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The heartache and week-long sobbing-fest was punishment enough, but Damien doesn’t know this, and Mara only knows a tiny bit of the hell I put myself through.
My voice feels so small and quiet as I whisper the one name I wish I didn’t have to. “Jake.”
I glance at their faces and watch as their expressions morph from anger to confusion to shock and land back on anger.
They both stand and scream simultaneously. “WHAT?”
I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. After a few heated moments, Mara and Damien sit back in their seats.
I take several shallow breaths and try to get my thoughts together. “Well, remember the night that Jake and I got into a fight?”
Mara narrows her eyes and thinks for a moment. “The night he confessed his feelings for you?”
Ugh, I don’t need a reminder of his feelings, but it’s important to let them know how it all started and what led up to the events that caused the blackmail.
“Yeah, the one and only.” I shake my head as I remember the cameras. “Jake knew you and I were going to be talking about him, so he watched our conversation on the cameras.”
Damien once again leaps to his feet, his fists punching down on the large desk calendar. “WHAT? What fucking cameras?”
Mara, seemingly annoyed at Damien’s outburst, quickly says, “Don’t worry about that. We took care of it.”
She turns her attention back to me and signals for me to continue my drawn out explanation.
“Jake didn’t believe me when I said I was in love with someone else. He thought I was trying to let him down easy and made up a fictitious boyfriend. He heard our conversation and then watched through the cameras as Damien surprised me with a visit after you went inside.”
Damien's eyes darken with hatred. “I will be having a talk with him about the cameras. That is not okay, no matter what has already been said and done. There is never a good reason for hidden cameras in a co-ed dorm suite.”
The only thing I can do is nod my head and continue telling my side of the story. I’m ready for the day to be over, and it’s not even lunchtime yet.
As a matter of fact, I’m ready for the semester to be over and see if there’s any chance that Damien will forgive me and let me make the past week up to him.
Running a hand through my hair, I continue, “Jake started doing research to find out who you were. It didn’t take long for him to find out you were a professor here. He also found out that Mara and I were in your class and flipped out.”
I pause as Mara shrugs her shoulders in a very relaxed and carefree way, like I didn’t just tell her Jake’s reasoning for the blackmail.
“Who cares if we are in his class?” She scoffs as she glances at Damien.
I roll my eyes, wishing I could blurt out the rest of the story and get to the part where the three of us figure out how to make things right.
“He does. Anyway, he was trying to gain the courage to try to get me to change my mind. He had hoped I’d give him a chance since things were rocky between Damien and I. Jake saw me sitting at the picnic table. He saw my drawing of you, saw our fight, and even the stuff afterwards.”
My face turns red as Mara’s expression changes from confusion to shock to delight.
She bounces in her seat, like she’s in the middle of a sugar rush. “What stuff after? Was it a make up? Did he pull you into his arms and claim you for all to see?”
I shoot her a look, begging her to shut up, and one that lets her know I will tell her everything that happened later when it is just her and I.
Damien glares at her. “That’s not important. What’s important is how this event led to blackmail.”
I know I should hurry up and tell the rest of the story, but a part of me doesn’t want to tell them how much of a coward I was to Jake. How I couldn’t stand up for myself, Damien, or the relationship we had started.
“Jake had proof. Pictures and videos of us together. He said I could break up with you or drop out of your class or he would tell the Dean about our nefarious relationship and get you fired. I couldn’t risk you losing your dream of retiring in just a few years.”
I breathe in a shaky breath before continuing. “Jake made me send that awful text. I was going to explain to you what was going on the next time I saw you, but he made me block you. I couldn’t even tell Mara. I was so pissed at the situation and myself that I threw my phone and broke it.”
Warm tears gather in the corner of my eyes before falling down my cheeks.
“I hate myself for what I did. I hate I ruined what was the best thing to ever happen in my life. I stayed in bed for the entire week and mourned the bright and happy future that I destroyed.”
