APOV

Seeing Christian appear in my kitchen had shocked me at first until the shock was replaced by worry and then panic at what I'd just read.

Carla was gone and only one other person was there and had known what I had gone through when I was seventeen. Just the thought of Stephen Morton made me shake as I now did in Christian's arms.

"Ana, baby, talk to me."

"You asked me to tell you about three and six" I whispered.

"Only because I wanted to make sure they stayed away from you."

"Six, I was only there with him for a short time before I left but when I left Ray, she had already set up home with three. His name as I said is Stephen Morton and he took as much pleasure in making me as miserable as she did."

"Sweetheart, sit down," Grandma told me as I continued to shake, terrified of going back to that dark place again. I sat down on one of the dining chairs Taylor pulled out for me.

While sat down, I looked around all that was here, all waiting for me to speak except Welch who had excused himself to step outside to make a call, wanting from what bit I could hear of his conversation, information on Morton. I could feel Christian's hand tightly in mine, I could feel Grandma watching me too and like when we had spoken about my past before, I felt a need to protect her from the truth.

"I wasn't in a very good place when I left Montesano and she took advantage of that as you know."

"What happened with him Ana, you've told me a few details but not much," Grandma asked, taking a seat also.

"Because I wanted to spare you."

"I don't want you to spare me, sweetheart. I may be old but I can still handle the truth, still protect you as you should've always been."

"I know you can" I smiled sadly. "Do you really want to know everything."

"Yes."

I took a deep breath, feeling Christian squeeze my hand, letting me know he was there for me as I started to speak.

"Leaving Montesano was one of the hardest things I'd ever done as although I was leaving pain behind, I had no idea where I was going. It was a dirty motel we spent the first night in, Carla and I. I knew she was with someone else, she had left Ray for him but until we arrived at a small run-down house the next night after driving all day, I had no clue who this person was."

"Was he mean straight off?" Grandma asked.

"There was certainly something off about him, the way he smiled at me, looked at me as if she had just brought him the greatest prize. When he spoke to me at first though he came across as polite and for a very short time, I wondered if, as I wasn't in the best headspace right then, if I wasn't imagining things. It was after" I spoke, a tear falling down my cheek.

"After what" Christian asked.

"After I'd lost our baby, it was after then when I was back in that grotty home again that he started behaving differently towards me. Little touches when we passed, invading my personal space and then I woke…"

"Ana, breathe, you're hyperventilating," Christian told me.

I couldn't breathe, I felt the room was closing in on me and I needed to escape so I could catch my breath. I stumbled to my feet, running for the door and out towards the alpaca's, collapsing in a heap on the ground halfway.

I could hear the ruckus coming from the animals at my distress, the spitting, the screeching as they looked for a threat. I felt arms around me then, holding me tightly. Christians soothing words to try and calm me down, filling my ears.

"He was over me... He was in my room, standing by my bed at first, stroking my hair. That was before his hand came over my mouth to stop me from screaming. He called me a whore just as she had done and said if someone had already had me, then anyone could."

I didn't realise my words had become a screech, matched only now by the animals in the yard. That upset me more than the story I'd had to tell as it was me that distressed them.

"Shh, shh Ana, he can't touch you" Christian whispered in my ear as he held me on the now muddy floor. The rain continued to fall around us, over us but neither of us moved.

"Ana, sweetheart, you're going to get sick" Grandma said, trying to sound strong but I could hear the emotion in her voice. I felt numb inside, as numb as my body was now starting to feel before I was lifted from the ground and carried back into the house.

"Why is he doing this" I whispered. "If she's gone, what does this achieve."

"I don't know baby, it can't be money otherwise it would've been the press he'd gone to."

"That man is dangerous, even if it's just in the lies he's spreading. I don't want him near my granddaughter" Grandma barked at all the men that were here.

"He won't get the chance, Ma'am," Taylor told her.

While they continued to speak, Christian took me up to our room and into the bathroom. There he stripped us of our clothes before we entered the shower, where he washed all of me. In here with my body now warm again, the tears started to fall.

It was later that night when we joined the group, my tears all gone for now. I had told Christian everything while we had been in that shower, followed by the time we lay on the bed. He knew every excruciating detail of my time with her.

"Are you alright?" Grandma asked me as we sat out on my favourite place, the porch, the rain, soothing now as it hit the metal roof above us.

"Yes, I'm sorry I didn't tell you it all a long time ago. I thought giving you details but sparing you the worst would be best."

