This is not about whether I act. It’s about whether I’m prepared to accept what happens if I don’t.
That was new.
Because beneath all of it, the analysis, the restraint, the delay, there was something far simpler. Something I hadn’t needed to say aloud.
Until now.
I don’t want this to end.
And for a man who had always known when to walk away, that was the most significant change of all.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
September 15
Kieran
The Principal sat opposite me,a folder open in front of her. The HR guy was there too, and another member of staff who sat with hands folded, their expression neutral.
I sat in a chair facing them. I hadn’t brought a Union rep with me.
I didn’t think I needed one.
I didn’t do anything.
Of course, if they’d reached a different conclusion, this was all going to go pear-shaped pretty fast.
I’d think about that if it happened.
Dr. Williams cleared her throat. “Kieran, thank you for coming in.”
I blinked. “I didn’t think I had a choice.”
My voice sounded detached, as if it belonged to someone else.
She stilled, then recovered enough to incline her head. “I appreciate this must have been a very trying time for you.”
Understatement of the millennium.
She glanced down at the folder. “However, we have now concluded our investigation.”
There it was, no build-up, no ceremony.
I waited, and she raised her head to look me in the eye.
“The allegation made against you has been found to be without merit.”
The words landed with precision.
I didn’t move, didn’t react, because for a second I wasn’t sure I’d heard them correctly, even though I knew I was innocent.
Then it hit me. I hadn’t expected them to work that out too.
“I see,” I said, my tone calm and measured, as though she’d just delivered a minor administrative update.
The Principal continued. “The student in question made a similar allegation against another member of staff.”
That caught my attention, and I frowned.