Her expression sharpened. “Why?”
I expelled a breath. “Because a student has made an accusation.”
Diana’s eyes widened. “What kind of accusation?”
I swallowed. “He claims that I… coerced him into having sex. That I offered better grades in exchange.”
Silence.
She stared at me, open-mouthed for a moment. “But that isn’t true.” A heartbeat later, she added, “Is it?”
Hurt lanced through me.
I’ve just been blindsided, my reputation is under threat, and the one person I expected unconditional trust from…
That tiny hesitation felt like needles in my skin.
I gaped at her. “Of course it isn’t.” The words came out with a sharpness I hadn’t intended. “I’ve never done anything like that.”
Diana nodded slowly, as if filing that away. “All right.”
I blinked. “All right?”
“I believe you,” she said with a shrug.
Something in my chest loosened, although the echo of that brief hesitation lingered longer than I wanted it to.
“So who’s accused you?”
“I have no idea. Apparently, I’ll be sent more details. And there’s going to be an investigation.”
She closed the laptop with a softclick. “Have they suspended you?”
“Yes, but…” I relayed what they’d told me.
She grimaced when I mentioned protecting the student. “I can just imagine. They’ve probably offered him counselling.” Diana leaned back in her chair. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve this.”
Her words took the edge off my previous irritation. “Thank you.”
She rubbed her finger over the laptop. “It’s just…”
I stilled. “What?”
Diana hesitated, as if choosing her words carefully. “It’s just… things like this make people draw their own conclusions.”
My earlier unease stirred back into existence. “What do you mean?”
She held my gaze. “Us, Kieran.”
I frowned. “What about us?”
“Our marriage. The way we are together.” She tilted her head to one side. “You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed it too.”
I stared at the table, unable to look her in the eye. “Noticed what?”
Diana reached across and took my hand. I jerked my head up, and she gave me a sad sort of smile. “Our sex life.”
My heartbeat quickened. “What about it?”