"Your pain is my pain, Ana. You're my blood and I want to know about anything that hurts you."

"I promise no more secrets unless it's about a gift I'm going to give you" I smiled, as she took my hand, squeezing it gently before it joined her other, wrapped around her cup.

"Those secrets I can just about manage but if I know something's hiding here, I have to peek."

"And that is why your gifts for Christmas and birthdays are never kept in the house" I laughed.

Talk turned to a happy subject then, my wedding as Christian and the others, Ryan and Reynolds included seemed to be having a meeting inside the house.

"Location," Grandma asked.

"Either here, or at Grace and Carrick's place."

"A home wedding" she smiled.

"A quiet family wedding is what we both want."

"Where here, though," she asked.

"Beyond the family tree. We were thinking late spring, early summer before the grass is cut. It will be like a meadow then, we can cut the areas that are needed, an aisle, room for seating but leave the rest so we have our wedding flowers surrounding us."

"That's a beautiful idea, sweetheart. Having it here, you will have additional guests too" she smiled, pointing to all the animal areas where most were now asleep.

"Very welcome guests" I agreed.

We spoke more about, colours, cake flavours, all things I had previously spoken to Christian about, although he knew nothing about my dress. I had a few ideas of the dress that I wanted, pictures I would show grandma soon that I had found online, and in the bridal magazine, I'd left in my locker at work. No pictures would be shown today though, not with the groom in the house.

…

I couldn't find it, it had been here on my desk in the greenhouse when I'd left last night but now, it was gone.

"Professor, have you lost something" Abigail, one of my students finally asked as they had watched me frantically search.

"Um, no its nothing" I lied, facing my class now, before I gave them instructions of what we would be doing today.

My mug was what was missing. A simple thing that some wouldn't give much thought to whether it was here or not. To me though it had been a precious gift, given to me by my students that had graduated earlier this year.

"Professor, are you sure we can't help you find whatever is lost," Ashley asked, her voice loud this time over the noise, no longer the quiet student she was just a few weeks ago.

"No, it's fine, please get on with your work," I told her.

There was something different about Ashley today, her hair, that's what it is. It had always been long and brown, held back in a ponytail but today, she had left it down with a clip to one side, styled, just like mine.

Come to think of it now, when I look at her this isn't the first time I've noticed that about Ashley. Her clothes, the way she walks, talks, it was like she was trying to copy me.

"Stop it Ana" I mumbled to myself. I was probably imagining it, still on edge and seeing everyone and everything as a threat, which I've done ever since Christian had burst into my kitchen earlier this week. He's still here, working at home or trying to when grandma doesn't get him doing something. Yes, my mind was all over the place and I know my mug will turn up, probably under the leaf of a plant I had been working on in the botanical greenhouse, just like where I had left it when I'd been working before.

"What are you looking for" I heard Christian ask as I was bent over, looking under the large fern leaves that filled the borders that edged the winding path through the botanical greenhouse, my favourite greenhouse out of all that was here.

"My mug," I said, getting back up again. "Oooh, headrush" I groaned.

"Steady" he smiled, his hands coming to my hips. "Have you planted it."

"Planted what," I asked.

"Your mug" he replied.

"No," I laughed. "It's just missing. I've left it in here before when I've been working, you'd be surprised what you find hiding under a leaf. Penny found her greenhouse keys in here a few weeks ago, they'd fallen out of her pocket when she'd been teaching a class."

"Where did you last remember seeing it," he asked me.

"On my desk, in greenhouse three where I mostly teach."

We headed back towards that greenhouse but still, I couldn't see it. If it hadn't been a gift, I wouldn't give it a second thought, I'd just go out and buy another but it had been a gift and I wanted to find it. I'll look again tomorrow, ask the other Professors who had already left for the day if they'd seen it.

Leaving the greenhouses behind, Christian and I started making our way back towards the building that held my classroom, where his car was parked. There were still many students around, those who were attending evening classes, those who had finished for the day and were catching up with friends. It was a group of those day students who we had to walk past to get to the car but just as we approached and the group parted to give us some room on the path, I felt Christian stiffen beside me.

"What is it," I asked him, immediately looking where he was as I started to panic that Morton was here.

"I should've asked Ryan before now" he mumbled.

"Christian, what is it," I asked him again as two of my students approached, Darla and Ashley.

"When I heard her..." he spoke before he was interrupted when the girls reached us.

