Page 143 of Teacher's Pet

Then, finally, a whisper.

“I can’t tell you.”

The words land like a gunshot.

I inhale sharply, willing my voice to stay even.

“And all the shit you said to me before you left?”

Silence.

Thick.

Suffocating.

Taking a step back, my gaze drops to the knife on the ground, the cold steel glinting between us like a final warning.

I exhale, swallowing the lump in my throat, forcing the words out before my resolve crumbles.

“Thank you,” I whisper, my voice raw.

His head snaps up.

I hold his gaze, unblinking.

“Thank you for showing me you have a soul... sadly, I think it’s too late.”

His expression cracks.

Just slightly.

Just enough for me to know that somewhere deep down, he knows it too.

I don’t wait for him to speak.

Turning to walk away, it takes every ounce of strength I have to hold back the tears until I’m out of his classroom.

Chapter 26

Anastasia

“See? I told you this would be fun!” Meg grins, pressing another shot of tequila into my hand like a proud dealer enabling my vices.

The bar is packed, shoulder to shoulder with college students desperate for an escape, their laughter and shouts blending into the heavy bass pounding from the speakers. Neon lights flicker against the walls, casting a hazy glow over the chaos. This is exactly what I needed. A distraction. A reprieve from the suffocating thoughts clawing at the edges of my mind.

Noah showing back up out of nowhere.

His veiled threat to Walker.

It’s like he wants to give Walker and Cole a reason to come after me, to rip apart the fragile balance I’ve been trying to maintain.

And as if that isn’t enough, the investigation into the hit-and-run is ramping up. Levi. That’s his name. I hadn’t wanted to know it, hadn’t wanted that particular weight pressing on my chest, but the professors have been relentless, prying into the student body for answers. Every morning, I wake up half-expecting to find the sheriff waiting in my dorm, ready to haul me away because Cole couldn't keep his mouth shut. Avoiding him, playing nice with Walker, those were my only options. And now, thanks to Noah, even that might not be enough.

“I heard Ackerman is back,” Elijah murmurs in my ear, his voice low, laced with irritation.

“He is,” I exhale, taking a sip of my drink, trying to keep my expression neutral.

“And? How does that make you feel?” he pushes, tossing back the rest of his Long Island in one go.

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