Chapter 49 Anna
Anna
I’m a grown-ass woman and I’m still scared of the principal’s office. The air is thick and the only sound cutting through the space is the incessant ticking of his wall clock.
“Please, sit down, Miss Browne,” Cedric says, gesturing to an armchair opposite his desk.
I perch on the edge of the seat, clasping my hands tightly in my lap.
He scrubs a hand down his face, leaning against his desk. “Roger’s made some rather serious allegations about your conduct, all through a bloodied nose, I might add.”
My stomach plunges and I purse my lips.
“Do you know what those allegations might be?” he asks.
I take a deep breath. “I’m sure I can guess.”
“Right,” he says, crossing one leg over the other. “Care to share your thoughts with me?”
I tense my jaw and he closes his eyes, nodding in resignation. “Miss Browne, if there is any truth to these allegations, I implore you to disclose it immediately.”
I’m already screwed, there’s no point in denying it now.
“There’s truth to them,” I say.
“You’ve been engaged in a sexual relationship with Mr. Murphy.” It isn’t a question.
I nod.
“I see. And is this relationship what influenced today’s violent incident with Roger?”
“Yes,” I say quietly.
This time he nods. “And how long has this relationship been ongoing?”
“Just over two months,” I say.
He stands, scratching his chin and dropping into his chair, wriggling the mouse to wake up his computer before leaning back and steepling his fingers. “And in all that time, it never occurred to you to inform the school administration?”
I open my mouth to speak, but it feels like I’ve swallowed cotton wool. “I… we wanted to keep it private until—”
“Until it resulted in an act of violence? Until one of my teachers is so upset, he’s in the nurses’ room?” he asks, leaning forward.
I must admit, I internally cheer that Roger’s in the first aid room, having a cry.
Cedric’s voice hardens. “This doesn’t look good, Anna.”
Shit. He never uses my first name.
Heat pricks my cheeks, lashing them with color. “Cedric, please. I can explain—”
“Can you? Because what I’m struggling to understand is how one of my most trusted teachers could so flagrantly violate professional boundaries. Are you aware of the school’s policy regarding relationships with students’ parents?”
I nod.
He gestures to me with a wave. “Please state your understanding of this policy.”
“If staff members enter into a personal relationship with a student’s parent, it must be disclosed to senior management immediately.”
He looks at me in earnest now. “Why didn’t you tell us, Anna?”
I shake my head. “This is different… After everything Finn’s been through, and with Liam’s profile, we just wanted to keep it under wraps—”
“You understand how this looks, don’t you? What people will think? You’ve been marking Finn Murphy’s work, writing his reports, and conducting parent–teacher meetings with his father. Every professional decision you’ve made regarding that child is now compromised.”
I sit up ramrod straight. “I never gave Finn any sort of preferential treatment, Cedric—”
He holds up a hand to silence me. “That isn’t the point!
Other parents and staff will not see it that way!
The very purpose of our school’s policy is to avoid running into any conflict of interest. Other parents have the right to trust that their child’s teacher is making unbiased decisions.
” He stands and begins pacing in front of his large office window.
“Parents won’t feel comfortable with you teaching their children.
Particularly those who are partnered. Do you understand?
If this gets out, if parents discover one of our teachers has been secretly sleeping with another parent . . .”
My throat closes over. “I never meant for it to affect my work—”
“Unfortunately your intention is irrelevant in this scenario, Anna.”
A lone tear trickles free, and I brush it away. Max was right.
Cedric stops pacing and fixes me with a stern look. “And now we have a teacher with a possible broken nose because your boyfriend assaulted him. Do you see how this looks?”
“That’s not what happened,” I say, another tear falling. “Roger was harassing me—”
“Then why didn’t you report his behavior through proper channels? I have no evidence, no record of any harassment. Nothing to corroborate your claims that Roger was behaving inappropriately.”
I shake my head. “I thought I could handle it.”
“If you’d just disclosed any of this information, I could have helped you!
My hands are tied. Not only does reporting any form of harassment protect you, it protects the school and creates a documented trail should the behavior escalate.
It’s your word against his, Anna. Unless you have solid evidence, I’m afraid that’s not going to save you. ”
I’m silent. Anything I say will sound like excuses, and they aren’t good enough. I’ve lost everything, and I have no one to blame but myself.
“I thought I could handle it,” I repeat, my voice small.
He drops into his seat again, releasing a long exhale and pinching the bridge of his nose. “Look, I like you, Anna. I really do. You’re a fantastic teacher. Please know that I don’t take any pleasure in saying any of this.”
Another tear slips free.
I feel like the room is closing in on me. I’d rather just get straight to the point. “What happens now?”
“You’re suspended from duties immediately, pending a full investigation.
I need your keys, your ID badge and access cards.
You won’t be teaching for the remainder of the summer term.
You aren’t to have any contact with students or parents so long as the investigation is underway.
The governing body will need to review your conduct, and I’m required to report this to the local authorities.
Pending their findings, this could affect your teaching registration.
You must understand that you’ve not only jeopardized your career, but you’ve damaged this school’s reputation in the process. ”
My eyes widen.
“I could lose my job?” I whisper.
“No, Anna,” he says, his voice firm. “You could lose your teaching license.”