chapter 2: digital bonds
love born on the internet is strange. it's fragile and magical all at once — fragile because you never know what's real and what's not, and magical because every message, every emoji, every 'good night' feels like a whisper from a soul that's finally touched yours. that's what it felt like with pakhi. every morning started with a "gm 💖" and every night ended with "sleep well, love." her messages lit up my day in ways no sunlight ever could. she wasn't just a part of my life anymore — she was my life.
every evening, after school, i'd rush back to my room, toss my bag aside, and throw on my headphones. discord was the first app i opened. not to check my server or reply to the others, but to check her messages. her replies came fast, her words sweet, her presence warm. voice calls turned from a few minutes into hours. we'd talk about everything — school, trauma, loneliness, fears, dreams, even death.
one night, she told me about her family — how distant they were, how she cried alone at night. i felt the urge to protect her, to be the one person who wouldn't leave. i told her i understood because i felt the same. that night we cried together, silently, across a screen. it was the most real thing i'd ever felt. i wasn't alone. and neither was she.
meanwhile, the server started to shift. light began teasing me more. his jokes weren't as funny. they started feeling like digs.
"bro's in love with a jpeg," he once typed in the general chat. everyone laughed, except me.
sae followed suit. he'd post memes saying online relationships are for losers. he never said my name, but i knew the target. even innocent stopped being himself. he grew quieter, more passive, almost like he didn't want to be part of this anymore but didn't know how to stop it.
yaku stayed silent, as always. he'd react with emojis. that's all. but sometimes, silence screams the loudest.
i tried brushing it off. maybe they were just jealous. maybe they didn't understand. but a part of me knew… something was wrong.
still, i clung to pakhi. i poured my heart into her. i told her about my childhood — how i never had real friends, how i was bullied in school, how my parents never really talked to me unless i messed up. she listened. she comforted me. she said i deserved better. she said i was special.
one night, i gathered the courage and asked, "do you love me?"
there was a pause. the typing bubble appeared… disappeared… appeared again.
then came the reply: "yes. i do."
i stared at the screen for minutes. just smiling. just... breathing differently. like those three words gave me oxygen.
from that day, we became more than close. we became real — even though we hadn't met, even though the world might not believe it. we were each other's person. we planned to meet soon. she sent selfies. i sent mine. we talked about what we'd do, where we'd go, how we'd hold hands.
but beneath all this joy, something darker brewed.
light once dmed me privately. "bro, are you sure she's not trolling?"
i replied, "why would she? we've been together for months."
he sent a thinking emoji. "just saying… you never really know people."
i told pakhi about it. she grew nervous. she said, "i think your friends don't like me."
i said, "they're just dumb. ignore them."
but her next message sent a chill down my spine.
"they're jealous. they wish they had what we have."
jealousy. maybe that was it. maybe they hated seeing me happy. maybe they couldn't stand that i found love where they hadn't. i didn't realize it then, but i had started drifting away from everyone. even from my own server. i was online, but only in dms. in calls, i muted myself unless she was there.
i was building my own bubble. and inside that bubble, i was safe… or so i thought.
then came the big day.
we had talked about meeting in person, but it had always felt like a fantasy. this time, it felt real. we had planned it for weeks. the location was picked — a small park near a café in my town. she said she'd travel. she'd come alone. my hands were shaking the night before. i couldn't sleep. i bought new clothes, styled my hair, even practiced how i'd greet her.
i told my parents i was meeting an online friend. they didn't care. they never did. i left the house with a hopeful heart, carrying a small gift — a bracelet with both our initials.
i reached early. i sat on the bench, staring at every girl that passed by. my phone buzzed.
"here," she messaged.
i stood up. looked around.
someone was walking toward me. but it wasn't her.
it was yaku.
he stopped right in front of me. his face was blank. cold. but his eyes… they had something in them. a sick kind of satisfaction.
i stuttered, "what… what are you doing here?"
he pulled out his phone. opened an app. showed me something.
my world shattered.
there it was — every message, every selfie, every voice note. all fake. all created. by him.
he was pakhi.
the girl i had fallen in love with. the one i had given my heart to. the one i had cried for, laughed with, dreamed of… was never real.
Just a mask worn by the person I trusted the most.
I stepped back, shaking. "Why…?" I asked, barely able to breathe.
He smiled. "Mission Rudro."
He said it like it was a joke. But to me, it was a death sentence.
He told me everything. How they planned it. How they took turns making fun of me in a private group chat. How they watched me fall deeper, and laughed every time I said, "I love you."
I couldn't feel my legs. I fell to the ground. Eyes wide. Heart numb.
They broke me.
And the worst part? I let them.
(To be continued in Chapter 3...)