Page 130 of Counting On You

“It’s not like that,” I whisper.

Oh, who am I kidding?

This is so hot, I want it again. I don’t regret any of it. The only thing I regret is the fact that we got caught.

“We’ve already made our decision. Kade is leaving tomorrow,” the woman says.

“It’s not his fault. None of this is.”

“That’s what he said you would say,” a guy says.

“And you believed it?” I shake my head. “Why did no one callmein to explain?”

One of the men motions to the chair. I feel nauseous to the core as I take a seat and fold my hands in my lap.

They’re all staring at me now.

“He’s a sex addict, Victoria,” the same guy continues. “He knows that what he did is wrong and so he agreed to make a formal statement. We didn’t ask you to explain yourself because we didn’t see the need. The situation is as uncomfortable for us as it is for you, what with you being a victim and Mr. Wright taking advantage of your fragile state of mind.”

“But he didn’t do anything.”

“You’re ashamed, which is a natural response among victims,” the woman chimes in.

I shake my head vehemently. “I haven’t been sexually assaulted.”

As my words begin to sink in, their expressions darken. I can see the disappointment written on their face, like I’m some kind of failed experiment. The room’s silent. After what feels like an eternity, the youngest guy seems to take charge.

“Mr. Wright has testified. He’s even provided a witness who knew about his plan. His best friend showed us the call log and some text messages as proof. That’s all we needed to believe him.”

“He pursued a plan right from the start,” the woman says. “He preyed on your vulnerability.”

“Is that what he said?” I ask feebly. As much as I don’t want to believe their claims, I can’t help but wonder whether there’s a seed of truth to them.

“Why don’t you see for yourself? We’ve gathered a formal statement for you in case you want to take this to court.” The woman types on her laptop and the image on the screen changes.

My mouth goes dry as I stare at Kade explaining how it all started as a bet and how important some sex calendar was to him. He goes on to explain the great length he went to to get me into bed, even though I turned him down countless times. He finishes with a recount of how he discovered that I had smuggled in a burner phone—information he saw as his chance to blackmail me, culminating in the library event, during which he claims to have forced me to have sex with him.

My heart skids to the halt.

I know most parts are made up, but there’s also truth to his version of events.

As soon as the video ends, I can feel all eyes on me, but my gaze remains glued to the screen while Kade’s words keep echoing in my mind.

“Needless to say, Mr. Wright won’t be staying in your apartment until his transfer.” The male voice speaking sounds as though it’s coming from the far side of a tunnel.

“What about my therapy plan? Will it be affected in any way?” I don’t want to ask the obvious: will any of this affect my court order in any way?

“That’s up to your therapist,” the woman says. “She might want to keep you in here a little longer.”

My heart sinks. Staying without Kade is the last thing I want to do.

“We’re very sorry for everything you’ve been through,” a guy says.

I turn to the window, ignoring the empty apologies that follow. It all started out as such a beautiful day. I can’t help but think that they ruined it. They ruined everything I had with Kade.

My whole bodyfeels numb as I leave the office, closing the door behind me. Sylvie’s standing a few feet away.

“You were in there for almost an hour. I thought you’d never make it out alive. How did it go?” she whispers even though there’s no one else in the hall.

---