Page 104 of Glass Jawed
So yeah. Tim is getting what he deserves.
But even knowing that doesn’t make me feel better. Not really.
Because all I can think about is Aarohi. That I don’t even matter enough to pay penance at her feet.
??????
The Zoom call is about to start.
I wipe my sweaty palms against the fabric of my shorts and exhale slowly. My stomach’s been in knots all day, and despite everything I’ve read, every Reddit thread I’ve scoured, every podcast I’ve listened to—I still don’t know what to say.
I’m about to talk to Diana Marie Graham.
The screen flickers. Then stabilizes.
She is here. Vibrant red hair pinned back in a loose knot, deep smile lines on her face, the kind of expression that holds warmth but isn’t quick to offer trust. Her brows lift slightly in surprise when she sees me. She’d probably expected someone older. Or maybe someoneslimyandoverly rehearsed.
“I didn’t know if you’d show up,” she says, letting out a quiet laugh.
“I wouldn’t have missed it,” I admit, voice scratchy. “But I wasn’t sure if I had the right to.”
She studies me for a beat. “Well. You’re here.”
There’s a long pause. I wait for her to lead, but she doesn’t.
“So...” I start, then flounder. “How’s—uh—how’s Texas this time of year?”
Her lips twitch. “Lucian. You didn’t book this call to talk about theweather.”
“Right,” I sigh. “Yeah—yes.”
She shifts in her seat. “Let’s not waste time. Tell me what you did.”
I blink. “You mean—”
“To her. You said in your email you carried malicious intent. That you deceived someone. What did you do?”
My throat goes dry, but I force myself to say it.
“I approached her under false pretenses,” I begin, voice hoarse. Then I tell her everything. Every sordid detail.
“I had this idea that maybe if I made her fall for me and then left her, I’d feel... better. Get even. But now, I don’t even understand how I could’ve felt that way. It was...pathetic.Vile.”
Diana’s face doesn’t change. She just listens.
“But it didn’t stay a plan,” I continue. “It became real—fast. And I didn’t tell her the truth. We... started something. She opened up to me. I made her feel safe. I made her feel seen.Shemademefeel seen.”
A beat.
“Then I spiraled and made her walk in on me... with someone else.”
Diana flinches, just slightly.
“She called it rape by deception.”
A pause. Then, ice.
“Seems like it.”
