All Chapters of My Arch Nemesis in my Bed: Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

“Lily?” Dr. Dooley’s voice cut through my spinning thoughts. “You look a bit pale. Are you feeling alright?”I realized that everyone in the lab was looking at me, probably because I’d been standing there gripping the work station like it was the only thing keeping me upright, which wasn’t far from the truth.“I’m fine,” I said, forcing myself to let go of the table and stand up straighter. “Just surprised by the news.”“Well, I hope it’s a pleasant surprise,” Dr. Dooley said with a smile that suggested she had no idea that her exciting opportunity was actually the latest move in whatever chess game Luca was playing with my life. “This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for undergraduate researchers,”I felt like I was watching my life e get completely hijacked in real time. If I participated in this collaboration, I’d have to see Luca every day, pretend to work him,. If I refused to participate, I’d be the only research assistant who turned down a career-defining opportunity w

“And this,” Maya said, stepping forward, “is Maya Blackthorne, Lucas’s fiancée and Director of Research Operations.”Oh, wonderful. Because this day couldn’t possibly get any better.The lab went completely quiet for about three seconds before everyone started talking at once about how perfect they looked together and congratulations and all that garbage people say when they see attractive couples in expensive suits.I kept my face completely neutral while internally noting that Maya looked old enough to be his mother, which honestly wasn’t that much of an exaggeration. Well maybe it is but she had to be at least three years older than. At least to my eyesShe had her manicured hand wrapped around Luca’s arm in a way that screamed “this is mine and don’t you forget it,” but I noticed he wasn’t exactly leaning into the contact. His eyes kept drifting over to me like he was conducting some kind of psychological experiment to see how I’d react to this little announcement.Sorry to disapp

I didn’t go to lab on Thursday.I know it was probably the most immature thing I could have done under the circumstances, but after Wednesday I needed at least twenty-four hours where I didn’t have to pretend that being humiliated was something I could handle with grace.Instead, I spent the entire day in my dorm room, alternating between stress-eating Jessica’s emergency stash of chocolate catching up on coursework for my other classes and trying to convince myself that maybe if I ignored the collaboration for twenty-four hours, it would somehow resolve itself or disappear entirely.Every time my phone buzzed with what was probably a message from Dr. Dooley asking where I was, I shoved it under my pillow and pretended it didn’t exist.Jessica kept asking if I was sick, and I kept telling her I was just tired and I need a mental health day, which wasn’t entirely a lie. My mental health was definitely suffering. I was tired of being treated like an incompetent child by someone who used

The random security who showed up looking nervous and taking one look at the scene in front of him. Maya was advancing me like she was ready to tear me apart, me backed up against the desk with what I was pretty sure was going to be a spectacular bruise across my cheek,“Everything okay in here?” he asked, taking in the mess we’d made.Maya switched mode instantly. “Nothing serious.”The guard looked uncertain, but Maya gave him one of those smiles that said “I can get you fired” and he basically melted.“Oh, okay then. Just keep it down, yeah?”“There goes your rescue,” she said sweetly at the door. “Looks like it’s just you and me now.“​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​She was momentarily distracted so I realized this might be my only chance to do something other than stand there and cower under the desk like a helpless victim waiting for whatever she was planning to do to me next.The rage that had been building all week, all the humiliation and frustration and hurt suddenly transformed into one cl

I woke up to Jessica practically pounding on my door, which was not how I wanted to start my Saturday morning after crying myself to sleep and waking up with the kind of headache that felt like someone was using my skull as a drum set.“Lily, there’s someone at the door for you,” Jessica called through the door.I buried my face deeper into my pillow because whoever it was could come back later when I felt like being a functional human being instead of a disaster wrapped in yesterday’s clothes.“Lily, seriously, you need to get out here,” Jessica said again, this time with more urgency in her voice. “He says it’s important.”He. That narrowed down the possibilities to people I definitely didn’t want to see right now, considering the only guys who knew where I lived were either my friends or people I was actively trying to avoid.I dragged myself out of bed and shuffled to the door, opening it just enough to peer out at Jessica with what I was sure were spectacular bedhead and probably