All Chapters of Hot Professor is My Aunt's Husband: Chapter 11 - Chapter 13

The meeting with the Dean was scheduled for Monday morning.I spent the weekend preparing—gathering emails, reviewing university policy, consulting with a lawyer Dorian had somehow convinced me to hire."Even if nothing happened, you need representation," she'd said. Miranda Chen, sharp-eyed and no-nonsense. "Universities panic over these situations. They'll want to make an example."She was right.Monday arrived too quickly. I dressed carefully, suit, tie, the armor of professionalism. Dorian wanted to come with me."Absolutely not," I said."I should be there. I'm involved.""Which is exactly why you can't be there. It looks worse if we show up together."He hated it, but he understood.The Dean's office was on the third floor of the administration building. I'd been there dozens of times for faculty meetings, budget discussions, tenure reviews. Never like this.Dean Morrison sat behind her desk, flanked by two people I didn't recognize. HR representatives, probably."Professor Wolf

The first month after my resignation was harder than I expected.Not financially, I had savings, and freelance editing work trickled in. But emotionally, I was unmoored. For ten years, my identity had been "Professor Wolfe." Now I was just Alexis, unemployed and living with a college student.I tried writing. Started a novel about academia and forbidden love, then deleted it when it felt too self-indulgent. Pitched essays to literary magazines and got polite rejections.Dorian had summer classes. He'd leave in the morning while I was still in bed, come home to find me in the same spot on the couch, laptop open but blank."You're depressed," he said one evening, setting down groceries."I'm adjusting.""You're depressed. There's a difference." He sat beside me. "Have you left the apartment today?""I went to get coffee.""The coffee maker is ten feet away.""Outside coffee. At the cafe.""When?"I didn't answer.He sighed. "You need structure. Purpose. Something other than staring at a