บททั้งหมดของ My Professor Lectured My Heart: บทที่ 41 - บทที่ 48

Ariel felt a tiny smile pull at her lips. It was the first time she had smiled in days. “I didn't cheat, Daniel. You just suck at this game. You’ve always been a terrible driver.”Daniel grinned at her, his eyes bright. “Rematch. Right now. Best two out of three. I’m going to crush you.”“You’re on,” Ariel said, feeling a spark of her old self.For about twenty minutes, they laughed and shouted at the TV. It was perfect. But then, as the final race ended, Daniel paused the game. The screen went still. He didn't look at her; he just stared at the controller in his hands.“Ariel, can I ask you something?” he asked. His voice had changed. It was serious again.Ariel felt her body tense up immediately. She put her controller down. “About what, Daniel? You said no questions.”“It’s not about your secret,” he said quickly. “It’s just… a hypothetical. Let’s say, for a second, that you didn't have feelings for Professor Grayson. And let’s say Ethan wasn't in the picture at all. Is there… is t

The morning light glowed across the floor of Daniel’s bedroom, hitting his face with a warm, golden radiance. Most mornings, Daniel would groan at the intrusion, burying his face in his pillow and cursing the sun for existing. But not this morning. This morning, he didn’t even flinch when the brightness invaded his sanctuary.He lay there, perfectly still, staring at the ceiling that he’d memorized over the years. His hands were tucked behind his head, his body relaxed in a way it hadn’t been in months. He was replaying every single second of the night before, frame by frame, like a film he could rewind and watch on an endless loop.“I did it. I actually did it. I told her the truth. After months… no, years of hiding it, of swallowing it down every time she smiled at someone else, every time she mentioned Luther’s name with that dreamy look in her eyes, every time Ethan put his hands on her like he had every right… I finally said it out loud.”He could still feel the phantom sensation

Ariel’s face went pale, all the blood draining from her cheeks. She gave him a warning look that could have cut glass.“Don’t say his name,” she hissed, her voice low.“Why not?” Daniel asked. “We both know the truth, Ariel. We both know you’re in love with him. We both know that’s the real reason you’re falling apart. It’s not just stress about grades. It’s heartbreak. He probably rejected you and it destroyed you. Why can’t we just be honest about it? At least with each other?”“Can we not do this right now?” Ariel pleaded, her eyes darting around to see if anyone was listening. A group of students walked past, laughing about something. “Not here. What I feel or don’t feel about Professor Grayson is none of your business, Daniel. It has nothing to do with you.”“It is my business when I watch you destroy yourself over him,” Daniel countered. “When I watch you skip classes, lose weight, stop sleeping. When I watch you become a ghost of yourself. That’s my business because you’re my s

“Ariel,” Ethan said, his voice controlled, but with an undercurrent of emotion barely contained. He was ignoring Daniel completely. “Can we talk? Please? I’ve been trying to reach you for days. Seventeen missed calls, Ariel. Thirty-two unanswered texts. You’ve completely ghosted me.”Daniel stood up before Ariel could even open her mouth. He moved to position himself slightly in front of her, a protective… or possessive… gesture that wasn’t lost on Ethan.“She’s busy, Ethan,” Daniel said coolly. “Can’t you see we’re in the middle of something? You’re interrupting.”Ethan’s eyes snapped to Daniel, and there was real anger there now, no longer hidden.“I wasn’t talking to you, man. I was talking to Ariel. Ariel…” He tried to look past Daniel, his voice softening when he addressed her directly. “Please. Just five minutes of your time. That’s all I’m asking. Five minutes. I just want to know why you’re avoiding me. If I did something wrong, if I said something that upset you, just tell me