Page 105 of Teacher's Pet

"Fuck," I murmur, rubbing my temples. "I didn’t even think about her dad."

Ana’s father is sicker than she lets on. He’s the entire reason she pushed herself to get into Spokehaven in the first place. Before his illness, he was a celebrated professor with a reputation that carried weight.

When he got sick, his students watched his rapid decline, and rather than letting them see him waste away, he left Spokehaven behind.

Now Ana is here, bearing the weight of his name like a cross on her back.

If she did something as reckless as sleeping with a professor, her father’s legacy would crumble.

She wouldn’t do that to him.

The thought grounds me, until the soft creak of the bathroom door pulls both Elijah and me from our thoughts.

Turning, we see Ana slip out, wrapped in a towel.

My stomach twists.

Scratches trail down her back like faint battle scars.

Bruises, deep and angry in blues and purples, paint her upper thighs.

Elijah and I exchange a wide-eyed glance, too stunned to say a word.

She must see the horror on our faces because her voice comes out quiet, almost defeated.

"You're right."

Our eyes snap to hers.

"My dad would be disappointed," she whispers, her grip tightening on the brush she snatched from her bed.

She shakes it in her hand absently.

"Forgot this."

I finally find my voice, but it's soft, uncertain.

"Ana, your skin-"

"I think you’ve pointed out enough for today," she cuts in sharply. "However I choose to distract myself from Cole, my dad, and all the other bullshit is my choice."

Without another word, she turns back toward the bathroom, slamming the door so hard the walls shake.

The room is thick with silence.

Elijah exhales slowly, arms still crossed, his expression unreadable.

"So what do we do?" he finally asks.

I don't have an answer.

I wish I did.

"We let her go through whatever it is she’s going through… and we keep our distance from Cole and Walker."

Elijah nods, but his eyes narrow slightly. "And Mr. Ackerman?"

I hesitate.

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