“You do see it. I can see it in your eyes. You just realized that this…” she waved her hand around the apartment, “… is all a lie.”
Professor Hunter wouldn’t lie to me again. I wasn’t going to let her convince me to not believe in him. What we had was real. She was just jealous. “I don’t think you know him as well as you think.”
She leaned forward and raised her eyebrow. “Is that what he told you?”
“He didn’t need to.”
“I’ve known him since we were kids. I know him better than you ever will. And if you’ll excuse me, I need to talk to my husband in private.” She stood up.
“I think you should go.” I was surprised by my own courage. He wouldn’t want her here. I felt protective of him. I didn’t want her to hurt him anymore. She was cold and manipulative and horrible.
Isabella laughed. “Penny, I’m doing you a favor. Trust me, you don’t want anything to do with him.”
“If he’s as bad as you say, then why haven’t you signed the papers?”
She put her hand on top of the manila envelope. “I’m actually here to discuss that.”
Thank God.
“You look relieved. You shouldn’t be. I can tell that you’re just as addicted to him as he is to you. That would be sweet in any other situation, but not in this one.”
“What are you talking about?”
“He really hasn’t told you?”
“Told me what?”
“I think you already know. You just don’t want to believe it. Besides, James is bad at hiding his shortcomings.”
“We love each other. That’s all that matters.”
“How old are you, Penny?”
I shouldn’t be answering her questions. She had already made her mind up about me. I stayed quiet.
“Right. You’re young. You don’t know what love is. Have you ever even been in a serious relationship before? Can you even tell when someone is lying to you?”
“He’s not lying to me.”
“Withholding information is just as bad as lying. It’s something that you should know. You did that to him, did you not?”
How the hell does she know all this? I looked over at the bedroom door. He had to have talked to her about me. Did he do it that night? Right before they slept together? I needed to know. “If James didn’t talk to you about me…”
“He has his sources and I have mine,” she said, cutting me off. “So how about you get to class. What I need to discuss with him is none of your business.” Her words were icy. It felt like she had slapped me.
“It is my business.”
Isabella sighed. “Remember that I tried to warn you. But fine, we’ll do this your way. “James!” she called. “James, get the hell up!”
It only took a second for James to come to the door of his bedroom. He took one look at me, from head to toe. Was he looking to see if she had hurt me? Her words had been painful enough.
He turned to Isabella. “How did you get in here?” I had never heard him sound so mad before. He definitely hadn’t given her a key. He walked over to me and stood in front of me. Protecting me? Or hiding something?
“Don’t be so cold James. I’m your wife, after all.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “Get out of my apartment.”
She ignored him. “I see that you aren’t being very discreet with your new girlfriend. She’s a little young for you, don’t you think?” She looked at me. “And really not your type at all.”
What is his type?
James pulled his phone out of his pocket. “Get out or I’ll call the cops, Isabella.”
“Hmm, so now we can add threatening to the list?” She undid the tabs on the envelope and pulled out some photographs. She tossed them on the table. “On top of blackmailing?”
“Isabella…” James said and started toward her.
“I’m glad the girl that you’re currently fucking is here.” She said it in a disgusted way. “Now she can know what kind of man you really are.”
James quickly grabbed the photographs and turned them so that they’d be face down on the table. I didn’t get a chance to see what they were of.
“You didn’t give me a choice. Why do you have to make everything impossible? Do you enjoy torturing me?”
“Yes.” Her voice was cold.
“I just need you to sign the papers.”
“What, so that you can be with her?” she scoffed. “You must be joking.”
“What I do now is none of your business. Sign the papers.” His voice was authoritative.
“This is ridiculous. She doesn’t even know you.”
“Neither do you.”
“And whose fault is that?”
“You can’t blame this on me.”
She laughed. “You know, the press is going to have a field day when they hear about how my husband cheated on me with a student. It’s so cliche, don’t you think? They’ll love it. The university probably won’t love it as much, though.”
“I’ll leak the photos.”
“No you won’t. How do photos of me screwing another man help you in any way? All it shows is that you can’t satisfy your own wife.”
“No. It shows that you have a history of infidelity that makes your claim to anything that’s mine invalid.”
“And she doesn’t do the same for you?” she pointed at me.
I felt small. I was a spectator. I shouldn’t be here watching them. But I also couldn’t seem to walk away.
“I don’t want anything that’s yours,” Professor Hunter said. “Sign the papers now and you get half. Wait and get nothing.”
She pulled out some more papers from the envelope. “I already did, you egotistical asshole.” She threw them at him. He stepped to the side and let them flutter to the ground. He leaned over and picked one of them up.
“You signed them?” I hadn’t meant to say anything.
Isabella stared at me. “He’s all yours. Good luck. You’re going to need it. He’s fickle. He gets bored easily. He’s going to eat you alive.”
“Isabella! Enough!”
“What, are you afraid I’m going to let something slip that you haven’t told her? Stop running, James. Stop throwing yourself into new things. Get some help. She’s not the answer and you know it.” She walked over to the elevator and pressed the button.