Chapter 34 The Lie
Will's P.O.V.
I walk into the cafe with my friends, feeling a bit down. This weekend was supposed to be just for me and my professor, we had planned it together. But Iva’s mom came unexpectedly, and now she has to stay with her. I’m going to miss her the entire weekend.
At least we managed to plan a late-night meetup. And I’ve prepared a little surprise for her. I can’t wait to see the look on her face when she finds out.
We’re all sitting together, chatting, laughing, and teasing each other. We’re discussing our desires, while Sebastian, as always, is busy on his laptop, working on a college project. God, this man is always so focused on his studies.
And Dominic has blended into our group so well that it feels like he’s always been a part of it.
"Will, you didn't let us know that you're into older women." Isabel teases in a playful way.
“She doesn’t even look old,” Jack says before I can answer, and I smile, thinking about her. Ever since she entered my life, she hasn’t left my mind or my heart.
“Honestly, I didn’t know I was into that either. It’s something I only realised after Iva came into my life.” I reply with a grin.
“Wait… Professor Iva.” Isabel interrupts, sitting in front of me, looking straight at something.
Hearing Iva’s name, I turn around instantly, my heartbeat rising. Is she really here, or is Isabel teasing me again?
And then I see her.
She’s sitting just two, maybe three tables away from us.
But my smile fades the second I notice a guy sitting across from her.
What the fuck?
She told me she was home with her mom. Didn’t she? Did she just… lie to me? And who the hell is this guy?
Questions start pounding in my head nonstop. I stand up and walk over to her without thinking, ignoring my friends calling after me.
I grab an empty chair at a nearby table, hiding my face behind the menu, trying to listen in. I need to know what’s going on. I desperately want to know what she’s doing here and why she lied to me. My mind has stopped working ever since I saw her here with a guy.
And then I hear it, words that make my blood boil.
“You’re seriously so beautiful. The first time I saw your picture, I started imagining what it would be like to marry you.”
Marry her?
What the hell is going on?
I glance at her, searching for her reaction. She doesn’t reject him, doesn’t correct him. She just tucks a strand of hair nervously behind her ear.
I feel rage inside me. My hand clenches the menu so hard I nearly rip it apart. Every muscle in my body screams to drag that guy away from her, demand answers, scream at her about why she lied to me, why she said she was with her mom when she’s sitting here with him. This fucking man!
She lied to me this morning, straight to my face over the phone. And who the hell is this guy who thinks he can marry her?
Is she really mine?
Does she even love me? Or is she cheating on me?
No. No. I saw the trust in her eyes. I felt her love. My heart refuses to believe what my eyes and ears are telling me.
But I can’t take it anymore. I can’t stay here another second.
I push up from my chair, ignoring my friends’ confused stares, and storm out of the cafe. My heart is pounding painfully and my throat is tightening with every step.
I walk aimlessly on the road, trying to make sense of what I just saw.
That guy’s words echo in my skull like a curse. “You’re seriously so beautiful. The first time I saw your picture, I started imagining what it would be like to marry you.”
Marry her?
Is my professor… marrying him?
No. Fuck no. She’s mine.
I need answers. Now. Is she still going to lie to me? I want to know.
With shaking hands, I pull out my phone and call her. My heartbeat quickens with every ring of the phone.
She picks up after two rings.
Her voice is soft and warm like always. “Hey, Will.”
For a second, I almost calm down. Her voice always does that to me. But today… even her voice can’t drown this storm inside me.
I want to scream. I want to demand why she lied. But I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself, even though every cell in my body is screaming for answers.
I take a deep breath to compose myself. “Hey… where are you?
There’s a pause. Just a few seconds. Then she answers, calm as ever, “At home, with my mom.”
The lie comes so easily from her lips. My entire body freezes. My chest burns, and before I know it, my eyes well up with tears.
She’s still lying. Even now.
My heart is crying inside. Her lie, her betrayal is killing me from within. But I swallow the ache.
I force myself to sound okay, to sound normal, even though my chest feels like someone is stabbing a knife into it. “Good… uh, our plan is still on for tonight, right? I’ve got something special waiting for you at my place.”
“Of course. I can’t wait to see you,” she replies, and I can almost picture her smiling on the other end. But right now, that smile isn’t comforting. It makes me want to fucking smash the phone.
That smile, her kisses, her hugs, everything suddenly feels like a lie.
Fuck! I can’t take it anymore. I feel like I could burn this entire world, but I reply to her anyway. “Yeah, me too. See you tonight.” I hang up before she can say anything else.
I stare at the phone in my hand, my face, twisted with pain and rage, reflecting on the screen. I laugh at my own condition. What a fucking fool I am. How easily she played me. How easily I believed her.
Every moment with her starts running in my mind like a movie. It feels so beautiful, so true, yet it’s fake. Each and every time, she was faking it.
Why does it hurt this much?
Why does it feel like I’m breaking apart?
What the fuck am I going to do tonight when I see her?
I don’t know. I don’t know how I’ll react. All I know is she lied.
And I’m not just angry. I’m shattered.
But even worse, I still want her. Even now, when every part of me is screaming that she might not be mine.
She is not mine. That makes me even angrier. My fists clench so hard, my nails dig into my palms. I want to bury that guy six feet under for even thinking he could marry her.
Why, Professor? Why did you do this to me? Did you never feel anything for me at all?