Forward, Without Him Chapter 10

Forward, Without Him Chapter 10

I cut him off with a short laugh.
“Explain what? Explain how you were texting me ‘love you’ while rolling around in bed with her?”
I looked directly at him.
“Or explain how the two of you hacked into my application portal to decline my Columbia offer so she could have her little birthday wish? So I’d be stuck taking a gap year?”
Whatever small hope he’d been holding onto collapsed.
On the drive over, part of him had still told himself she was just upset. Just being dramatic.
But she knew all of it.
There was no angle left to work.
“Taylor, I–”
His voice came out raw.
“Lexi and I… I just felt bad for her. I–”
“You felt bad for her.”
I gave him the smile that made his chest feel wrong.
“So you took your charity all the way to her bed?”
Ethan pressed his hands over his face, voice muffled.
“I’m so sorry…”
“But it was only supposed to be a year. Just one year. It was just me feeling sorry for her, giving her that one birthday thing.”
“Taylor, I swear, you’re the only person I’ve ever actually loved–”
“Stop.”
I held up a hand.
“Ethan. I’m not interested in any of that. I have one question. Last year, my Columbia acceptance — was it you and Lexi who got into my account and changed it?”
He opened his mouth. His shoulders dropped all the way.
“Yes…”
“But I only did it because I was scared you’d fall apart if you knew about me and Lexi. And I knew with your ability, one gap year would just mean an even better school–”
I cut him off again.
“That’s all I needed.”
“Ethan, we’re done. Completely.”
I opened a new text to him on my phone and typed: “You just admitted to hacking into my application account on May 1st last year. Did you? If yes, get off MIT’s campus.”
He looked down at his screen. His hands were shaking when he typed back: “Yes.”
I had what I needed. I stopped looking at him, swiped my key card, and walked into the building.
The elevator doors closed behind me.
My phone rang.
New York number.
I had a pretty good idea. I picked up.
“Hello?”
“Taylor Sullivan!!!”
Lexi’s voice came through the speaker like a fire alarm.
“Why did your parents cancel my bank authorization?! I have nothing in my account! The Bursar’s Office just emailed me a warning — they said if I don’t pay they’re putting a Registration Hold on me and dropping me from all my classes!”
I kept my voice flat.
“And?”
“And?? Help me pay it!”
She sounded completely serious.
“Your parents have always covered me. Why are they backing out now? Tell them to write a check or wire it over. I need it today–”
“Lexi.”
I stopped her.
“When you were sleeping with my boyfriend.”
“When the two of you got into my account and messed with my acceptance. Did you stop and think about that for even one second? Every dollar you spent in New York came from my family.”