Page 243

Chapter 243: [Bonus Chapter] Dirty Secret

Violet didn’t resist as Micah led her through the hallway toward his office. All she wanted now was to be far away from everyone. So she stumbled along, her breath ragged, as if the air itself was too heavy for her lungs to bear.

As soon as the office door shut behind them, everything came crashing down on her like a collapsing dam and Violet broke down in tears.

She had always thought of herself as strong. That she could withstand anything. But how wrong she was because right now there was a chasm inside her chest, swallowing every last piece of her.

The pain was unbearable. It hurt so much she could hardly breathe. How could he do this to her? Had it been Roman, she could have understood. She had expected it even. Not just Alaric. Not him of all people.

Micah stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, clearly torn between wanting to help and not knowing how to. Sadly for him, whether he liked it or not, he was the school counselor. That meant he had to do something.

"Are you okay?"

He winced the second the words left his lips.

What the hell kind of question was that? Of course she wasn’t okay, dummy! His inner mind chided him.

Violet lifted her tear-streaked face, her expression twisted with agony. "My mother..." she managed, voice quivering. "I— I want my mother..."

Micah blinked. Her mother? His throat bobbed, struggling for an answer.

"Uh—unfortunately, I can’t help you with that right now." He hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "It would take hours for her to get to Aster City."

"Your phone," Violet broke in, frustration in her tone. "I lost mine in the chaos." Tears choked her as she tried to speak. "Please, I just need to call her. I need to hear her voice..."

Her eyes—gods, her eyes— were filled with so much pleading Micah felt something twist uncomfortably in his chest.

He quickly reached into his pocket and handed her his phone, watching as her trembling fingers fumbled over the screen, tears spilling and making her vision blur. But despite several mistakes, Violet finally dialed the number, pressing the device to her ear.

"Pick up," Violet whispered, voice raw with pleading. "Mom, please..." But the call wouldn’t connect.

Violet bit down on her lips nervously as she tried over and over, and each time, it failed.

Her chest tightened, her stomach dropping into a pit of horror. Why wasn’t she picking up? Why wasn’t the call going through? Where was she? But then, this was Nancy, hadn’t she learned her lesson enough?

The final attempt disconnected with a flat beep and a strangled sound escaped Violet’s throat—half sob, half scream—before she suddenly threw the phone across the room. The device clattered against the wall and hit the floor with a dull thud.

Micah stared at the phone for a long moment, his lips pressing into a thin line.

Oh well. Teenagers.

He’d deal with that later. Right now, his priority was the girl falling apart in front of him.

With a weary sigh, Micah stepped forward and Violet didn’t even refuse him when he gently pulled her against his chest. Instead she clung to him as if he was the only thing keeping her from drowning.

Her body was shaking, Micah stroked her hair, murmuring. "Yes, little one. Let it out. You’ve been holding it in too long."

His soft encouragement seemed to unleash something inside of her. Violet buried her face in his chest, gripping his shirt in fistfuls as she cried even harder.

The sound was raw, the type of grief that steals all breath. And Micah stood there, saying nothing more, just holding her while she sobbed out the shards of her heartbreak in heaving gasps.

*********

Hours passed, yet Violet remained sprawled on Micah’s couch, staring up at the ceiling as if it held the answers to all her problems.

Micah’s voice finally broke through her trance.

"Just how long are you planning to stay here, again?"

Violet turned her head lazily toward him. Micah was sitting in his chair, munching through a packet of almonds now. Earlier, she’d seen him devour chocolate-covered pretzels, a ham-and-cheese sandwich, a ridiculous amount of spicy chips, and an entire caramel-drizzled popcorn bucket.

Now that she thought about it, he ate a lot. Not that it showed.

"Why?" She arched a brow. "Tired of my honored presence already?"

Micah snorted, lifting another almond to his lips and chewing obnoxiously loud in the otherwise quiet room.

"You can’t hide here forever."

"I’m not hiding." Violet frowned, crossing her arms. "Think of it as me... recharging."

"Mmhmm." His tone oozed disbelief, but he let it go. Instead he lifted his phone and casually remarked, "If it pleases your highness, then you should know the video’s been taken down."

"You can’t erase it from every student’s phone in Lunaris," Violet answered flatly.

Micah ignored her cynicism and continued, "And, for what it’s worth, classes have been canceled for the day. Principal Jameson summoned the culprits to her office and word is she’s tearing them a new one."

Violet rolled her eyes. "As if."

If people actually feared Jameson’s authority, half of the bullshit that happened in this school wouldn’t exist in the first place.

Micah seemed to sense that none of his attempts to distract her were working, so he let her be. Violet returned her gaze to the ceiling, her voice dropping to a murmur.

"They called me a whore, you know."

Micah said nothing.

Her throat tightened, but she forced the words out.

"But how can I be a whore when I’m still a virgin?"

The sound of chewing immediately stopped. Violet glanced over to find Micah giving her a pointed look.

"What?" she asked.

"That’s a bit too much information," he replied drily.

She shrugged. "Aren’t you my counselor?"

"I’m your counselor, not your therapist. There are still a few things I’d prefer not to know."

"Says the guy who sleeps with his students," Violet shot back, voice laced with a hint of accusation.

"Guilty as charged," Micah said without shame. Then with a grin, he added, "That was a low blow, little Purplehead."

For the first time since everything happened, a slow smile touched Violet’s face. But just as quickly, the memory of the day crashed back, and the smile vanished. The walls slammed back up, and she turned her eyes back to the ceiling, her expression unreadable.

"Look deeper," Micah said after a moment.

Violet turned her head slightly. "Huh?"

Micah locked eyes with her, the intensity radiating in his gaze made her swallow. "Everyone has a dirty secret. Look closer, Elsie’s might be closer than you think."