Page 123 of Teacher's Pet

Mrs. Briar stands in the doorway, her sharp gaze flicking between us.

How long has she been standing there? How much did she hear?

Ackerman’s entire body stiffens. My pulse hammers.

Her expression only grows colder.

I step back, throwing one last glance at Ackerman before leaving him with just a few parting words.

“Make the right choice.” My voice is low, final. “If you ever cared for her, you know what to do.”

And then I’m gone.

Mrs. Briar doesn’t stop me.

She just shuts the door behind me, sealing whatever conversation is about to happen on the other side.

A weight lifts from my chest, but it’s not gone. Not yet.

I pull out my phone, my fingers flying across the screen.

He won't be bothering you anymore.

Seconds pass.

Then-

What did you do?

I stare at the message. My grip tightens around my phone.

I saved you, Ana.

From pain.

From heartbreak.

From the clutches of Professor Ackerman.

Chapter 23

Anastasia

Mrs. Briar’s classroom is warm and inviting, always feeling like a space meant to keep you safe. The walls are lined with student projects, soft yellow lighting overhead, the faint scent of lavender drifting from the wax warmer on her desk.

But today, something feels off.

She sits at her desk, blankly staring into the distance, gnawing absently on the end of her pencil. Her fingers itch at her thigh in a sporadic, almost anxious motion. There’s a slight tremor in her hands, and her posture stiff, almost withdrawn, is nothing like the composed, confident woman I’m used to seeing.

She looks tired. More than tired.

Puffy eyes, a little more disheveled than usual, her blouse slightly wrinkled like she hadn’t bothered to smooth it out before coming in.

Like she had been crying.

Like she had been crying not long before I got here.

I shift on my feet, my own thoughts still tangled in the storm of the last hour. Now that the adrenaline rush of Roman’s threats and my confrontation with Noah has worn off, Elijah’s cryptic text is the only thing left lingering in my mind.

---