I couldn’t believe it. Stefan was a lot of things, had done a lot of despicable things, but I had a hard time imagining he’d send some thug to a club just to spy on me and drug me.
But Gavin’s expression was so serious and so concerned that I felt my confidence waver. Ihadturned my phone off that night. What if Stefan really did have me followed once he’d realized that he couldn’t track me? What if this wasn’t even the first time he’d sent someone after me? Had I been drugged as punishment for flirting with Gavin?
“All I’m saying is, he didn’t seem like the nicest guy,” Gavin said. “And he’s definitely got a jealous streak, and is extremely possessive of you. There’s no way you can deny that.”
“You’re right,” I admitted. Stefanwaspossessive. And he hadn’t said anything about coming to the club that night or about how I had gotten home. Instead he had just watched me suffering from the aftermath of being drugged, and done nothing but taunt me.
I felt truly sick now.
And confused.
Gavin seemed so sure that Stefan had been the one to drug me, but I still couldn’t help feeling like he was leaving something out.
“I’m sorry, Tori,” Gavin said. “I don’t know what else to say. Look, I’m not gonna harp on it, because it’s your life and your decision to make. But if you ever have to get out, run away, I’ll be here. I’ve seen it all before, I know how it is. So my couch is yours. In fact, I’ll take the couch myself. Just…you always have somewhere safe to go, with me. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said. There was too much too process. Too much to wrap my head around.
“It’s too cold out here,” Gavin said, adjusting his scarf. “Do you want to grab lunch?”
I shook my head. “I have office hours with Dhawan. I’ll catch up with you later.”
But what I needed was some time to sort through this new information. Although Gavin had given me answers, I still felt just as much in the dark as I had on Saturday morning.
I had far more questions than answers now. How had Stefan found me in the first place? Had he sent that guy to spy on me? Was my husband ultimately responsible for my drugged state? Was it all part of his plan to get me home, or some kind of punishment for being out with Gavin, who he already had his suspicions about?
Maybe he’d actually rescued me from getting drugged by someone else at the club. But if that was the case, then why hadn’t he said anything Saturday morning? Or any time since then?
Nothing made sense.
And it still felt like Gavin was keeping something from me, being cagey about what really happened. Like he wasn’t telling me the whole truth.
There was no one I could trust.
Tori
Chapter 11
As I pushed my way past the students congregating in little groups outside the door of American Sign Language, my last class of the day, I heard Diane calling after me.
“Dinner and study group? I booked us one of the big rooms in Regenstein. Room 206.”
I’d barely made it through ASL with my mind fully focused on what Gavin had told me earlier—that Stefan had been responsible for drugging me. I didn’t know what to believe. I didn’t knowwhoto believe.
“I need to pass,” I told her apologetically. “I’ve been dragging ass all day and there’s no way I’ll be able to focus. I could really use an early night in bed.”
“Okay,” Diane said, giving my shoulder a squeeze. “You know, meditation really helps me get centered the week before midterms when everything’s all crazy. Maybe try the Zen-Me app? It’s pretty great. Ooh, and maybe some echinacea!”
“Thanks,” I said, meaning it. “I’ll keep it in mind. See you tomorrow.”
I still didn’t feel a hundred percent recovered from Friday night, and my head was reeling with all the new information I’d gathered about Stefan’s appearance in the club. It terrified me to know that, while under the influence, I could have easily been taken somewhere against my will, been violated or hurt badly, with absolutely no way to defend myself or even protest. I’d been totally helpless. And it was even more terrifying to think that my husband might be the one responsible for my incoherent and incapacitated state.
Hopefully some quiet time would give me the space I needed to sort it all out. Usually I loved the distraction of schoolwork and language, but tonight I just wanted to go home, put on my favorite pjs, and eat take-out on the couch.
But in the Uber on the way home, I couldn’t stop replaying that night in my mind. And every time I did, a surge of fear and panic came over me.
By the time I opened the door to the condo, I felt like I’d been holding my breath all day. All I wanted was to relax, give myself a chance to recover and recuperate. But it was a hope that died immediately when I walked into the living room and found Stefan sitting on the couch.
“What are you doing here?” I blurted, too surprised at his presence to realize how rude the words sounded until they were out of my mouth. “Aren’t you supposed to be at work?”
