Page 109 of The KING Review

God, I really might cry again, except this time for a good reason.

“Yeah,” I whisper. “Yeah, baby. I want that, too. I want everyone to know I’m yours.”

Grant thumbs a stray tear from my cheek. “I’ll write the letter today.”

There’s a weird, honeyed hum in my chest. I feel like I might float off the ground.

He glances at Sera, then leans in, pitching his voice so low only I can hear it. “Do you want me to tell her? That you’re not just my friend. I mean, we could… I could explain it. If you want.”

My pulse does something gymnastic and embarrassing. I want to say yes. But Sera deserves better than being dropped into this with zero warning or planning. Besides, we both know Marie is lurking somewhere, waiting to detonate.

I pull in a breath. “Let’s… wait,” I say, and my voice doesn’t shake, which is a small miracle. “Just until everything’s safe, you know? When Talan has the letter, when the review is done. Then it’s official. We can tell her together.”

Chapter Thirty-Three

All Storm, Empathy, and Bracing for Impact

Grant

Ellie’s office is a glass box at the end of the hall, and the second I walk in, she cocks an eyebrow like she’s been waiting. She doesn’t even have to say, “What’s up?” It’s implied in the flex of her jaw and the way her pen hovers, poised for drama.

I cut straight to the chase. “I want it on the record. My relationship with Neve. Official in the agreement. Yes, there’s been a change of circumstances, so we’ll need to review.” My chest is tight, but I keep my hands relaxed, palms open. Non-threatening.

Ellie sighs, setting the pen down. Her eyes flick up, assessing every molecule of resolve on my face. “Grant, you know Talan needs to sign off first, right? They’re your employer. If anything goes sideways there…” She doesn’t finish, but she doesn’t have to.

My income is Sera’s stability.

If I lose my job, I lose my daughter.

I nod. “I sent the disclosure letter already—certified mail, obviously. I just need an acknowledgment from HR.” I say it like it’s no big deal, but the truth is, I’ve been refreshing my inbox every ten seconds for two days, hoping for a ping. Nothing.

Ellie’s mouth ticks up, impressed despite herself. “You’re getting out ahead of it. Good. Let me know when you get confirmation, and we’ll file the addendum with the official timestamp.”

“You don’t need Marie’s agreement?”

Ellie tilts her head. “Did we need your agreement when Marie started seeing Kris? No. I approve the change, not Marie.”

My body relaxes.

She studies me for another beat, then nods. “This is the right play, Grant. If you want to be with Neve, you need to protect your career first. Otherwise, Marie will have a field day, and Sera will be collateral damage.”

Tell me something I don’t know.

I leave with the faintest bolt of hope, but it lasts about as long as it takes to get to work and turn my laptop on. My inbox is a disaster, everything flagged as urgent, and I’m about to lose myself in grading when there’s a knock at my office door.

“Doctor King?” I look up to find James from HR. “Could you come with me, please?”

I blink. That’s not a good sign.

He leads me down the hall, past the teaching labs. I get marched into the HR conference room, where Amy, the Director of Faculty Affairs, is sitting with a look that says, “Don’t even try to bullshit me.”

“We received an anonymous report,” she says, folding her hands on the table. “Alleging an undisclosed relationship with a student. That’s grounds for review. Effective immediately.”

My stomach drops. I bite down the urge to laugh, because of fucking course this is happening now.

“I sent the disclosure letter three days ago,” I say, reaching into my bag with shaking hands and flinging the receipt from the post office onto the table.

James picks it up, squinting through his half-frame glasses. Amy barely glances at it, mouth compressing into a flat line.