49

49

Betty.

“Good day everyone,” Principal Charles began as he was seated at the front of the hall, his glasses resting lightly on the bridge of his nose.  He smiled warmly at the lecturers and professors who had gathered for this meeting. 

“You  must be wondering why I called for this meeting,” he paused, “ well, today  I want us to discuss the forthcoming ceremony, the  final year awards night, and  farewell for our students….” 

His baritone voice seemed to be drowned out, as if  I was underwater, my body was physically present but my mind wasn’t. My gaze, however, was not on the principal, it was fixated on Adam’s annoying face. 
The man who had nearly destroyed my name in the past. 
Seeing him now, seated grotesquely, his back casually pressed against the wall, a faint smirk playing on his lips made my stomach churn.
I couldn’t help but wonder what I had seen in him.  How could I have fallen for a man like that?

And now he was back, no doubt with a new plan to make my life a living hell, to take away my peace and sanity once again. Damn, it was working because no matter how hard I tried to focus on what Principal Charles was saying my thoughts kept drifting back to the brief encounter we shared  in the hallway. 

His words replayed like an echo that won’t end.

But I  had a question;
 What did he mean when he said he knew my dirty little secret? I only had one, my guilty pleasure with Michael due to chemistry I felt for my student, which isn’t entirely a crime of course because I would never condone it. 
I had ethics guiding me, ones that wouldn’t allow me to take the feelings I felt inside of me seriously. It was just lust and lust is all it will be.  
I’d rather lie with a goblin than let Michael drive his cock inside of me. 

I shifted in discomfort, my thoughts haunting me, the hardened wood beneath me wasn’t helping matters, it was too stiff, refusing to let me sit properly. Or maybe I just wanted to leave this damn place, I was fed up with the way Adam kept throwing those glances my way, it irked my very soul.

On second thought, what if he was right? Did he see me with Michael at the bookstore that cold night? 
Did he witness the kiss we shared? After all, we had kissed in the middle of the road.
If he did, then I was in deep trouble, I thought, shaking my head. I quickly stopped she I noticed I was gathering attention from other lecturers and professors.  If only they knew. 
“Are you okay Betty?” Principal Charles asked his face filled with care and concern. I nod.

“Yes I am, thanks…”

No I wasn’t. But I would be fine if they could get Adam off my case but as always no one would believe me because he was the highly respected one while I was the one who stole his works.
 I tried to focus on what Charles said about preparing the students' printing certificates and gifting the students to make them feel appreciated but my gaze shifted to Adam’s, I could see him still smirking, like he was enjoying every bit of my discomfort. Such a retard! I scoffed to myself. 

Finally, the overly long meeting came to an end, and staff shuffled out of the hall chatting and exchanging tired goodbyes to themselves. I clutched my bag and walked out into the evening air. 

Finally, I could breathe some fresh air. My joints felt stiff due to sitting in one spot for so long. It had almost seemed like a good idea to stand here a while until I spotted Ethan, another ex I wished I’d never dated, and to think I agreed to be his girlfriend cause I needed a distraction? That was absurd.
Well, he stood a few feet away kissing auburn auburn-haired woman passionately, shamelessly like they were the only people in the world, he didn’t care what passed by thought, to him it was probably the best love story.
Immediately my stomach sank, how dare he move on so fast when I just rejected him two days ago?
 I looked away quickly feeling the surge of heartbreak and anger gnawing at my chest. 

I still couldn’t believe it! Was he mocking me? Trying to tell me that I was replaceable? Because of all the places to propose, why here? In front of my workplace? That was disrespectful. 
“Yes! Yes!  I’ll be your girlfriend."The young lady cheered, jumping up and down in excitement.  
Was this just a plot to make me jealous because it wasn’t working one bit, if only I felt the urge to puke.

You could have decided to propose over dinner in a fancy private restaurant he had the money or even in your bedroom decorated with roses and candlelight, yet you picked here.  Just to shame me for turning you down?

I shook my head as I caught him leaning against his sleepy Porsche, and winking in my direction as he kissed the back of her hands. My lips let out a scoff. 
That was the woman’s loss not mine. By the time he was done turning her into his new punching bag, she’d regret jumping up and down like a squirrel in public.

I chuckled a little, adjusting my coat as I hailed a cab, trying to get away from here as soon as possible.
A yellow can stopped in front of me and I hopped into the backseat, placing my bag across the seat as the car drove off towards my apartment, my destination, I was fuming inside me.  Wishing I'd disgraced him, maybe tell his new girlfriend about how he beat up my student to a pulp but then I'll be labeled as the crazy ex who can't seem to get over him.

Instead, I let myself smell the faint air freshener hanging in the air trying to shut out the image of Ethan kissing that strange woman 

By the time I reached home, I could no longer contain my anger. I hurled my bag across the room, almost hitting the kitty's tree. She meowed in disapproval and I whispered a hasty ‘sorry’
I poured myself a red glass of wine from the wet bar returning to the living room. 
“I’m so sorry for taking out my anger on you,” I mumbled pacing with the glass in my left hand. “Ethan kissed another girl right in front of my workplace, you know? I should’ve  hated him the way you did!”
Immediately my phone rang, interrupting my angry moment. I rummaged through my bag for it. I grabbed it and saw Maya's name flashing on the screen, her profile picture smiling back at me. I smiled back. It’s been a while since I heard from her. I swiped the answer button and pressed it to my ear.
“Hey babes, what’s up?” I asked, trying to sound cheerful when I wasn’t.
“Betty… It’s Dave… he sent me and the children out so he could accommodate his mistress, we are at his parents' place now,” she sobbed, I could hear the pain in every word, I almost joined her in weeping.
I ran a hand through my hair feeling confused. “Hey… Maya … calm down… it’s going to be fine… take a deep breath in and breathe out.” I instructed but I doubted if she was listening because her cries intensified. 
“Okay… I’ve got an idea, you obviously need a break, you need to get away from that chaos, I know you love your children but they need their mother strong and fine, so how about… how about you. Come spend a few days at my place? Just a few days to clear your head…”
 There was a long pause and then she sniffled. “That sounds fun but… I don't think I can leave the kids with their grandparents.”  
“It's just for a few days, Maya, you need to give yourself a break, you need me. Trust me. It will do you a lot of good.” I protested.
She let out a long tired sigh. “Okay… I'll give it a thought.”
The line went off. I rolled my eyes, setting the phone down on the glassy table trying to change out of my work clothes when my phone chimed.
I tilted my head down trying to check the notification on my phone. It was an unknown number. Immediately my heart skipped a beat.  I swiped it open and what I saw nearly made me drop the phone to the floor in shock.

It was a photo of Michael leaving my house… two days ago.
I stared at the picture, it was clear and it made my stomach curl in fear and disgust.
What the hell was going on?
Who could be behind this?
Adam. He had said he knew my dirty little secret. Could this be it,