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“Look, I get you don’t have to help me… I know you hate me, but I can’t get kicked out of here.” She shakes her head, and genuine fear marks her face. “What do you know about Professor Douglas’s situation? One of the other psych professors saw me in his room today.”

I contemplate what to tell her, not wanting to break the trust Dr. Gentry gave me by sharing what she had earlier.

“The professor didn’t see anything when she came to the office, I’m assuming?” I inquire.

Swallowing audibly, she shakes her head again, and I feel the need to help her.

“Then I don’t think it has anything to do with you. I’d just lay low and don’t contact him.”

I know, technically, Dr. Gentry said she should come forward, so I ask her one more question, even though I think I know the answer.

“Unless it wasn’t a mutual thing and he pursued you, holding his power over your head.

” If this is the case, I’ll take back every threat I made and tell her to go ahead and send the video of me.

I’d never stoop to her level, especially if she’d truly been taken advantage of, but I’m also not going to let her hold it over Cash’s head any longer.

Her head dips, almost like she’s ashamed, another first for her in my presence. Because that wasn’t the case; he wasn’t her teacher, just like I knew, and the relationship was definitely mutual.

“I blame this on Cash… on you, really,” she sneers the last part, but I stay quiet, hopeful she’ll say more.

“He never wanted me over at The Wolves Den, he barely invited me to the ranch. So yeah, over the summer, on a lonely night when I didn’t want to be at home, I came back to Mountain Ridge and I met Mitch…

Professor Douglas. He was cute and sweet, and I hadn’t been shown attention in a long time.

So, people can say whatever they want about him, but I was the one to make the first move that night.

Hell, I was even the one who showed up in his office on the first day of classes. ”

Holy shit. That’s it. That’s what I needed.

“My dad always told me I’d never keep a guy like Cash Leblanc, just like the only reason my mother could keep him was because she got knocked up with me on purpose.

But if he finds out about me and a professor…

” A shiver wracks through her body, not finishing her sentence.

But I wait her out, knowing she has more to say.

Tori lets out a scoff. “I guess he was right about Cash. I mean, I knew it from the very beginning. He never looked at me the way he looked at you, the way he still looks at you. He never loved me like I loved him.” She shrugs, eyes watering.

“I guess I should be used to that by now from the men in my life.”

Many thoughts flood my mind, and a slight feeling of sorrow for Tori seeps into my soul.

Someone who should be her hero and biggest supporter in life has obviously caused her major emotional trauma, creating a manipulative liar in the process.

Someone who’s willing to hurt others to prove her abuser wrong.

Someone who’s willing to blame every wrongdoing she’s committed on others instead of taking responsibility for her own actions.

“Tori, I don’t mean this to be judgmental because, trust me, I have my own set of daddy issues, but it sounds like you should talk to a professional about this. The unhinged things his behavior toward you has caused you to do are not okay.” I point to her. “ You have to break the cycle.”

Her face turns hard again as she narrows her eyes. “I don’t need advice. Just wanted to see if you were going to implicate me in this scandal.”

I shake my head. “As long as that video isn’t shared with another soul, I wouldn’t do that. Believe it or not, I don’t enjoy other people’s pain like you do.”

“No, you just enjoy other people’s boyfriends.”

I take a deep breath. We are back to full-on Tori-bitch mode, it seems.

We stare at each other, arms crossed, in a bit of a stand-off. Realizing I’m the one calling the plays now, she relents.

“The video will be deleted forever tonight. I’m not into stepsibling porn anyway.”

I smirk, raising my eyebrow at her. “Could have fooled me.”

“Whatever,” she huffs and moves to walk away, right as Cash’s large form comes stalking down the hallway.

My stomach flips as he glances at me, then eyes her suspiciously.

She holds up her hands. “Don’t worry. I didn’t touch your precious sister.”

As soon as she pushes past us, he asks me, “What was all that about?”

I flash him my phone as I press stop on the voice recording. “That was my trick play scoring at the buzzer.”

“Oh, yeah?” he smirks, stepping closer.

Returning his grin, I nod. “Yep, no more video, no more Tori. She doesn’t even know I was recording, so that’s just for us to have in our back pocket in case.”

The relief washing over his face is notable.

One obstacle down, one to go. But I don’t let my mind travel there. Instead, I take the two remaining steps that’ll bring me flush with him.

“I’ll take my victory lap now,” I whisper over his lips before intertwining my pinkie in his and tugging him toward the steps.

He stops me, his eyes full of hope. “Does this mean we can tell everyone?”

I think about that for a minute. Tori’s words from earlier hurt at the time, but no matter what, my thoughts keep coming back to the fact that I can’t live another day without Cash. I don’t want to go back to how things have been over the past three years.

A peaceful smile takes over my face as the decision is made in my mind, and I nod.

He picks me up and twirls me around. “Really?”

His happiness makes my heart twist in the best way. “Yes, we’ll tell them when we go home for fall break.”

“Even better, because when they come to our home game stretch next month, I want you in the stands with my name on your back. No more hiding from anyone,” he says before pressing his lips to mine.

My nerves over that aren’t completely gone, but the excitement of being his outweighs it all.