Chapter 14
Chapter
Fourteen
Navy
Resentment had turned into hate.
I hated Ian.
I hated our relationship.
I hated how I allowed him to convince me to give up my favorite person in the world.
I hated how I considered having a life without Zander for the sake of marriage and babies with a man I wasn’t even in love with.
I was in love with Zander.
For years, I convinced myself friendship was enough.
That if I could never have a romantic relationship with Zander, I would be okay with just being his friend.
That’s why we were so close. That’s why we talked and saw each other every day.
That’s why he never put a woman before me, and I never put a man before him—until Ian.
As much as I hated and wanted to blame Ian, this was all my fault. I should have broken up with him instead of letting Zander walk away from me.
Three days ago, Zander told me he was in love with me.
I hadn’t been able to get his declaration out of my head or heart.
The only reason I told him to leave was because I knew if I said it back, I’d become a cheater for the first time in my life.
Not only that, but there was also a chance I would have fucked him in the driveway .
. . in front of Deno and my daddy’s security system.
Groaning, I shook the thoughts and desire from my head.
Today had been an amazing day, and I wasn’t able to enjoy it like I usually would.
It was the last day of school, and my favorite class of the year had thrown me a surprise party.
What made me cry was knowing it was Cache’s idea.
She wanted to thank me for helping pull her out of her shell and bring back her voice.
I made sure she understood hearing her voice knowing a year had passed since she’d spoken was all the thanks I needed.
Still, her father and uncle went above and beyond for Cache, the class, and me.
Cache won the scholarship, and since she was so advanced with her studies, she would be able to graduate a year early. I couldn’t wait to cheer her on at her graduation next year. She asked me to continue to help her with her writing, and I was more than happy and honored to do so.
I didn’t teach for the money. I became a teacher to help shape the minds and futures of my students.
Daddy had set up a living trust fund for me, so I received a twenty-five thousand dollar payment every month.
That money, combined with the fact that I lived with them and paid no bills, allowed me to have a career doing what I truly loved, and Cache motivated me even more to continue my path of education.
Eventually, I wanted to operate as a guidance counselor so I could engage with more students of different ages.
My final career in education would be as a professor at Rose Valley Hills University.
That desire made me start thinking about Zander again.
As much as he loved practicing law, he wanted to teach law as well.
He said if he were to have kids one day, he’d shift into teaching to free up his time for that.
If he didn’t, he’d start teaching law in his fifties.
We’d always been aligned in so many different ways.
Everything we did, talked about, planned, experienced .
. . it was easy. Zander was my soul mate, my life partner, and I threw our relationship away for something as fickle as romantic love.
Well, I didn’t throw it away on my own. Zander walked away, and I let him.
Sniffling, I stared at the roses Cache’s father and uncle had gotten me.
Every year on the last day of class, Zander came and congratulated me on a successful year.
He’d bring me roses and one additional gift, then spend the day with me before I left the city.
I always spent a week away from home when school let out to recharge and prepare to enjoy my summer.
Unlike a lot of teachers, I didn’t spend a day in my classroom over the summer.
Anything I needed to do to plan and prepare I did virtually to fully enjoy my time off.
For some reason, I thought maybe Zander would still come.
It was six in the evening, and my silly ass was still sitting in my classroom waiting for him.
I don’t know why I thought he’d come, but it broke my heart a little knowing my relationship with Ian made him feel as if he couldn’t show up for me anymore.
When I finally accepted the fact that he wasn’t going to come, I packed the roses and my tote bag up along with all the cards and letters my students had written me.
By the time I made it home, I had about forty-five minutes to get ready for my date with Ian. With the way I was feeling, I wanted to call it off. The only reason I didn’t was because I decided tonight would be the night I broke up with him.