Chapter 4

Vivian's POV

Boston had given me something I'd never realized I was missing: peace.

For the first time in my life, I could wake up without worrying about what Rosalie would mock me for or what my stepmother would complain about before breakfast.

Nobody here knew my family, compared me to my stepsister, or seemed interested in my weight.

I could finally breathe.

Getting here hadn't been easy, though.

When I received the scholarship offer, my stepmother immediately objected, claiming she'd always planned for Rosalie and me to attend university together.

"How can you expect me to let Vivian leave while Rosalie is still at home? Those two girls are supposed to start this new chapter of their lives together."

I knew she wasn't concerned about me.

She simply didn't want me escaping her control, and my father had struggled to stand his ground against her, as usual.

It took days of arguments before he finally agreed to help me complete the arrangements. I promised to work hard and make him proud.

Now, standing outside my university building on a bright Boston morning, I felt grateful I'd refused to give up. For once, I'd made a decision for myself.

"Vivian!"

I turned to find Chloe Bennett hurrying toward me, her handbag bouncing against her hip.

She'd been one of the first people to make me feel welcome on campus.

Outgoing and funny, she never made me uncomfortable about my appearance or treated me as though my weight defined me.

She simply liked me, and I was beginning to realize how much I'd needed that.

"Why are you standing here looking like the main character in a sad music video?" 

she asked, hooking her arm through mine. "Come on. We have somewhere important to be."

I glanced at the building. "Our lecture hall?"

"Obviously, but that's not the important part."

I sighed. "If this is about another cafeteria scandal, I don't want to hear it."

She stopped and stared at me. "A cafeteria scandal? Vivian Carter, how can you be this beautiful and still be so painfully uninterested in the important things in life?"

I blinked. "Did you just call me beautiful?"

"Don't make me regret it. Listen carefully because I'm about to change your entire morning."

I laughed as she dragged me inside. 

Judging by her expression, my morning was about to become complicated. I just didn't know how right I was.

---

By the time we reached the lecture hall, Chloe had told me everything about the university's new Business Administration professor.

Apparently, he was thirty, held a doctorate, had years of business experience, and was so handsome that students were already finding excuses to attend his lectures.

"One girl changed her elective because she heard he'll be teaching it," Chloe whispered.

I stared at her. "She changed an entire course because of a professor's face?"

"His face, his body, his voice. The man has the complete package."

"How do you know all this?"

"Research."

"You're unbelievable."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

She pulled me toward two empty seats in the second row.

"For the record, I'm here to earn my degree, not develop a crush on a lecturer," I told her.

"That's what they all say before they see him."

She grinned. "Apparently, he's the kind of man who looks like he should be signing billion-dollar contracts in a skyscraper, not teaching students how to manage businesses."

"Maybe he enjoys teaching."

"Or maybe the university hired him to improve attendance."

Before I could reply, the conversations around us quieted. Several students turned toward the front, and Chloe grabbed my arm.

"He's here."

"Wonderful. Can we let the man teach before you start planning your wedding?"

She leaned closer. "I'm serious. Look at him."

Curiosity got the better of me.

The professor stood beside his desk with his back to us, arranging documents and connecting his laptop to the projector.

Good Lord.

Chloe hadn't exaggerated.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing a fitted black shirt tucked into dark trousers. 

His rolled-up sleeves revealed strong forearms, and even the way he adjusted the projector seemed effortlessly confident.

He commanded attention without asking for it.

I swallowed.

"Well?" Chloe whispered.

"Well, what?"

"Still think I'm exaggerating?"

"His back is..."

I stopped myself.

Chloe turned toward me. "His back is what?"

"Acceptable."

She stared. "Acceptable? You're looking at him like you've just discovered the meaning of life."

"I am not staring."

"Of course not. And I'm the president of the United States."

I nudged her with my elbow and returned to my notebook, determined not to give her the satisfaction of knowing she'd won.

Then the professor spoke.

"Good morning, everyone."

My pen stopped moving.

His voice was deep, smooth, and commanding, with a warmth beneath it that tightened my chest.

I knew that voice.

No. It couldn't be.

Millions of men existed in the world, but none sounded quite like him.

I'd fallen asleep listening to that voice, laughed with it, argued with it, and spent countless nights wishing I could hear it in person. 

I knew its slight roughness when he was tired and the amusement that coloured his words when he teased me.

My fingers tightened around my pen.

It can't be him.

"Vivian?" Chloe whispered.

I barely heard her.

The professor began introducing himself.

"My name is Professor Nathaniel King. I'll be teaching Business Administration this semester, and I expect everyone to take their work seriously."

Nathaniel King.

Nathan had never told me his surname. 

For two years, he'd simply been Nathan, the man who called me late at night, listened to my complaints, and made me feel loved in a way I'd never experienced before.

I'd never imagined he could be a professor, let alone one teaching at the university I'd chosen as my escape.

Then he turned around.

My entire world stopped.

The face staring back at the class was unmistakable. 

Strong jaw, dark eyes, perfectly shaped lips, and an expression that could silence a room without a raised voice.

Nathan.

I forgot how to breathe.

The man I'd spent weeks trying to forget was standing less than twenty feet away, and he had absolutely no idea who I was.

I'd never shown him my face. 

Not once during our two years together had I found the courage to switch on my camera and let him see the woman behind our conversations.

Now, standing in front of me, he had no reason to connect me to the woman he'd loved online.

I lowered my head, letting my curls fall forward to shield my face.

Oh, God. What had I done?

"Vivian." Chloe nudged me. "Are you okay?"

"Fine."

"You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Maybe I have."

She frowned, but I turned toward my notebook.

The words blurred together, and I couldn't remember a single thing Professor King was saying.

Perhaps I could survive the semester without him discovering who I was.

I could attend his lectures, keep my distance, and pretend the past didn't exist.

It wasn't an ideal plan, but it was the only one I had.

"Let's begin with a question," Professor King announced.

My heart sank.

He wrote a question about business strategy on the board before facing the class.

"Who can explain the difference between a company's short-term objectives and its long-term strategic goals?"

Several students raised their hands.

I kept mine firmly on my notebook..

"Anyone?"

Chloe nudged my elbow.

I glared at her.

"You know the answer," she whispered.

I mouthed, Leave me alone.

Instead, she raised her hand.

"Professor?"

He looked in our direction. "Yes?"

"My friend here knows the answer."

I turned toward her in horror.

Traitor.

Professor King glanced at his attendance sheet.

"Miss Carter?"

My blood ran cold.

"Vivian Carter?"

Slowly, I lifted my head.

His dark eyes settled on me, calm and unreadable.

There was no recognition in his expression. To him, I was simply another student.

"Yes, Professor?" I managed.

"Would you care to answer the question?"

For one terrifying second, my mind went blank.

How was I supposed to think when the man before me was the same person I'd spent two years loving from a distance?

I forced myself to answer, stumbling through the explanation until I finished.

Professor King listened without interrupting.

"Correct," he said with a brief nod. "That's the distinction I wanted you to understand."

He continued the lecture, and I released a breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding.

Perhaps I could survive this after all.

Perhaps—

"Miss Carter?"

My head snapped up.

Professor King was looking at me again.

"See me after the lecture.”