“I did, yes.”
She smiled softly. “That’s very attractive.”
“Lindsey, thanks…really… But I’m not in the mood.”
She smirked. “I wasn’t offering up myself, at least not this time. I was just admiring you. I must say I never expected this level of sentiment from you.”
I smiled. “Should I take that as a compliment?”
“I would,” she said.
“The truth is, I never expected to fall in love with anyone, let alone one of my own students,” I said. “But from the day I first set eyes on her, she captivated me. I didn’t realize how far I’d fallen until I actually got involved with her. Day by day, I waited for my interest to fade. I waited to get over her, but it only got worse. I wanted her more and more until I couldn’t imagine my life without her.”
Lindsey smiled. “And, she loves you?”
“She does,” I nodded.
“How did she take it?” she asked. “When you broke up with her?”
“She thought I was joking at first,” I said, cringing against the memory. “But apart from that first minute of disbelief, she believed me so easily. It was as though I hadn’t done enough in the past almost year to demonstrate how I really felt about her. I saw the realization dawn on her face… And I knew she believed that I didn’t want her anymore. As if that would be possible.”
“You have to see things from her perspective, Chance,” Lindsey said. “She’s young and insecure, and you’re educated, well traveled, and experienced. It would have been the easiest thing in the world to have believed you.”
I ground my teeth together, frustrated and furious with the man who was behind all the pain I was feeling. “I hate that he can get away with this…”
“He shouldn’t.”
“No, he shouldn’t,” I agreed. “But I won’t let him take down Natalie.”
“Am I right in assuming she doesn’t know any of this?”
“One of Jason’s conditions was that I make it seem like the breakup was real… I needed to convince Natalie that I was the one that wanted to end things.”
“Which means one thing: he believes that had Natalie known that he was blackmailing you, she would have gone to the dean herself.”
I frowned.
“Think about it, Chance,” Lindsey said. “You just told me that Natalie loves you, she wants to be with you. The only reason she’s not is because you were forced to break her heart. Which means if she knows why you broke up with her…”
“She’d expose our relationship herself,” I finished Lindsey’s explanation for her.
“So that Jason loses his leverage and the two of you will be free to be together.”
“Except I’ll have no job and she’ll have no degree.”
“Do you think she’d care about that?”
“Of course not,” I said. “Not at first… But like you said, she’s young. When she’s older, she might regret her decision.”
“Give her some credit for knowing her own mind.”
“I’m not saying she doesn’t,” I clarified. “All I’m saying is that people change their minds. Natalie is only twenty-one. When she’s in her thirties or forties, scrounging for every penny just to make ends meet, she might not thank me for my part in her situation.”
“She can get another degree at another university,” Lindsey pointed out.
“Her parents don’t have the money, and neither does she,” I said. “I might be able to put her through college, but it’ll take years. She’ll be in her mid to late twenties by the time she’s finished. The job market is competitive, and I don’t think she’s going to want to repeat the same degree all over again. And I looked up Jason’s fucking father. The man is really as powerful as Jason claimed he was. He can make her un-hirable if he chooses. Face it, Lindsey; I’m caught between a rock and a hard place.”
“So… she can… go abroad and work overseas. If she doesn’t have the money to move, then take her with you. Regardless, she deserves to know the real reason you broke up with her,” Lindsey said. “Especially if she loves you.”