My Professor’s Obsession のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 41 - チャプター 50

The morning light was flat and grey. I was folding a shirt into a small bag when the front gate buzzer rang. It wasn't the loud, angry buzz of the reporters or the frantic ringing of Dominic. It was two slow, heavy chimes.Caspian was in the hall. He looked at the monitor. His jaw went tight. "Stay in here, Sera. Don't come out.""Who is it?" I asked, peeking around the doorframe."My grandmother," he said. "And she didn't come alone."I didn't listen. I followed him to the main room. Through the glass, I saw Helena Blackwood standing by a black car. A man in a suit stood next to her, holding a silver briefcase. Caspian opened the door, but he didn't let them in. He stood on the porch like a guard."I told you I was done talking, Helena," Caspian said."You are never done talking to me, Caspian," Helena said. She pushed past him into the house. She looked around the studio and wrinkled her nose. "This place smells like a panic room. It's beneath you."She stopped when she saw me. I wa

The car ride felt like it lasted for years. My hair smelled like woodsmoke, and my throat felt like I had swallowed a bag of sand. Caspian sat next to me, his face a mess of soot and scratches. He didn't say anything until the car pulled into a dark garage in the city."We stay here for the night," Caspian said. He stepped out of the car and helped me up. "It’s a safe house. No one has the address. Not even my grandmother."We went up a small elevator that moved very slowly. When the doors opened, we were in a room that looked like a library. Books were everywhere, and the lights were dim. A man was sitting in a chair by the window. He was older than Caspian, with grey hair and a suit that looked like he had slept in it."You’re late, Caspian," the man said. He didn't stand up. "I heard about the fire. Helena is getting sloppy.""She’s getting desperate, Elias," Caspian said. He pointed at me. "This is Seraphina St. Claire. Sera, this is Elias. He used to be the head of security for t

The penthouse felt too quiet without the sound of the wind in the trees. I stood in front of the tall mirror, wearing the new dress. It was deep blue, almost black, and it felt like a second skin. Caspian stood behind me, fixing his tie. He didn't look like he had just escaped a fire. He looked like he owned the building."You're staring at the floor, Sera," Caspian said. "Look up. We aren't going to a funeral.""It feels like a funeral for my old life," I said. I looked at him in the mirror. "Are we really just going to walk into a restaurant? Like everything is normal?""Nothing is normal," Caspian said. He turned me around and put a silver necklace around my neck. It was cold against my skin. "But if we stay in this room, the rumors win. If we walk into the city’s favorite steakhouse, we control the story. People need to see that you aren't a victim being held in a basement.""They'll see the girl from the video," I whispered."They'll see a woman who looks like she just bought the

The morning after the club was loud. Not with music, but with the sound of someone pounding on the door of the penthouse. I sat at the white marble island, holding a cup of tea that had gone cold. Caspian was staring at the television. My face was on the screen. Then Dominic’s face appeared, showing a red mark on his jaw."Open up! Police!" a voice shouted from the hallway.Caspian didn't look surprised. He walked to the door and opened it. Two men in suits and two police officers stepped inside. One man held a blue folder."Caspian Blackwood?" the man in the suit asked. "I’m here on behalf of Arthur Calloway. And the State.""You’re early," Caspian said. "I expected you at eight. It’s only seven-thirty.""What is happening?" I asked, standing up. "Caspian, why are they here?""Miss St. Claire," the man with the folder said, looking at me with pity. It was the kind of look you give a kitten stuck in a tree. "My name is Mr. Finch. I am a court-appointed representative. We have received

The car ride back to the penthouse was the quietest one yet. I kept looking out the back window, searching for the girl in the hoodie, but she was gone. When the elevator opened, Caspian was standing there. He didn't have his suit jacket on, and his sleeves were rolled up. He looked like he had been waiting by the door for hours."You lied for me," Caspian said. It wasn't a question. He stepped forward and tried to take my bag, but I held onto it."I told them I took the key," I said. "I told them I was the one who wanted to break into the archives. They think I'm a thief now, Caspian.""I have the best lawyers in the country, Sera," he said. "They will fix the record. But why did you do it? I told you to stay calm, not to throw yourself under the bus.""Because if you go to jail, the Calloways win," I said. I walked past him and threw my bag onto the white couch. "And because I saw someone today. At the courthouse. A girl who looked like Elena."Caspian froze. He stopped halfway to t