Chapter -11 The Blame That Was Never Mine

 

When assumptions spoke louder than truth…

The next morning, Janani gathered all her courage and went to the institute.

Her heart was pounding, but her voice stayed steady.

> “Sir… I didn’t send any email. I don’t even know what happened.”

For a moment, there was silence in the room.

Then, one of the faculty members looked up and said,

> “Janani, you were also part of that department. And the email location — both the first and second — came from the same area. So, we thought it was you.”

Those words hit harder than any accusation.

She stood there frozen, trying to process how easily her name had become a suspect — not because of proof, but because of proximity.

> “You thought it was me…” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Because I was there?”

No one answered. Some looked away; others stayed silent.

Inside, Janani felt a deep ache — the kind that comes when your honesty is questioned, not because you failed, but because you were convenient to blame.

She walked out of the room, eyes filled with tears she refused to let fall in front of anyone.

Outside the building, the air felt heavy. The walls, the corridors, even the trees she passed every day — everything suddenly felt distant.

That day, she realized something bitter yet powerful —

in the eyes of some, truth is not what you say, but what they choose to believe.

Janani wasn’t angry. She was hurt.

She didn’t want to prove anyone wrong anymore. She just wanted peace —

but peace never comes easily when your silence is mistaken for guilt.