The secrecy unraveled faster than either of them expected.

Another professor - one of Daniel's colleagues - spotted them together outside campus. A coffee, a touch too familiar. It didn't take much. Just a whisper, a suspicion.

By the end of the week, Daniel was called into a disciplinary hearing.

Elena was summoned to the Dean's office. Words like inappropriate conduct and suspension pending investigation echoed in the sterile room.

She didn't cry - not in front of them. But her hands wouldn't stop shaking.

When she got home, Maya was waiting.

"You lied to me," Maya said, voice brittle. "I knew something was off, but I didn't want to believe you'd actually? Elena, he's married."

"I know," Elena whispered.

"Do you? Because you look like you're still in love with him."

She didn't answer. She didn't need to.

The university launched a formal review. Daniel was placed on indefinite leave. Elena's name circulated in hushed tones through lecture halls and online forums.

And just like that, the world they built in secret collapsed in public.