Page 71 of Teacher's Pet

"Shame," he drawls. "Thought you might want some insight into Ana’s mystery man."

My blood turns to ice.

The smirk deepens, smug and knowing.

My stomach twists.

"Why would you tell me anything?" My voice is sharp, but beneath it, something shakes.

Cole takes another drag, exhaling lazily.

"How I see it, Megan," He tilts his head, gaze gleaming with something dangerous, "I help you. You help me." He pauses, watching me closely.

"And trust me, you’re going to want to hear this."

In any other situation, I would have walked away.

But pain has a funny way of swaying rational thinking.

And right now?

Rationality is the last thing on my mind.

Chapter 16

Anastasia

Pain creeps into my chest, spreading like a slow, suffocating weight.

Megan’s look of betrayal lingers in my mind, burning like an open wound.

Backing myself against Noah’s door, the pounding buzz of Walker’s party only makes the headache forming behind my eyes worse.

What have I done?

One of the only genuine friends I’ve made here, and I had to go and fuck it up, all because of a kiss.

A sharp breath leaves my lungs, shaky and unsteady. Tears slip free, hot and bitter as they trail down my cheeks.

My mom’s text flashes in my mind.

The picture of my dad.

Still smiling.

Still hopeful.

Hopeful that I’m making something of myself here.

And yet, here I am.

Allowing my professor to go down on me on a Monday night.

My fingers fumble for the door handle.

The second it swings open, I stumble inside, legs weak, breath uneven.

Noah stands only a few feet away, his sharp eyes locking onto mine immediately.

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