"Professor," they both said to me, but their focus quickly shifted to the man by my side. Darla was all smiles at Christian, in truth I think she had a crush but Ashley, her actions alarmed me because her head was slightly bowed.

"Ana, come on," Christian said, his arm tightening around my waist as he tried to steer me away from these women.

"Christian?" I replied, my feet standing still, refusing to move on their own. It was his name that was uttered by another that not only pissed me off especially with the words that followed but angered the man by my side.

"Christian, it must be nice to be able to call you that, Sir."

"Don't speak to me, don't speak to her" Christian spoke angrily shocking Darla, Ashley though only smiled.

"I have to" She laughed smugly. "She's my teacher."

"Not if I have something to do with it, she's not."

With that, my feet were propelled forward, Christians arm at my back before I stopped us once we had reached the car before he could usher me in.

"She's one of them, isn't she," I asked, looking back at the group to see her stood staring at me. If I had been closer, I'm sure I'd see a smile upon her face. "A submissive."

"Yes," he whispered, bringing his hands to my cheeks, cradling my face. "When I spoke to you on the phone, I can't remember what day it was.."

"You asked me who it was I was talking to, and I told you it was my students."

"Yes. I asked Ryan this morning to take photos of those that were around, students of yours. He told me after final class would be best as that's when they all leave together. I should've asked him before now but with everything that's happened recently, finding out who owns the voice I'd heard before, one that could've just been from a business meeting wasn't a priority. It should've been, I'm s..."

"Shush, don't you dare say you're sorry. You can't control everyone around you Christian, Luke asked who it was too" I stated.

"What, when."

"When I was speaking to Luke last week while I was here, he heard Ashley's voice and asked who it was."

"Ashley, that's the name she's going by, is it. When she was with me, her name was Ashlyn."

I blanched at his words finally getting into the car, the details coming together in my mind that I didn't want to see or acknowledge, that he'd had sex with her.

"Ana, she was a contract, that's all she was to me. She came to me via Elena, maybe three years ago now."

"Elena, is she the reason she's here," I asked, turning to face him. "Ashley or whatever her name is joined my class late, she was sick or something. She was older than most of my students this year but then she's not the oldest I've taught as anyone who pays the tuition fee can join the course if there's a place. To think I was worried about her failing as she's shown no interest in the class I teach."

"If this is some sick revenge from Elena, it will be her that will be paying for this."

The tyres squealed as we left the campus behind, both of us quiet now, both lost in thought as he drove us home.

I had to teach this woman although I didn't want to, I couldn't just remove her from my class without good reason. What was I supposed to tell Michael, that it was a conflict of interest as she'd had sex with my fiancé, that would expose them both.

I didn't know much about the world of Dominants and submissives, only it was a world where things to most are kept secret. Exposing the real reason as to why I didn't want to teach her would hurt Christian more.

I found come the following Friday morning as I entered the greenhouse, the perfect reason to remove her from my class that had nothing to do with the man I loved. There in pieces on my desk was my mug and as heartbreaking as that was, I welcomed it and the video footage off the camera's Ryan had installed the week before after gaining permission from the Dean. Some of the plants and trees not just in the greenhouse I taught but others as well had been intentionally damaged and we wanted to know who was doing it. The footage we had shown Ashley, Ashlyn or whatever her name was, rifling through my drawer's in greenhouse three and taking my things before smashing my mug she brought out of her bag, down onto my desk. There was also the footage of her damaging what I and many others, took a pleasure to grow.

Upon being shown the footage by Michael, the Dean and campus security, upon her locker being searched only to find various items of mine including a hair slide I'd worn weeks ago, one I thought I'd misplaced, even my bridal magazine that I'd left in my locker, one I'd marked the pages down of dresses I'd liked. It was also the set of greenhouse keys she must have had cut herself, taking a copy from Penny's that ensured her removal from the campus, her place on the course cancelled and her student pass revoked.

I doubt I've seen the last of her, with the screaming she did as she was told to leave. At least I don't have to see her every day now though, and I could finally concentrate on those who wanted to be taught, well except Henry who lasted to the end of the month before quitting after being told to learn or fail, to which he decided to fail.

My classes were calm now, enjoyable, everyone learning just as they were supposed to be. They would not always be like this, as taking the rough with the smooth, it's all par for the course when you choose to teach.

Thank you for reading.

Until next time, take care.

Caroline.