Embry nodded robotically. “Naturally.” She was surprised she managed to speak at all. For some reason, having that discussion with Professor Coleman was ten times harder than sitting in front of those committee members.
“He’s a colleague and a friend, and I don’t want to see him make the same mistake as last time.”
“Last time?” Embry asked quietly as bile rose up her throat. Her hands began to tremble as the words she’d overheard on Christmas swirled around her brain. Not like last time.
“Yes. Professor Brody had an inappropriate relationship with a student at his previous school. It cost him his job, and the poor girl, Sydney, well it followed her until graduation.”
Embry fought back tears as her heart all but stopped beating in her chest. She had to find a way to compose herself, but all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and cry.
“I can see I’ve shocked you,” Professor Coleman said. “It was inappropriate of me to share that. I hope you’ll keep it to yourself, but I was concerned for the both of you.”
“No, that’s fine,” Embry said automatically. She had no idea where this functional side of her was coming from that allowed her to form sentences and speak like a normal human being, but she was grateful for it. The last thing she needed was to fall apart over Luke in front of her professor. “Thank you, Professor Coleman. I can assure you, there is nothing between myself and Luke Brody.” It nearly killed her to say those words; the weight on her chest was almost unbearable.
“I’m glad to hear that. Well, I hope your troubles get cleared up and you have a very happy New Year, Embry,” Coleman offered.
“You too, Professor,” she said flatly.
Embry stood on shaky feet and made her way out of the office. She walked down the hallway and out the front door, tears clouding her eyes as everything moved in slow motion. The pain in her chest was unlike anything she had ever felt. Her head spun, and she tried to stay upright as the weight of Luke’s betrayal threatened to pull her down. She staggered through the parking lot as suddenly all of the pieces began to fall into place.
The pain and hesitation flashing across his face when they first met in the hallway suddenly meant so much more. Forgetting to tell her about his trip home, their fight before the review session, Luke’s hushed conversation with his brother and sister-in-law—it all made sense. Of course he hadn’t wanted her to meet his family, not when they probably knew all about his past indiscretion. His family’s silence at the dinner table now spoke volumes. They’d known all along. No lie she told could have stopped them from seeing the truth. It all came together to form one conclusion in Embry’s mind: Luke had a thing for his students. That was all she was to him. The new conquest at the new school.
Stumbling to her car, she found her way inside. She screamed and cried, pounding the steering wheel until she had nothing left. Then she put the car in drive. It all felt eerily familiar. Another one of Luke’s lies was sending her driving off with a broken heart and tears in her eyes. Except this time she knew exactly where she was going. She was going to face it head-on.
It felt as if the past four months of her life had meant nothing. The man she had given her heart to—was willing to risk everything for—was nothing more than a liar. Everything they’d been through, everything they’d shared … none of it was real. She didn’t even know that Luke had taught before.
After Jack she’d sworn she’d never let someone make her question herself again. But Luke’s lies did just that. He and Jack couldn’t have been more different, but that didn’t mean his betrayal hurt any less. If anything, it hurt more. She’d trusted him, believed in him, and just when they’d built their relationship back up, she found out it was all a lie.
Embry pulled up to the townhouse a while later. Luke’s car wasn’t in the driveway. He must have still been out doing whatever it was he had to do. She parked her car, used her key to let herself into Luke’s house, grabbed a blanket, and headed out the back door. She huddled into her jacket and wrapped the blanket around herself while she sat on the dock in the freezing cold. She watched the sun sink over the horizon, casting a pink and purple glow over the water. After a while, she didn’t even feel the cold anymore. Maybe it was because she was numb already, her heart turned to ice along with any feelings she thought she had.
Headlights reflected off the bay, and Embry heard a car door slam. She turned and watched the lights go on in the house, wondering how long it would take Luke to find her out there.
“Embry!” he called, running down the dock. He was panicked. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I was worrying myself crazy. What are you doing out here? It’s freezing.”
Embry stood and turned to him, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Is it true?”
He froze, his face a mask of confusion. “Is what true, baby?”
“That you …” She struggled to get the words out. “That you’ve done this before? With another student?”
His face fell, guilt and grief washing over his features. “Embry.”
She saw the answer all over his face, but she had to hear him say it. “Is it true, Luke?” she asked, her breath floating away in small clouds on the cold air.
The look in his eyes would have broken her heart if she had any heart left to break. “It’s true.”
Those two words destroyed her. A loud sob broke free of her throat as she bent over, grief overwhelming her. She was in his arms, cradled against the warmth of his chest within seconds. She didn’t have the strength to fight him off. She cried into his jacket as he held her tight, rocking her.
Her cries quieted and she took a deep breath, breathing him in. His clean spicy smell, mixed with the cold winter wind, was intoxicating. She stood in his arms, enjoying the comfort that it gave her but she knew she couldn’t stay. She thought she could talk to him, face it head-on, but she couldn’t. One look into those sad blue eyes and she lost her resolve. It would be so easy to fall his arms and forget all the lies, but she needed time away from him to process what had happened. She couldn’t think straight around hm.
“I can’t do this, Luke,” she said, pushing him away.
He looked down at her, his eyes filled with hurt. “Embry, please. Just hear me out.”
She shook her head, fresh tears falling down her face. “I just can’t right now.” She pressed up on her toes and placed a soft kiss on his cheek before she turned and walked away.
Luke called after her as she ran down the dock, around the house, and jumped into her car. She just wanted to go home, curl up in her bed, and cry until there was nothing left. Embry drove back to her apartment, her heart beating a dull thud in her chest as tears clouded her eyes. She didn’t want to run again, but she needed time, space. She pulled into her parking spot, and saw a black town car parked out front.
Jeremy stepped out of the town car and ran around to meet her. “Embry! Embry, I’m so sorry,” he said, gripping her arms. “I just found out. I had no idea that Tess did that. You have to believe me.”
Embry nodded numbly, looking up at her friend. “I know, Jer.”
His eyebrows pulled together as he examined her. She must look a mess—tear-stained face and swollen eyes.
“Are you all right?”
She looked past him to the town car, the driver sitting in the front seat. “Where are you going?” she asked, ignoring his question.
“Oh, um, my dad sent a car for me. I’m spending New Year’s in the city at the penthouse. Tessa was supposed to come, but obviously that’s not happening now.”
Luke’s Range Rover tore into the parking lot stealing Embry’s attention. He parked and was out of the car in seconds flat. Her heartbeat kicked into overdrive and tears flooded her eyes as she watched her beautiful man striding toward her, love and determination etched into his features. He wasn’t going to let her go.