
She gave a small smile. "Maybe. But I chose you anyway."
Without thinking, he reached for her hand. This time, she didn't pull away.
In the soft hum of the empty corridor, their fingers intertwined—not perfect, not without pain—but with a quiet promise that they were still choosing each other.
One whisper, one heartbeat at a time.
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END OF CHAPTER 142
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