The day after confronting Shumaila, Hamza wasted no time. If words weren't enough, then actions would be.
He began seeking out Shumaila whenever he could, attempting to talk to her, attempting to apologize. But every single time, she either ignored him or shut him down without a second thought.
"Shumaila, please, just hear me out—"
"No."
"Just five minutes—"
"I don't have a second to waste on you."
"I was wrong. I was blind, I—"
"You were exactly who you've always been, Hamza. You just didn't realize it until now."
He followed her between lectures, after class, during lunch breaks, but every time, she shut the door in his face.
Still, he refused to give up. Not this time.
While Hamza struggled to gain even a second of Shumaila's attention, Karan had begun his own path of redemption.
Unlike Hamza, Karan wasn't apologizing with words—he was proving his innocence through actions.
He helped Shumaila with assignments, guided her through some business projects, and even ensured Taniya's gang kept their distance.
At first, Shumaila wanted nothing to do with him. But Karan never pushed. He simply offered his help and let her decide whether to take it.
And slowly, she didn't push him away as much.
She never spoke much to him, but she didn't shut him down either. And that, for Karan, was enough for now.
Hamza hated watching it unfold.
He didn't know why it bothered him so much.
Karan had no right to suddenly insert himself into Shumaila's life.
He had no right to be the one she tolerated.
He had no right to be the one standing by her side.
But Hamza had no one to blame but himself.
Because Karan was doing what he should have done from the start.
And that realization burned worse than any insult ever could.
One evening, while the group gathered at their usual spot near the dorm courtyard, the topic finally came up.
Siddarth exhaled, crossing his arms. "So, are we just going to ignore the fact that both Karan and Hamza are practically orbiting around Shumaila now?"
Komal scoffed. "There's nothing to discuss. Shumaila wants nothing to do with Hamza, and Karan's trying to earn his way back in."
Aarav leaned back. "And you think that's a good thing? We still don't know if we can trust Karan."
Sneha nodded. "He did stay silent when Taniya was plotting everything. That's not exactly something to ignore."
"And yet," Akansha cut in, "he's actually proving he regrets it. Unlike some people, who only realized their mistake when it was too late."
Everyone knew who she was talking about.
Rudra sighed. "I don't know. I don't think we should be the ones deciding who deserves forgiveness. That's up to Shumaila."
Siddarth scoffed. "Well, she's not forgiving either of them anytime soon. And honestly? I don't blame her."
Komal folded her arms. "I don't either. But I'm not going to pretend that Hamza isn't trying. He's been chasing after her non-stop."
"Chasing won't change what he did," Akansha shot back. "He's just feeling guilty because he finally realized what he lost."
Silence settled over the group.