Chapter 71Allison’s POV.

Slade stood across the room, his tie loosened, his jacket hanging casually over one shoulder.

There was something different about him too — something calculated. The tension between us wasn’t new; it had been building for a long time, thickening in every shared glance and unspoken memory.

I watched, unable to pretend anymore. There was definitely no need to hold back now. Why should I?

I decided not to sit but give a speech because

why couldn’t I teach ...