“That I should keep my distance from you until after the exam.”
My heart sinks. “Are you going to?”
Sawyer reaches for my hand. “What do you think?”
“I think you should. It’s not fair to you to lose everything because of me.”
“And I think some things are more important than a promotion.”
I adjust my glasses, blinking back tears. “Sawyer, please—”
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” His voice is gentle but determined. “I’m not going to let her bully me into abandoning someone I care about. That’s exactly what she wants.”
The way he says "someone I care about" makes my chest tighten. I don't even know what this is between us, but I know I don't want to lose it. “You could lose everything.”
“Losing you would be worse.”
I want to believe him, but the guilt is overwhelming.
“This is your mother's fault,” Sawyer says firmly. “She's the one who chose to file a complaint instead of supporting her daughter.”
I look at Sawyer. “What do we do now?”
“You do nothing. I’ll handle it.”
“But—”
“Ali, promise me you won’t try to fix this on your own. Don’t confront your mother, don’t try to make deals with her. She’s already shown what she’s capable of.”
I want to promise, but I can't. Not when his career is on the line because of me. The safe answer would be to nod and agree. To let him handle everything while I stay quiet.
But I'm tired of being safe. I'm tired of letting other people fight my battles.
“I can't just sit here and do nothing while she tries to destroy your career.”
“Yes, you can. Because getting involved will only make things worse for both of us.”
A knock on the office door. “Alice?” Nora's voice is apologetic but firm. “You have customers waiting.”
“I have to get back to work,” I say, standing up and smoothing my hair.
Sawyer stands too. “Promise me you’ll stay out of this.”
I look into his dark brown eyes and see the worry there. Not just for his career, but for me. For what I might do. “I’ll be careful.”
“That’s not the same as promising.”
“It’s the best I can do right now.”
He sighs but nods. “Just remember that your mother has already chosen her side. And it’s not yours.”
As he leaves, his words echo in my mind. My mother has chosen her side. And she’s chosen Lance and his family over her own daughter.
The question is, what am I going to do about it?
I sit at my teller station for the rest of the day, mechanically helping customers while my mind races. My fingers fumble with bills. I have to recount a deposit twice. Every time someone mentions the weather or asks about loan rates, I’m thinking about Sawyer’s career, about my mother’s betrayal, about Lance sitting in jail knowing he’s still winning.
Because that’s what this is. Even from behind bars, Lance is destroying my life and the life of the one person who tried to help me.
