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There’s so much attitude in her voice that I secretly hope she chokes on it, but I’m the one drowning in the events of my life right now, not her. No, she sounds almost giddy with excitement, because she knows she’s won. Stunned into silence, it takes me a moment to respond to her statement.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
When in doubt, plead ignorance. I’m praying she’s bluffing, that it’s nothing more than a damn good guess, but the feeling in my gut is telling me otherwise. It’s too much of a coincidence. She lets out a sigh and I can see her exaggerated eye roll in my mind’s eye.
“Come on, Sam. I’m not an idiot.” My heart is pounding out of control and a cold sweat breaks out across my brow as she continues talking. “That pretty little thing you drove home that night? I know you’ve been sleeping with her. Janet saw her at our house in the middle of the night.”
Shit.
Fucking nosey little bitch of a neighbour. I knew she’d interfere.
So much for Chloe promising she wasn’t seen.
“What did you do, fuck her in our bed while our daughter was asleep?” Marissa’s voice lowers a little as triumph drips from every word. She’s got me by the balls and she’s loving every second of it. “Classy. How do you think that’ll look to a judge?”
All the venom, hatred, and anger in her voice wraps around my throat like a wire and I feel like my head is slowly being severed from my body one inch at a time as my lips burn.
“You think the word of an alcoholic nuisance who calls the cops on everyone in the street on a weekly basis is proof I’m fucking a student?” I hiss. “You’re delusional.”
“Maybe not, but it won’t take much to convince that pretty little thing you’ve been violating to admit what the bad teacher has been doing to her,” Marissa hisses. “We both know that you have no chance in hell of stopping me from taking Kelsie, so why don’t you prove you love your daughter by not making this any messier than it needs to be. Just sign over custody to me, and I’ll keep your filthy little secret safe. You’ll keep your job, and maybe some self-respect.”
“And if I don’t?” I taunt.
“Then you can try to stop me. I’ll use all the information I have to take you down and destroy your whole fucking life.” She pauses for a moment. “Honestly, I don’t really care how you want to play this, Sam. Either way, I get what I want.”
I hang up, not giving her the satisfaction of a response. My heart thumps out of control as the sinking ship that is my life comes into full view in my mind’s eye. Another knock at the door has me groaning. Papers have already been served, so who is it this time? The police coming to arrest me? I wouldn’t put it past Marissa to spin some bullshit domestic violence story so she can get a record on me. Not that she needs it because she’s right. If the courts find out I’ve been sleeping with a student, I’ll lose my daughter for sure.
I pull open the door to find Isaac standing there. His serious expression darkens my mood even more and without a word, I turn away from the door, leaving it open in a silent invitation. I make my way back to my drink. Picking it up, I down the whole damn thing in one hit and then pour myself another.
“Want one?” I offer Isaac. He shakes his head.
“Your student left the hotel room alone.” He takes a seat, his eyes firmly on me. “In fact, over the last two weeks, you’re the one and only visitor this girl has had. All hours of the night. Care to explain to me what the fuck is going on?”
I contemplate feeding him more lies, but then I decide fuck it. If Marissa knows, then I might as well tell my best friend. He’ll probably hear it from his wife eventually, anyway.
“My student, Chloe, blackmailed me into sleeping with her. Somehow Marissa found out, and she’s using that to steal Kelsie from me.” I finish and pour drink number three before tossing the envelope at him. He opens it and pulls out the paperwork, then glances at me.
“Wait, back up for a second. This girlblackmailedyou into sleeping with her?”
I nod, feeling miserable, because it sounds just as ridiculous when he says it out loud.
“She drugged my drink. I woke up, and she was on top of me, fucking me. I knew how it would look, that nobody was going to believe me, so I…let myself finish.” I swallow another stinging mouthful of liquor as the gravity of the deep shit I’m in hits me all at once. “She threated to go to the cops and cry rape if I didn’t do as she asked.”
“Jesus, Sam. You should’ve come to me earlier.”
“And said what?” I say with a laugh. “That I’d accidentally fucked a student?”
“What was she doing in the hotel in the first place?”
“I felt sorry for her.” I feel so stupid now. I knew I fucked up, even back then, before anything happened. What the fuck was I thinking? “She was living on the streets. She called me one night after some guy jumped her in the park. She begged me for help, and getting her a room was the only thing I could think of…”
Fuck. I wish I had never met Chloe.
Except, that’s a lie.
Even if I can’t admit it to myself right now.
“Fuck…” Isaac shakes his head, his words echoing my thoughts.
