Chapter 1
Deva Naidu
There were two kinds of people in the world, according to Deva Naidu.
Those who controlled their emotions.
And those who were controlled by them.
He had spent twenty-three years making sure he belonged to the first category.
The afternoon sun hung lazily over the city as students rushed across the college campus. Conversations blended into a constant hum of laughter, complaints, and unfinished assignments. It was the kind of noise most people barely noticed.
Deva hated it.
He hated unnecessary noise.
Unnecessary conversations.
Unnecessary people.
With a black backpack hanging over one shoulder, he walked through the crowded corridor as though he owned it. Not because he demanded attention, but because attention followed him naturally.
Some people stepped aside.
Others nodded in greeting.
A few whispered his name.
Deva Naidu.
Everyone knew him.
Not because he was rich.
Not because he was famous.
Because he was impossible to ignore.
Academically, he was among the best.
Competitive, disciplined, and frighteningly intelligent.
Professors respected him.
Students admired him.
Some feared him.
Most kept a safe distance.
And Deva preferred it that way.
His friend Karthik jogged toward him carrying a notebook.
“Deva!”
Deva stopped.
“What?”
Karthik sighed.
“You know, normal people usually say hello first.”
“You called me. Say what you want.”
Karthik rolled his eyes.
“Presentation results came.”
“And?”
“You got first.”
Deva nodded.
“Expected.”
“Expected?” Karthik laughed. “You sound like a villain.”
“Then stop talking to me.”
“You’re impossible.”
Deva continued walking.
A small smile appeared on Karthik’s face.
That was the thing about Deva.
His arrogance would have been unbearable if he wasn’t capable of backing it up.
Every exam.
Every competition.
Every challenge.
He rarely lost.
And when he did, he worked twice as hard until he never lost again.
Failure annoyed him.
Weakness disgusted him.
Excuses were unforgivable.
That mindset had built him into the person everyone respected.
It had also built walls around him so high that nobody could see what existed behind them.
Not that he cared.
At least that’s what he told himself.
The evening arrived with a soft orange glow.
Deva sat alone in a small tea stall near campus, scrolling through notes on his laptop.
Around him, students laughed and joked.
Groups gathered.
Friends exchanged stories.
Couples shared quiet conversations.
Deva ignored all of it.
His focus remained fixed on the screen.
The tea vendor placed a cup beside him.
“You’re here every day.”
Deva glanced up.
“Is that a problem?”
The old man chuckled.
“No. Just wondering if you ever take a break.”
Deva looked back at his laptop.
“Breaks are for people who are satisfied.”
The vendor shook his head.
“You’re too young to sound this tired.”
Deva didn’t answer.
Because he wasn’t tired.
He was driven.
There was a difference.
At least he believed there was.
At home, the atmosphere was very different.
His mother called from the kitchen.
“Deva!”
“Hmm?”
“Come eat.”
“In a minute.”
“You said that twenty minutes ago.”
Deva sighed and closed his laptop.
The dining table was simple.
Nothing extravagant.
Just a family trying to stay connected despite their increasingly different lives.
His father sat reading the newspaper.
His mother served dinner.
Normal.
Predictable.
Comfortable.
The kind of life many people wanted.
Yet Deva often felt detached from it.
As though he was always preparing for something bigger.
Something beyond the ordinary.
His father folded the newspaper.
“You work too much.”
“I’m fine.”
“That’s what people say before they burn out.”
“I’m not people.”
His father smiled slightly.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“That ego.”
Deva smirked.
“It’s only ego if I’m wrong.”
His mother sighed.
“One day life will humble you.”
Deva laughed.
The confidence in his voice was effortless.
“Life can try.”
Later that night, rain tapped softly against his bedroom window.
The room was neat.
Organized.
Controlled.
Just like him.
Books arranged perfectly.
Notes stacked in order.
No distractions.
No clutter.
No chaos.
Deva sat at his desk staring at the city lights beyond the glass.
Most people his age were chasing relationships.
Attention.
Validation.
He couldn’t understand it.
Depending on another person always seemed dangerous.
People left.
People disappointed.
People changed.
Success didn’t.
Discipline didn’t.
Hard work didn’t.
Those things stayed.
They obeyed effort.
People obeyed emotions.
And emotions were unreliable.
Weak.
Messy.
Dangerous.
His phone buzzed.
A message from Karthik.
“Bro, why don’t you ever date?”
Deva immediately typed back.
“Waste of time.”
A reply appeared.
“You’re telling me you’ve never liked anyone?”
Deva stared at the screen for a moment.
Then typed:
“No.”
The response came instantly.
“Liar.”
Deva smiled slightly.
Deleted the chat.
And placed the phone face down.
Outside, the rain continued falling.
Inside, everything remained silent.
Exactly how he liked it.
Or so he thought.
Because life has a strange habit of exposing the lies people tell themselves.
And though Deva Naidu didn’t know it yet—
The certainty he carried.
The pride he wore like armor.
The belief that emotions were weakness.
The belief that he was untouchable.
Would soon be tested by a single person.
A single smile.
And a heartbreak powerful enough to change the course of his entire life.
