Page 204 of Plaything

Lifting my brows, I hesitantly answered, “Whitlock. Baby, can you see?” I asked, now worried about her black eye.

“I’m just blurry from the tears,” she assured with a nod.

“What’s in the folder?” Niko asked, keeping his tone gentle.

Her teeth grazed her bottom lip. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “I’ve been keeping something from you,” she rushed out. She held the folded tightly against herself like she had been in the car. “I know I should’ve told you, but I couldn’t. I was stupid and scared,” she started.

My eyebrows fell as I listened to her. Aiden had a sneaking suspicion that something had been on her mind lately, but we brushed it off as her father’s euthanasia. I didn’t know why we questioned him so often; he was rarely wrong.

She sniffled before she straightened her posture. “The night of the will reading, Charles pulled me aside and threatened me... by threatening you. He said some awful things, but mostly that I was naive to think any of you actually cared for me. It didn’t matter what I said. He wouldn’t listen,” she explained.

As if my hate for this man couldn’t deepen. While we’ve been building her confidence and relationship with her, he was feeding her the lie he’d convinced himself of. No matter, I knew how she felt, and she knew how we felt. His words hadn’t phased her, that I was sure of.

“He asked me to sign a restraining order against all of you, and I refused. He knew I’d refuse and came prepared with an ultimatum... or blackmail?” She shook her head. “He said I had until graduation to sign or he’d evict you—he bought the manor from the university. It’s been under his name since that night.”

I didn’t know which to consider first: the restraining order or the fact that Charles owned our house—the house we’d been saving up to buy, our home. “Odette, why didn’t you tell us?” I asked softly, placing a hand on her thigh.

She swallowed hard. “It gets worse,” she warned while shifting away from me. “He owns the manor and threatened your reputation because you slept with a student,” she continued. “Your career, credibility, your names,” she glanced at Aiden, “your life’s work.”

The folder had indents where her fingers were squeezing the sides. “I have no excuse for not telling you other than I’m selfish. I’m... I’m not delusional enough to think you’d stay with me after that. You’ve worked too hard to throw it away, and I know that. I kept trying to convince myself I had more time—”

“I would,” Niko interrupted.

Cut off and caught off guard, she turned to him with pressed brows. “Huh?”

“I would choose you,” he declared calmly.

Her brows stayed scrunched in confusion, probably hurting her bruises in the process. She softly shook her head at him in denial. “No, Niko, I wouldn’t let you,” she explained. “I’m not worth it. You love being a teacher more than anything in the world. I’m selfish, but not selfish enough to take that from you. Assuming you all don’t detest and hate me for lying, I would’ve signed. Even if I never got to see you again, it’s the right thing to do.”

“Not more than anything, Odette,” he softly smiled.

She turned towards him and shook her head. “What’s wrong with you?” she huffed. “Don’t tell me you love me! Be mad at me!” She widened her eyes as best she could. You should be furious. I need you to be mad at me,” she stressed.

A smile started forming as I watched her scold him for telling her he loved her. She’d brushed it off so easily that I wasn’t sure she even realized what she said.

“I’m not mad,” Niko shrugged. Obviously, you should have told us, but I can’t change that. Teaching is just a job, and this is just a house—two things that are very replaceable. You, however, are not. Whether you like it or not, I love you, and I’ll keep saying it,” he smirked as if talking about the weather.

Her mouth parted, but it wasn’t in surprise. She looked insulted. “Don’t tell me you love me when I probably look like a blob-fish. Take it back!” She demanded.

I was beyond intrigued as I watched the two bicker in such a serious moment. Even more amusing, she was more worried about what she looked like when he admitted it to her than anything else.

He rolled his eyes while putting his hands up in surrender. “Fine, I retract my love. I’ll say it again when you don’t look like the walking dead.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“What the fuck just happened?” Aiden mumbled under his breath. He knelt by Odette again. “Why did you go there tonight? How did this happen?” He redirected the topic back to the more pressing one.

Part of me was grateful for Niko’s declaration of love and commitment to her over his job and our house. I felt the same and knew that Aiden and Dominic would too. It would be hard to adjust, but having her by our side was all that mattered.

Tonight, including this conversation, was difficult and draining for her. Their short-lived bickering helped to lessen the tension.

“I had to at least try to get him to change his mind,” she explained. “I told him to put the manor back in the university’s name and void the restraining order, or I’d expose him after he died. I threatened to tell the media about his abuse, his business, and what he let happen to me. He cares more about his reputation than anything. I knew if I had even a chance, that’s the shot I’d have to take,” she finished.

“That’s when he hit you?” Dominic concluded.

She nodded. “I don’t remember much after that.” She loosened her grip on the folder, placing it in her lap. “I probably made it worse if his reaction was any sign,” she gestured to herself. “I don’t know what’s in this folder. I don’t know if it’s better or really bad, but I know I fucked up. I broke your trust, and I am so sorry,” her voice broke at the end. She lifted her hand, wiping a tear from her scraped cheek.

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