Chapter 6
THE TUSSLE
EMILY,
I couldn't get the thoughts of what had just happened out of my head. The doorbell had rung that morning and I had rushed to see who was at the door, the moment I opened the door, the world tilted. There she was, Dr. Elena.
Ryan's professor.
I knew her instantly. She was the one he couldn't stop talking about last semester. The one he brought little gifts to, the one who always refused them but left him sulking for days afterwards. Until now, I had written her off as harmless. But here she was, standing on my doorstep with a bag in her hand.
And she didn't even know me.
"What did she want?" I thought to myself as I stared at her with contempt on my face.
I knew it was now or never, I had to send her away as quickly as possible before she ruined everything for me and Ryan.
Her expression was calm, professional, almost tired. Her lips curved into a polite smile, but her eyes were tired, redish, as if she'd been crying for days and barely slept.
"Hi," she said, her voice calm and confident. "I'm looking for Ryan. Is he home?"
"Why was she here? What did she want? As my brain tried to process her intentions, I stared at her, trying to make sense of her presence. She wasn't here for a casual visit. No one shows up at their student's house with bags for that. This wasn't professional, and it wasn't innocent and I was going to find out what it was.
I calmed my expression pretending not to be offended by the sight as I trained my features into neutrality. "Ryan?" I echoed, feigning ignorance. "Who are you?"
Her brow furrowed slightly, her confidence flickering. "I'm... a friend of Ryan's," she said, the words hesitating on her lips. She stood there, waiting, clearly expecting me to step aside and let her in.
Ryan's voice carried from the living room, oblivious to what was happening at the door. "Who's at the door, Em?"
I froze, my muscles tensing. I didn't want him finding out she was here so I came up with an excuse as quickly as I could.
"No one important!" I shouted back, sharper than I intended.
I turned back to her, lowering my voice to a firm whisper. "Now is not a good time," I said, hoping she'd get the hint and leave.
But she didn't.
Instead she stood there, her eyes narrowing as she stared, curiosity evidenced in them. She tried to glance over my shoulder as if to catch a glimpse of Ryan. "Look, I'm not here to cause trouble," she said quietly. "I just... wanted to talk to him."
I didn't move. "Like I said, it's not a good time," I repeated, a little louder than before.
But when she didn't move, when her presence at the door lingered for too long, I stepped outside and closed the door behind me.
"Dr. Elena," I hissed, my voice low but sharp, "how shameless are you? Showing up at a student's house, bags in hand? Do you think I don't see what this is?"
Her expression didn't change, but her eyes flickered with something unreadable. I couldn't understand how she could keep calm regardless of what I said.
Without waiting for her to respond, I turned and went back inside, slamming the door behind me. My chest heaved as I pressed my back to it, willing myself to breathe. She wasn't just his professor. She was something more. Something dangerous.
And I was going to get her out before anyone realized.
That evening, the tension in my chest wouldn't ease. Ryan sat beside me on the couch, scrolling through his phone having no idea what had happened earlier, but I couldn't focus on anything else. The thought of her. her boldness, her nerve was consuming me.
If she thought she could waltz back into Ryan's life and pick up where they'd left off, she was in for a rude awakening.
I turned to him, resting my hand on his arm, forcing a casual tone. "Ryan, baby," I started. "Have you ever thought about transferring schools? Maybe going somewhere else to finish your degree?"
He frowned, his eyes leaving his phone to meet mine. "What? No. Why would I do that?"
"I don't know," I said with a shrug, trying to sound offhanded. "Maybe for a fresh start? New opportunities?"
He laughed, shaking his head. "Em, I like it here. I've got good friends, great professors—it's perfect for me."
The mention of "great professors" made my stomach spurn, but I forced a smile. "Of course. I just thought I'd ask."
" Baby, on second thought. I guess I would transfer instead. I can't handle being far from you anymore." I said as I kissed him.
" That wouldn't be necessary." He told me. I decided to let it be.
The next morning, I woke up with a sense of purpose. I wasn't going to sit idly by and let her dictate the take my man from me. If she wanted to play games, she'd have to get through me first.
I went to her office.
Her door was cracked open, and I saw her sitting at her desk, sipping coffee while she marked papers. She looked up when I walked in, surprised.
"Oh. Hi," she said, setting her mug down. "Do I know you?"
"No," I replied, stepping inside and shutting the door behind me. "But I know you. You're Dr. Elena and you were at my house yesterday"
She smiled. "And you are Ryan's wife, right?"
"Emily," I said, lifting my chin. " And you are right, I am his wife." I lied. it was the only thing I thought to protect what I loved, who I loved.
Her face didn't change, but something shifted in her eyes. A moment of awareness, perhaps recognition. "I see," she replied slowly, leaning back in her chair. "How can I help you, Emily?"
I had rehearsed this moment in my head a hundred times, but now, under her calm gaze, I was at a loss for words.
"I just wanted to clear the air," I said finally. "Ryan has mentioned you before. I know you're important to him, but he's happy with me. I thought you should know that."
Her expression did not change. She did not blink or flinch. She simply sat there, studying me with quiet intensity.
"Emily," she said, her voice as calm as ever, "Ryan is a remarkable person. I've always admired his passion and dedication. But you don't have to worry about me. He is just my student and as you can see, She paused and showed me her fingers to,
" I am married."
Her words were measured and deliberate. They should have been comforting, but they were not. Something about the way she said them and her smile made my skin crawl.
"I'm glad we had this talk," I said stiffly, rising to leave.
"So am I," she replied, her gaze following me as I walked out the door.
I arrived home happy, I was able to talk to Elena to leave my man alone.
I made dinner and served some champagne so we could celebrate. Ryan returned home, but he was not himself. He was quieter than usual, distracted and barely touched his meal and I knew something was wrong.
Something was different with him. He said he was tired, but I could see he was lying. He wasn't just tired. There was more to it.
What was wrong? I thought to myself. " Did Elena talk to him about our meeting?" I thought to myself.
I wasn't sure what to think and after asking Ryan repeatedly and gotten no response, I decided to let him be.
That night, as we lay in bed, I knew it was time to go through with my second plan.
If Ryan had to leave his school, I would go with him instead.
I turned to him. "Hey," I whispered. "Is everything okay?" Concern was evident in my tone.
He hesitated before answering. "Yeah. Just...a lot on my mind."
"What kind of things?" I pressed gently.
"Work. School. Life." He looked at me and forced a tired smile. "Nothing to worry about."
" It's fine then, just thought to tell you I would be transferring school, I want to be with you." I faked a smile as I spoke. Ryan didn't object or argue with me. He didn't respond and only nodded.
But I couldn't stop worrying. Not when his phone buzzed late at night and he silenced it so quickly I didn't get a chance to see who it was.
I wasn't going to lose him.
Not to her.
Not to anyone.
I muttered to myself as I turned to the side unable to sleep.