Page 114 of Not A Whisper

I recoil, surprised by the venom in his voice and the way his glare turns wild. “Why the hell would I lie about something that can be checked?”

“You’re just trying to get out of this!” Martin insists. “I don’t believe you.”

My shoulders pop up then fall. “Believe what you want. It doesn’t matter.”

I step around my chair, but Ms. Barbara pops up from her seat, stopping me by holding up her hand. “Wait, please. Bri, when did you get married?” Her gaze travels down to my hand.

“This past weekend,” I tout, holding my ringless hand behind me. “Why?”

“Because if you’ve been engaged during this,” she waves her hand at the pictures on her desk. “Then… then maybe we don’t have to see you leave. Fiancée trumps student…” she winces before looking over at Martin. “Doesn’t it?”

Martin bares his teeth as his nostrils flare. God, he’s an ugly man.

“It doesn’t matter if she was engaged during this or not, especially if we find more of this before her so-called engagement.” He points a finger at me. “You broke the rules! I know it and I’ll prove it.”

He will too. If he looks back at the footage from those cameras, he’ll find me with Trip and Jason too. I can’t fight that, but I’ll be damned if I make his job easier by admitting what I’ve done.

“Just let me know when the hearing will be.” With that, I reach for my purse, ready to storm out.

Only to find that it’s not here. Damn, I must’ve left it in Grant’s truck. With no car, no phone, or cash, I have no way of getting home. Whatever, I’ll figure it out when I get out of here. Stiffening my spine, I turn and leave Ms. Barbara and Martin, slamming the door shut behind me. I don’t want to run into Jonathan right now. I just don’t have it in me to field his questions. I take the back stairwell down to the first floor and hurry through the library.

Tears sting my vision as my world starts to quietly implode around me.

My dream is dead.

Twenty-Eight

Ipush open the glass doors and nearly run down the steps. My breathing comes in gasps as my anger fades away. I’m no longer a librarian. That dream is dashed. Now what? What else can I do? I could go back into real estate, and I suppose I’m technically the project manager of the guys' ranch, but those… those aren’tthis. Being a librarian was everything that I could’ve wanted. How could I have been stupid enough to jeopardize one of the most important things in my life?

“Briella?”

I’m only about a hundred yards from Atwater when someone calls my name. My feet slow reluctantly until I’ve come to a stop. Quickly, I slap away the tears that have fallen and turn around.

“Bri?” Grant hurries toward me, surprise and worry pinching his brows.

I blink rapidly. “Grant? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in class?”

“You left your purse in the truck, I thought I’d drop it off since I had some time…” His voice trails off as he comes to a stop in front of me. His pupils narrow on my face, taking in the hot mess before him. His concern melts away as his shoulders stiffen and his mouth presses into a familiar, no-nonsense line. “What happened in that meeting?”

I want to be angry at him. He’s the reason I’ve been suspended. He and Jason and Trip. They started this game. They were the ones that lured me up the stairs to play their stupid game that I started to enjoy. That I started looking forward to. Their foul words, their kisses, and their sweet torment called to me at a level I didn’t know I had. It’s their fault that I learned I even had a level that far to fall to. But whatever anger I have, it no more belongs to them than it does to Ms. Barbara.

The fault’s all mine.

“I’ve been suspended.” I hate the words just as much as I hate this situation. My bottom lip trembles but I catch it between my teeth.

Grant’s jaw ticks. “I’m assuming they said why.”

It’s not a question but I answer him all the same. “They had pictures of you and me from yesterday… on the third floor.”

Understanding flickers in his eyes but his taut expression doesn’t change. He reaches up and cups my cheek almost tenderly. The contact is at odds with what comes out of his mouth next.

“If I have to tear apart the lives of everyone on the board to give you back your job, I will.”

I blink in surprise. “W-what?”

Grant’s mouth curves. It's a slow, dark smile that looks like it’s being chiseled straight out of a block of granite.

“You’re my wife, Bri. Whatever you want, I’ll make sure you get it. No matter how I have to do it,” he vows. “But I bet it won’t take much to fix this.”

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