Semua Bab My Professor's Dirty Little Secret: Bab 51 - Bab 60

Sloane POV—The email hit my inbox mid-afternoon.It was short, too short. Just a line at the top that made my stomach drop:Please report to the administrative office at 3:30 p.m. today.Dean MerrickNo subject line. No explanation.My pulse stumbled. I read it again, then again, until the words blurred.It wasn’t the first time I’d felt the walls of Haleton University closing in, but this time the weight pressed harder. Because this wasn’t about a grade or an assignment, it was about them.Dalton must’ve gotten the same message, because ten minutes later, he was standing outside my dorm building, rain clinging to his dark hair, his expression tight.“Sloane,” he said, voice low. “Did you get it too?”I nodded, clutching my phone. “Three-thirty.”“Yeah.” He glanced at his watch, two-forty-five. “We should go together.”I hesitated, the silence between us louder than the drizzle hitting the pavement. We hadn’t talked since the café. Since the empty cup. Since everything broke.“Okay,

Sloane POV—I woke to sunlight spilling across the small dorm room, warm and harmless on the surface but impossible to ignore. I was curled up on Lila’s bed, blanket twisted around my shoulders, hair damp with tears. Last night had left me shaking and hollow, and Lila had insisted I stay in her room instead of trudging back to my empty room.The room smelled faintly of lavender and coffee, the latter courtesy of Lila, who had already been up for an hour. She hadn’t touched me, hadn’t pressed for answers, just brewed the mug and left it on the desk beside the bed. My hands wrapped around it instinctively, drawing in the warmth, letting it seep into me.“Morning,” Lila said softly from the corner of the room, perched cross-legged on her bed, notebook in hand but attention entirely on me. “I didn’t wake you. I figured… you’d need some time.”I gave a small, ragged smile, nodding my head. “Thanks,” I murmured, voice hoarse. I took a sip of the coffee, letting the rich bitterness center me

Sloane’s POV—The cabin was quiet, except for the occasional creak of the wooden floors and the distant call of birds through the open windows. I sat cross-legged on the couch, laptop balanced on my knees, squinting at the course registration page for Shalesberg University. Two days had passed since we’d arrived, and Lila had made sure I had time to settle in, breathe, and process everything.The tv was on in the background. We were watching a movie together before I was to pick out next semester’s classes, and it had since changed to the news. A big thunderstorm was coming in a weeks time, but I was busy focusing on my computer screen.“This is it,” Lila said from the kitchen, stirring a mug of coffee. “Once you pick your classes, it’s officially real.”I exhaled, scrolling carefully through the options. Online classes were straightforward enough, but I wanted to make sure nothing conflicted with my remaining coursework at my old school. I tapped a few keys, my mind half on logistics

Dalton POV—My apartment smelled faintly of stale coffee and alcohol. I hadn’t bothered to clean since Sloane left. The empty whiskey bottle on the counter stared back at me accusingly, a silent witness to the last week of spiraling, pacing, and late-night drinking sessions that did nothing to dull the ache in my chest.My phone vibrated, making me jump. The screen lit up: Hayden Scott. I stared at it for a moment, debating whether to answer. I had no energy to talk. No one wanted to hear me bitch and moan about how my life had crumbled in the span of an afternoon. But Hayden wasn’t “no one.” He was a professor, a friend, a rare constant in the chaotic landscape of my life.With a sigh, I swiped. “Yeah?”“Dalton,” Hayden’s voice was calm, steady, concerned. “How are you holding up? I’ve noticed… you’re drunk more than sober lately.”I laughed bitterly, though it came out flat and hollow. “Hold up? Hayden, I’ve been surviving on coffee, whiskey, and spite for a week. She’s gone. She b

Dalton’s POV—I climbed in, started the engine, and ignored the gray sky, the low rumble of distant thunder, the tension lingering in the air. Everything else faded away. There was only the road ahead, only the cabin, only Sloane.As I drove, I replayed the encounter with Vanessa in my mind, shaking my head. Her desperation, her manipulation, the way she thought she could pull me back, it only strengthened my resolve. I wouldn’t allow her to interfere, not now. Not ever. Sloane’s peace, her choice, her voice, that was all that mattered.Each mile carried me closer, the storm outside growing stronger. Raindrops streaked across the windshield, wind tugged at the car doors, but my focus didn’t waver. I knew this wasn’t just a visit. This was a reckoning. One chance to say what needed to be said. One chance to be honest.The road twisted through the outskirts of town, the cabin’s location slowly approaching on the GPS, a faint glow on the horizon hinting at the shelter waiting there. My