Chapter 57: Fifty Seven

Declan’s hand closed around my wrist. Not rough, but firm, unyielding.

“Come with me,” he said through clenched teeth.

“Declan - ” I tried, but he was already walking, leading me down the corridor. I was grateful this had happened in this empty hallway instead of in public. I kept my head down, heart pounding, the echo of Jacob’s words still ringing in my ears.

We reached his office. He unlocked the door in one swift motion, opened it, and gestured for me to go in.

The door shut behind us with a definitive thud.

I stood in the middle of the room, trying to slow my breathing. He paced once, then turned toward me, eyes flashing.

“You let him kiss you?” he demanded. His voice was low, but hard.

I flinched at the tone. “He just…It wasn’t like I planned it.”

“You didn’t stop him.”

I swallowed. “I didn’t know what to say. He’s my friend. He showed up to help me study…he brought food…and I froze, Declan.”

Declan’s jaw worked furiously. He ran a hand through his hair and then slammed it against the edge of his desk, making a few papers flutter.

“Has it happened before?”

The words were sharp. Exacting. He looked at me with something close to dread in his eyes. I hesitated for just a second too long.

That was all it took.

“You’ve kissed him before,” he said, the realization crashing into him. “Jesus, Willow.”

“It wasn’t… It was nothing,” I said quickly. “Just once. Before anything even started with you. And it just… happened.”

Declan’s fists clenched at his sides. “And you didn’t think to tell me?”

“I’m sorry!” I cried, “I didn’t think it would matter. I don’t want him, Declan. I want you.”

He gave me a wry smile. “And yet he had his hands all over you.”

“What did you want me to do?” I felt anger rising within me too.

He stepped closer, voice low and dangerous. “I wanted you to not kiss someone else.”

“I didn’t kiss him,” I shot back. “He kissed me. I was caught off guard and I froze and it was just a second -”

“But you didn’t stop him,” he cut in, voice rising now. “You let him stay at your place. You let him get close enough to kiss you. And now I find out this isn’t the first time?”

I looked down, ashamed. “I didn’t plan it. I didn’t think -”

“No,” he said sharply, “you didn’t.”

I flinched. He noticed and dragged a hand over his face, pacing once.

“I’ve tried to stay calm. I’ve tried to be rational. But watching him kiss you…and now knowing that you’ve let this happen before?” He looked at me like he didn’t recognize me. “What exactly am I to you, Willow?”

“That’s not fair,” I whispered. “You’re everything to me. I love you. You know that.”

I didn’t make it far before I turned around, slamming the door to Declan’s office shut behind me.

He was standing by his desk, head bowed, breathing hard, still fuming. But I was fuming too now.

“You hit him,” I said, voice shaking. “You punched him.”

He looked up, startled. “You’re really going to stand there and defend him?”

“I’m not defending him,” I snapped. “I’m telling you that what you did was not okay.”

“You hit him,” I spoke again, like he was a child who needed to be told things multiple times. Well, it certainly felt like it.

His jaw clenched. “You’re still on that?”

“Yes, I am. You assaulted a student, Declan.”

“He kissed you,” he said, as if that explained everything.

“And so you lost all self control and decided to punch someone in the university?”

He stalked around the desk, pointing at me now. “He touched you, Willow. He’s not just some guy. He’s fucking obsessed with you. He’s always circling you like a damn vulture, and you let him.You let him stay at your place, study with you, kiss you. And I’m supposed to just smile through it?”

“No, you're supposed to act like an adult,” I shouted back. “Not a caveman!”

“I’ve been swallowing shit for weeks, watching you with him, pretending like nothing’s going on, hiding what we have just to protect you.”

“Don’t you dare make this about sacrifice,” I said, my voice shaking now. “Because if anyone’s been sacrificing, it’s me. You think this is easy? Sneaking around, lying to people I care about, letting Jacob think he even has a chance just to protect your precious job?”

He flinched like I’d slapped him. “So it’s my job you’re protecting now?”

“Don’t twist my words.”

“No. No, let’s get it all out. Because clearly there’s a lot you’ve been keeping in. Like the fact that you’ve kissed him before.”

I stiffened, but I didn’t deny it. “I told you the truth. I didn’t hide that.”

“But you didn’t tell me either.”

“I didn’t think it mattered…because I chose you.”

He let out a humorless laugh. “Funny way of showing it.”

I felt the sting of tears, but I blinked them back. “What do you want from me, Declan? To chain myself to your desk and promise I’ll never speak to another man again?”

“I want you to respect what we have. Respect me.” His hand circled my wrist again. His face was so close to mine, I could see the anger in his eyes. I had never seen him so angry before. “Remember that you belong to me.”

“I do respect what we have. But you punching Jacob like a madman? Are you crazy? You can’t be so possessive about me and sabotage - “

He stepped closer, eyes dark and dangerous. “I am possessive about you. I’ve earned the right to be. After everything I’ve given up - ”

“You haven’t given up anything!” I yelled. “You still have your position, your power, your distance. I’m the one stuck in the middle, always trying to manage your moods and Jacob’s expectations and Mara’s suspicion and my own sanity.”

“I love you,” he said suddenly, voice low and ragged. “And it’s driving me insane to see you with him while I have to act like you’re just another student.”

My breath caught in my throat.

But I didn’t melt.

“You don’t show love by throwing punches,” I said quietly. “You show it by trusting me. And today, you showed me that you don’t.”

His face held an impassive expression I could not read.

“I trusted you,” I went on. “Even when it was hard. Even when it scared me. And now I have to wonder if I’m in love with a man who could blow up our entire lives in a five second burst of ego.”

“That’s not fair,” he murmured, shaking his head.

“It’s not?” I whispered. “Then tell me what happens now. Jacob knows. He’s going to connect the dots. What do we do if this gets out? What if he presses charges?”

He didn’t answer.

“Exactly,” I said, bitter. “You weren’t thinking about that when you hit him. You weren’t thinking about me.”

His voice dropped. “I was only thinking about you.”

“No, you weren’t, Declan,” I said, my heart breaking. “You were only thinking about yourself.”

The silence stretched, thick and ugly.

“I need space,” I said finally, my voice barely a whisper. “I need to breathe. To figure out what the hell I’m doing. And I need to speak to Jacob.”

I turned to the door.

“Willow.”

But I didn’t look back.