When Kayla McAllister, a dedicated university professor, falls for her charismatic French student Laurent Bellamy, their secret romance ignites a scandal that threatens their futures, forcing them to navigate the harsh consequences of breaking acade...
I sat alone at a table for two in the cafe on that dull Saturday afternoon, my mind consumed by thoughts of Laurent Bellamy. It had been a week since he last attended my lecture, and his absence gnawed at me. Laurent was one of my most dedicated students, never missing a class or a meeting without a valid reason. His sudden disappearance felt ominous.
I'd reached out to him after that missed lecture, but he hadn't responded to my messages. Laurent wasn't the type to ignore communication, and his silence only added to my growing unease. What could have happened to him? The possibilities ran through my mind endlessly, each one more distressing than the last.
I tried to focus on grading papers and preparing for the upcoming week's lectures, but my thoughts kept drifting back to Laurent. His charming smile, which never failed to brighten my day, and the intelligence and passion he brought to every discussion – all of it seemed like a distant memory now. The cafe, usually a place of comfort and inspiration, felt like a prison trapping me in my worries.
As the hours passed, my worry grew into a gnawing fear that something terrible had happened to him. Maybe he had fallen ill, or been in an accident, or faced some other unforeseen crisis. The possibilities were endless, and each one seemed more terrifying than the last. I found myself checking my phone every few minutes, hoping for a message, an explanation, anything that would put my mind at ease.
We had agreed to meet this very cafe. But as the minutes ticked by and he never showed up, my heart sank lower and lower. Was he avoiding me? Had he lost interest in our shared academic connection, or – worse yet – in me? The doubts and insecurities threatened to overwhelm me, clinging to me like shadows in the fading light of the day.
I paced back and forth outside the cafe, the cool breeze doing little to calm my nerves. Every passing minute felt like an eternity. I tried to push away the thoughts of rejection and failure, but they were relentless. Finally, as the sun began to set and the shadows lengthened across the streets, I made a decision. I couldn't wait any longer in this state of uncertainty.
Gathering my things, I made my way home, my steps quickening with each passing moment. As I passed through the park that wasn't far from my apartment building, I contemplated taking a little bit of time to walk around or go back and do a relaxing self-care night in my apartment. The park, with its serene atmosphere and the gentle rustling of leaves, seemed like a good place to clear my head.
After a few minutes of waiting around, I checked my messages one last time and started heading back to my apartment. The familiar path did little to soothe my troubled mind. I was lost in thoughts about Laurent, wondering why he hadn't shown up at the rendezvous he had suggested. Each step felt heavier with the weight of unanswered questions.
Just as I was about to lift myself from a bench, an incoming notification stopped me in my tracks. My heart leaped with a mix of hope and anxiety. Could it be him? I excitedly checked the notification and opened it, only to find a message from my sister, Kate. Disappointment washed over me, but I decided to read and reply to her when I got back home.
Hey Kayla, call me ASAP. I have bad news. It's about Mom.
As I read those messages, the unending questions I had about Laurent Bellamy shifted into fear and worry for someone else. My mother. The abrupt change in focus left me reeling. I immediately dialed my sister's number and waited anxiously for her to answer the call.
"Hello?" she said in a low voice, as if she was trying to stay quiet.
"Kate, what's going on? Why are you talking like that?" I asked, my worry intensifying.
"Hold on, I'm in the hospital room with Mom right now. Let me get to a place where I can talk," she replied, her voice strained.
Hospital room? What the hell was she talking about?
"Kate, what is happening? Is Mom okay?" I asked, panic seeping into my voice.
"No, she's not. We thought all the chemo and the radiation worked, but today Mom wasn't feeling too well. Brandon and I took her to the hospital, and they did some tests to figure out what was going on. They found out..." She stopped talking, taking a deep breath. Her voice shook, and I could hear her trying not to cry as she continued speaking.
"Kate, calm down. Just talk to me, okay?" I said, adding a soothing tone to my voice to calm her down.
"They found out that the cancer treatment didn't actually work and that it spread throughout her lung, attacking the other one as well."
Before she could even finish that sentence, my heart sank. I was on the verge of tears, trying so hard to hold it together and not fall apart.
Our mother got diagnosed with cancer a year ago, and as soon as my siblings and I learned it, we all jumped in to help with the medical bills and made sure that our mother was getting the best treatment. Learning that all our efforts didn't pay off was the most devastating thing that could happen.
Our father was never around, so it was up to us to take care of her. He left when my mother was pregnant with my younger sister, Kate, and we never heard from him again. Because Mom took care of us on her own for practically all our lives, it was our responsibility to make her life as easy as possible, to make her feel proud of her choices and of the people we'd become.
"What?" I asked, my voice shaking with heavy emotions and fear. "What did the doctor say?"
"They said that at this point, there's nothing they can do. Nothing will work, even if they tried."
"So they're just gonna let her die?" At this point, tears were already uncontrollably running down my face, and my heart felt heavy, aching at the idea of seeing my mother die slowly in pain without being able to do anything.
"Hello? Kayla, are you there? Are you okay? Please, talk to me," she asked, but I couldn't focus because I had so many things going through my mind.
I ended the call without saying anything. I needed some peace and quiet, to think and wrap my mind around what was to come. I sat on the floor of my small living room, crying my heart out, not knowing what to do. The only thing that came to my mind now was flying to my hometown as soon as possible to be with my family.
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