Page 67 of Trust Me With Forever

Travis replied, “Within the first couple of weeks. She’s a nice girl, and pretty. However, I make it a rule to never get involved with someone at work. But I was on a break from my now wife—we all have those rough patches at some point—and vulnerable. Abby must’ve seen that and jumped at her chance.”

Blair asked, “Why would she ‘jump at the chance’ to seduce you?”

“Well, I learned later that she wanted two things from me—a glowing recommendation for a permanent teaching job and to help cover up her indiscretion with a student. He was just 18, so he was of age. But still, if that news ever came out, she would never teach again. Oops.” He looked abashed. “I guess the cat is out of the bag now.”

I barely restrained myself from punching the screen and his smug-ass face before he lowered his voice dramatically and said, “And I believe she also slept with a few who weren’t yet 18. Some students confided in me, and I’d never break that confidence. However, if they ever want to prosecute Abby Wolfe, I’m ready to testify.”

Rafe growled, and his screen cracked and went blank.

My head reeled as I vaguely heard Rafe shout, “That fucking bastard! I’ll kill him.”

But I barely paid attention to Rafe. No, Travis’s words hinting that I’d slept with a minor kept repeating inside my head.

He thought nothing of ruining my life and putting innocent students in the spotlight, all to play the victim and get back at me.

How the fuck had I ever believed myself in love with him?

But as much as it hurt to know I’d been that stupid, this was all bigger than me. Bigger than maybe a few students he would use against me.

Travis had just destroyed Rafe’s chance of a successful training facility launch. Destroyed any hope of showing he had turned a corner and was leading a better life.

No, now he was just married to a woman alleged to have seduced minors.

All of a sudden, the car felt too small, too stifling. And even just looking at Rafe hurt my heart. My stomach roiled, and I was on the verge of breaking down.

And I definitely didn’t deserve to have Rafe hold me and calm me and be nice to me again.

Needing to get some fresh air, and thankful the car hadn’t gone anywhere yet, I grabbed my purse, opened the car door, and ran. I didn’t know where, and barely managed to weave around people on the sidewalk. But I ran and ran, tears streaming down my face, wondering how I could disappear and somehow still fix things for Rafe.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Rafe

Emmy:Is Abby okay? She won’t answer my texts or calls and I’m worried.

Emmy:Rafe? Are you there? Please answer me. I’m out of my mind over here.

Emmy:Rafe, please. At least tell me you’re with her.

Me:I’m working on it.

Emmy:Wait, what does that mean?

Me:Emmy, I love you. But right now, I need to help Abby. I’ll update you later. Okay?

Emmy:Okay. Tell her we love her and that Amber is plotting how to kill Travis and get away with it.

Me:I will.

Emmy:Love you.

Me:Back at you.

Ibarely had time to tamp down my murderous plans for Abby’s ex before she bolted from the car and took off down the street. I exited and tried my best to follow her. But with my injured knee, I struggled to keep up and soon I couldn’t see her dark hair anywhere. We were in the city center, with people milling about, crowding the sidewalks. Plus, there were dozens of alleys she could’ve ducked into.

Since blindly looking for her would be pointless, I darted into one of the side streets so I could come up with a plan.

First and foremost, I needed to try contacting Abby. And since my phone was broken, I could either find a new one or ask to borrow someone else’s.

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