“He’s my professor,” I tell Kit as we sit together at our favorite pizza place two days after my disastrous run-in with Jude. “My married with a kid professor. Oh, God. I’m a home wrecker. His accent probably isn’t even real.” I drop my head into my hands and groan.

“Wow, when you mess up you go all in, don’t you?”

I lift my face and stare daggers at him. “Not helpful.”

“It’s really a shame. He’s so hot. I mean, not as hot as your brother, but still.”

I bristle at the mention of Austen. “Don’t talk about my brother like that. It’s gross.”

“I can’t help it. Your brother is a fine specimen. I bet Samantha thinks so too from the way she’s been looking at him lately.”

I sigh. “At least someone’s happy.”

He cocks his eyebrow. “So the whole, age thing doesn’t bother you? She’s like thirty isn’t she? Why is she still in college.”

“Twenty-seven. She’s a PhD student. And in case you’re forgetting, I slept with my married professor. I’d be the pot calling the kettle black if I had a problem with their age difference.”

“True. So, what are you going to do? You have to take that class.”

“I can’t. I can’t go back there and face him again. I tried yesterday and had a panic attack. Even the idea of seeing him is painful.”

Kit frowns. “I thought he was just a one night fling.”

“It was…but we had something. It was like…well, it was this crazy instant connection between us. He wanted to see me again, and I couldn’t say no. It felt so right.”

He takes a long drink from his straw before looking back at me. “I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s a first.”

He laughs and throws a wadded up napkin at me. “Bitch.”

“I’ll just have to chalk this up to bad judgment and use it as a reminder to stay focused on my future. I let him distract me with his sexy mouth and beautiful body. That’s all. I’m going to have to pull out of his class and take an extra next quarter.”

Kit nods and picks up his pizza, taking a huge bite. Conversation over. Decision made. I’m done with Jude. He’s not a possibility for me and he should be focused on his family.

I studiously ignore my phone the rest of the day. Finally turning it off completely after Jude’s tenth text. I’d thought he would have given up by now, but he still tries to get in touch every day. I don’t want this reality to be true, because everything with him was so easy, so perfect. To have it all shattered with one sharp twist of fate makes anxiety blossom in my chest. How could my instincts be so wrong? I’ve always considered myself a good judge of character, but to miss something as monumental as him being married, having a newborn for heaven’s sake, means I have no idea what people are capable of.

I push open the sorority house door and walk into something akin to a Halloween shop. Bags of cobwebs, buckets of candy and at least thirty uncarved pumpkins fill the front room. There are plastic bags from the local party store, boxes from Amazon, and costumes on hangers lining the stair bannister. Stacy stands amid the mess with a steamer in her hands as she runs it over the wrinkled fabric of a princess gown.

“Good, you’re here,” she says. “We’re going over to decorate tomorrow so we’re ready for Halloween.”

I fight my grimace. The last thing I want to do is pretend to be a witch and give people tarot readings and pretend love spells. “Stace—”

“Look, I know you’re having a bit of a crisis at the moment. We all heard about your vanishing act in that class you were supposed to take. I can only assume it’s because of Mr. Walk-of-shame, but it’s better to keep yourself busy, do something with your time, than sit and dwell on it.”

I sigh and stare at her. She’s right. “Okay. I’m sorry I’ve been a jerk about this whole thing.”

“I get it. Probably more than you know.” She reaches up and grabs a long dress from where it hangs on the bannister. “Here. This one’s yours.”

It’s very different from what I expected. A corset top with rich colored fabric and beautiful detailed embroidery along the skirt. “Stacy, this is gorgeous.”

She shrugs. “Just because you’re a wicked witch, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be stunning.”

I grin. “Like Sarah Jessica Parker in Hocus Pocus.”

“Exactly.” I start up the stairs, but Stacy calls my name and stops me.

“He’s an idiot if he hurt you. Just remember that. You’re deserving of a guy who’ll love you and be honest. Not one who makes you sad.”

My eyes well with tears and I have to work to keep them from falling. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

I rush up the stairs and into my room, thankful I’m one of the few who got a private space in the house. My chest is tight with unshed tears and when I turn on my phone and see all the missed messages from Jude, they finally fall. “Leave me alone, asshole,” I shout, throwing my phone across the room. Reasonable? No. But he can’t keep doing this to me. He’s not available. He can’t love me like I love him.

Wait. Love him? I can’t possibly already love him. But it’s there, that word hangs over me like a damn cloud. No. It’s not a cloud. It’s a seed. A seed this man planted the first moment I met him and now it’s grown in my heart and I can’t cut it out.

Damn him.

My stupid phone lights up from the pile of laundry it ended up landing in. I can’t ignore it any longer. My weakened heart won’t let me.

Crossing the room, I bend down to pick up the slim device. His name flashes on the screen and my eyes fill with angry tears.

I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.

Oh, that’s fucking rich. He didn’t mean to hurt me? That makes absolutely no sense. Who did he mean to hurt then? His wife? His newborn? Or maybe he’d planned to keep this a secret forever. Just a blip in his marriage.

I type back a furious message.

Maybe you should be saying that to your wife, asshole.

My finger hovers over the Send button, and after one brief moment of hesitation, I press it. He needs to know I’m aware of the depth of his betrayal. Not only to me, but to his family.

His beautiful eyes flash in my memory and all I can think about is the adoration and pure connection I saw there. I feel like an idiot for believing him.

My phone lights up as he calls me but I ignore him. I’ve said everything I need to say. He thought he could take advantage of me not knowing who he was, but he got caught.

“No more, Jude. I’m not falling for your charms again,” I say. Then, I block his number and let the damn tears fall again.