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“The characters are driven by lust, arrogance, and sex. They have no ethics. People in positions of power and influence should’ve known better, but they didn’t, and no one made them answer for their lack of morality, until death.”
Travis was smirking at me, and I knew he knew I was a Titan. It wasn’t some secret society, but a very public group of influential men. We were all plastered across some headline or another, and some of us more often than others, too. There was something about the way he also mentioned a position of power. It was almost as if he knew about...
I shook my head to expel that thought from it. There was no way he could know. Nicole would’ve never told him about that. Would she? I didn’t even give it a moment more of my attention, and instead looked straight ahead at the rest of the class.
“This week, I want everyone to list at least one immoral thing that each character did, and start to think about how it ties into their class and social stature.”
With their assignment given, I returned to my in-classroom desk and spent the rest of the hour sulking. I was never happier to hear the bell than today, and while I usually said something to the students as they left, I stayed where I was. Nicole looked back when she got to the door, and I stared blankly ahead at her. She eventually shook her head, then left with her classmates. The next hour went by just as quickly, and I was honestly considering going for a drink during my free period. Before I could do that or anything else, I heard a knock on my door.
“Come in,” I said, unsure if it was a student or not. I had none scheduled for a meeting. When I looked up to see who it was, Nicole slipped inside. “May I help you with something?”
“I... umm... I just wanted to stop by to see you. My flight was delayed last night, so I didn’t get back to town until really late.”
“I see.” I had known she didn’t call me as she often did, and I had figured as much, so I hadn’t been upset about that. Now, it was a different story.
Nicole came closer, and when I didn’t get up to hug her, she wrinkled her nose in question but took a seat in front of me. “My mother isn’t doing so well.”
All of my anger was still there, but I knew how worried she was about the cancer. I loved my mother, and she wasn’t half the woman Isabella Courtland sounded like she was. If she was diagnosed with something so deadly, I’d be beside myself. Nothing was gone because of it, but I did soften my expression.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Nicole. Have the doctors given you any additional information regarding further treatment options?”
There was no doubt in my mind that Logan would move heaven and earth to heal his wife. No price would be too high if it resulted in a full recovery. As Titans, we often fell into thinking we were invincible, when the reality was that we could go as quickly and as easily as anyone else. In fact, karma was a bitch, and sometimes, we ended up falling harder and faster. I didn’t have to tell Nicole that because she was born and raised in our world.
“They haven’t. And my father’s so worried about—”
“He’s worried about you,” I interjected, and her eyes widened.
“Why do you say that?” she asked me.
“He called me yesterday evening.”
“He did what?” Nicole rose to her feet.
“He wanted to tell me about you and your boyfriend,” I told her. I didn’t add what his favor had been because I didn’t want this entire conversation to get back to him. I doubted she’d run and call him just over this. It would draw too much suspicion.
“I don’t have a boy...,” she went to say, then stopped as I narrowed my eyes at her. While we weren’t able to have the conventional type of relationship that most had, it was still something which she realized. “I mean, he doesn’t know about us. Does he?”
“It wasn’t me that he was referring to,” I said matter-of-factly. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were going back home with Travis? And that you took him to meet your parents?”
“It wasn’t like that. I...” Again, she stopped, because it didn’t matter what she said at this point.
I stood up. “I don’t really care what you were doing with Travis. I mean I do, but there’s not much I can say until I’m able to claim you properly. What really hurts me is that you didn’t tell me about it at all. The two of you have gotten way too close, and I don’t like it.”
There! I said it, and I didn’t regret a moment of it, either.
He’s just a friend. I thought you trusted me, but I see that I was wrong. I was also wrong to come here today. Both you and my father can go to Hell.”
I wasn’t used to her responding in this manner, but I didn’t stop her either as she turned and fled from my office. Shaking my head, I just stared at the open door.
NICOLE
Between Callum, my father, and mother, I was truly stressed out. The weight of everything hung heavily upon my shoulders which was starting to affect me in more ways than one. I thought I could fix it all by just going home, but my mother didn’t want me around while she went through treatment. Staying in Chicago was a favor to her, but if I hadn’t agreed to leave Cali, everything with Callum would be over.
No matter what I did, it was like taking one step forward, and two back. Added to that was another issue. My classes were getting remarkably more difficult, and it wouldn’t be long before this house of cards I was living in would come crashing down around me. That almost happened when I got home from the library after classes and realized I was not alone. Initially, I’d planned on trying to relax with a glass of wine and a long bubble bath, mainly because I was overdue for some pampering. That was all shot to hell the moment I saw the couple sitting on my couch with each other’s tongues in their mouths.
I cleared my throat when the sound of the door opening and closing didn’t get their attention, and both straightened immediately. The blonde flashed me a guilty smile, while the redhead got onto his feet and walked over to me. I flung my arms around him.
“I didn’t know you were coming to town, Uncle Jonas.”
