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“Why are you still here?” Elia asked into Kamryn’s shoulder, unable to turn away. “Why haven’t you left yet?”

“I believe you,” Kamryn whispered, tightening her grasp. “Normally I wouldn’t be inclined to listen to your explanation, but everything you shared tonight lines up with what I found, aside from the lack of information in your personnel file. That’s an issue I’m going to deal with.” Kamryn pulled away slightly, her hand resting at the back of Elia’s neck and tilting her head up so they could look into each other eyes. “You asked me to believe the victim.”

“I didn’t ask you to believe me.” Elia couldn’t tear her gaze away. She needed to hear those words.

Kamryn moved her hand up and brushed her fingers across Elia’s cheeks, wiping the silent tears from her skin.

“You shouldn’t believe me.”

“Why not?”

Elia shivered. “Because anyone who has been assaulted should be believed the moment they step forward to say something.”

“You’re right. They should. They deserve that.” Kamryn nodded, wiping even more tears from Elia’s cheeks. “And you deserve to be believed, too. You did nothing wrong, and yet all those years later, you’re still bearing the brunt of someone else’s lie.”

“She was a hurting kid, Kam. Rylann’s home life wasn’t great, and school was a sanctuary for her. She didn’t know better than to lie.”

“Not every bad behavior needs to be excused.” Kamryn held Elia firmly. “Do you understand that?”

“Yes,” Elia whispered.

“You deserved better from everyone. And I’m going to make sure that the witch hunt against you ends here.” Kamryn gave her a sweet smile. “Whether or not our relationship continues, Elia, you deserve to walk into work every day with your head held high and to teach without feeling like you’re going to be thrown under the bus every two seconds.”

Elia let out a shuddering breath. She couldn’t tear her gaze away from Kamryn, from the warmth in her eyes, the sincerity in everything she was saying. Taking a small step forward, Elia reached up and did the only thing she could think of.

She pressed their mouths together.

twenty-seven

“Elia.” Kamryn broke the kiss. “I’m not sure this is the right time.”

“The timing is never right,” Elia answered. “But I wasn’t lying in your office earlier. I don’t want this to end.”

Kamryn bent her head, pressing their foreheads together. Her mind was spinning with all the possibilities, and her body was telling her only one thing. Comfort would feel so nice right now. Comfort from someone she trusted and who trusted her. They’d shared something tonight, something far deeper than anything else that had come before.

This was their breakthrough.

Kamryn closed her eyes, trying to process each thought individually and make sense of it all.

Elia was under fire right now from the school board.

Kamryn was caught in the middle of it all.

Someone else was hiding what had happened all those years ago, and for what purpose?

Kamryn couldn’t look at this situation objectively. She hadn’t lied about that, but she was so much more tangled up in it than she’d wanted to admit to Yara.

And she trusted Elia’s story.

It made sense.

It lined up with all those news reports that she’d found.

And it lined up with everything the ethics team had conveniently left out of the conversation.

But Kamryn was Elia’s former student. And that alone could tear apart anything they did to build Elia’s career back up.

“Kam…” Elia whispered, sliding out of her grasp slightly. “We don’t have to. It’s fine.” She snagged the mug of tea off the table and started for the kitchen, leaving Kamryn still stunned and standing in the middle of the living room.