19| You hurt her the most

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Sleep has vanished without a trace

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Sleep has vanished without a trace.

I tossed and turned in my bed, but it was as if my eyes were cursed to remain open, and my body refused to surrender to the sweet oblivion of rest.

I tore off the quilt with a violent yank and sat bolt upright in bed, rubbing my face raw in a fit of frustration. My heart refused to calm itself.

I endured two days of nonstop restlessness, followed by three nights of pure insomnia.

Each time I dared to shut my eyes, her pained gaze, tear-streaked face, and miserable state invaded my consciousness that would threaten to  drag me into the depths of madness.

My eyes involuntarily wandered towards the phone resting quietly on the bedside table, and in a heartbeat, the memories of yesterday's events came rushing back to me like a tidal wave.

"What is the current state of progress?" I posed the question to the admin of our college's official page.

Immediately following my conversation with Nitya, I wasted no time in reaching out to him and demanding the post be taken down.

"As per your request, I took down the post immediately yesterday. However, the identity of the perpetrator is still hidden. It seems this individual is no amateur - we have been unable to track the IP address of the post." The admin's response was accompanied by a gesture towards the laptop screen, where the page was open but the post had been deleted.

My fist slammed down upon the table with a resounding thud as I listened to his response.

I cursed myself for ever believing those vile images for even a second. It was clear to me now that this was a deliberate attempt to tarnish Nitya's image, for why else would the perpetrator go to such lengths to conceal their identity if the post held even an iota of truth?

"Is there any other possible way to identify the person responsible for this heinous act?" Desperately clinging to hope, I posed the question.

"I am not an expert in this field. However, I will consult with one of my trusted friends to see if any further steps can be taken."

"Spare no effort. Furthermore, can you inform me of how many individuals had seen that post prior to its removal?" I inquired, desperately wishing that the count would be relatively small, although any number, even if not substantial, still carried weight.

After a moment's contemplation, he replied gravely, "A total of 247 people had viewed the post before it was finally taken down."

"Damn it! It's huge, and only God knows how many people have received and saved that post on their damn phones," I grumbled.

"Actually, Adwait, it's not as dire as we're imagining."

"What do you mean?" My hope flickered.

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