Lily POV
"That's not—" Nathan started, but I wasn't finished.
"You said you liked me," I continued, my emotions finally spilling over. "You said you'd liked me for a long time. But the moment I couldn't give you what you wanted, the moment I stepped back from your kiss, you turned cold and professional and threatened to kick me out of your class. Is that what your affection looks like, Professor? Because it feels an awful lot like manipulation to me."
Nathan's jaw clenched. "You're twisting what happened."
"Am I?" I challenged. "Then please, enlighten me. Explain to me how threatening to fail me if I didn't stay in your classroom was anything other than you using your power over me to get your way."
"I wasn't trying to get my way," Nathan said, his voice strained. "I was trying to keep you from making a stupid decision in the heat of the moment. You can't just walk out of a required class because you're having a bad day, Lily. That's not how the real world works."
