The Professor's Wrong Text

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The lecture was dragging on, a slow death by PowerPoint. Bored out of my skull, I decided to harass my online boyfriend with a little dirty talk.

Daddy, Venmo me $50 for strawberries. I'll reimburse you on your neck later~

The second the message marked as Delivered, the entire auditorium gasped in unison. A collective intake of breath that sucked the oxygen right out of the room.

I looked up.

There, standing on the podium, was Professor Donovan. The campus "Ice King"cold, untouchable, and devastatingly handsome. And right behind him, projected in 4K resolution on the massive lecture screen, was my text message.

He didn't flinch. Not even a muscle twitched in that sculpted, icy face.

In front of hundreds of students and faculty, he calmly typed a reply on his phone.

"Be a good girl. I'm working. We'll talk tonight."

My brain short-circuited.

I was dead.

Chapter 1

Desperate to scrap together enough credits to graduate, Cheyenne dragged me on a lecture hall crusade.

Three hours. Five different professors. My ass had gone completely numb. I couldn't feel my legs.

I slumped in my seat, debating the merits of just rolling onto the floor, when the atmosphere in the room shifted. The drowsy murmur of the crowd snapped into electric silence, followed immediately by a wave of hushed, excited whispering.

Cheyenne dug her nails into my arm. "Brynn! Look! It's Donovan! Professor Donovan is actually here!"

I lifted my head from the desk.

Professor Donovan. The youngest legend in the department.

Hed only been on campus for a short time, but his facea masterpiece of sharp angles and cold indifferencecombined with that vibe of utter unavailability, had already secured him a cult following. The girls called him the "Ice King." Look, but don't touch.

He stood at the podium, long fingers adjusting the HDMI cable connected to his laptop. Even doing tech support for himself, he looked like he stepped out of a GQ shoot.

I stared.

My eyes drifted to his hand. Specifically, the wrist. Wrapped around his pale, prominent wrist bone was a woven string bracelet. Red and green.

My heart skipped a beat.

It looked exactly like the lucky transfer charm Id bullied my online boyfriend into buying a few weeks ago.

The thought of my online guy sent a sudden spike of heat through my stomach. My brain flooded with the image hed sent late last night. A mirror selfie. No face. Just a torso. Defined obliques. A sharp V-line disappearing into the waistband of his sweats. The kind of abs you could grate cheese on.

Pure, unadulterated thirst trap.

I bit my lip. I pulled up our chat. His last message said he was heading to his part-time job. So, he was working right now.

A wicked idea curled in my chest. If he was working, he couldn't do anything about me teasing him. I typed fast, adrenaline spiking.

"Daddy, Venmo me $50 for strawberries. I'll reimburse you on your neck later~"

Sent.

The moment the blue bubble appeared, the auditorium exploded.

It wasn't just a murmur this time. It was a roar. Louder than when Donovan had walked on stage.

Cheyenne grabbed my shoulder, shaking me violently. "Oh my god! Brynn, look! Is that his girlfriend? Holy shit!"

I looked up, confused.

My blood turned to ice.

There, projected on the twenty-foot screen behind the podium, was my chat window. My message. The strawberries. The neck. "Daddy."

It was all there.

Donovan stood frozen for a split second. He lowered his gaze to the phone in his hand, then looked back at the laptop. He didn't panic. He didn't blush. With terrifying calm, he moved the cursor and clicked the notification away.

He tapped his screen a few times.

My phone buzzed in my hand. I looked down, my vision blurring.

Be a good girl. I'm working. We'll talk tonight.

The world spun.

I think I stopped breathing.

Chapter 2

The chaos in the auditorium didn't settle. It festered.

"Did you see the contact name? He has her saved as 'Good Girl.' That is so obsessive."

"It's more than that. Shes his only pinned conversation."

"Stop. I don't want to hear it. Nothing hurts more than finding out the hot professor is taken."

"Im literally crying. Imagine waking up to that face every day. She must have saved the galaxy in a past life."

Cheyenne, always a beat behind, whipped her head around to look at me. "Wait. Brynn. I just realizedProfessor Donovan's girlfriend has the exact same profile pic as you. Thats wild, right?"

My throat went dry. I forced a jagged, unnatural laugh. "Really? Haha. I didn't notice."

Cheyenne, disappointed by my lack of enthusiasm, shrugged and turned back to the girls next to her to continue the autopsy of Donovan's love life.

I stared at Donovan on the podium.

My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic, trapped bird. The same red and green bracelet. The same profile picture. The exact same text message.

The evidence was screaming at me.

Donovan was my online boyfriend.

But the math wasn't mathing.

My brain glitch-flashed to the photos stored in my hidden folder. The ones of sweat-slicked skin, the sharp V-line leading into low-slung grey sweatpants, the raw, unfiltered thirst traps. Then I looked at the man on stage. Buttoned-up shirt, gold-rimmed glasses, speaking with the kind of articulate precision that made you feel smarter just listening to him.

Heat flooded my cheeks, burning all the way to my ears.

Donovan is that guy in private?

I dissociated for the rest of the lecture.

I watched his lips move, but I didn't hear a word about economics or theory. My mind was a slideshow of abs and veins.

When the lecture finally ended, Donovan didn't linger. He packed his laptop with efficient speed and strode out.

"Did you see that?" a girl in the row ahead whispered. "He's rushing. Probably running home to his girlfriend."

My stomach did a somersault.

The second I stepped out of the building and started the trek back to the dorms, my phone started vibrating. Donovan was blowing up my phone.

Baby? Why aren't you replying?

Work is done. Do you want to continue where we left off?

What are you doing? You can't just wind me up and disappear

I was in a rush earlier. I forgot to Venmo you for the strawberries.

A notification banner slid down.

You received $5,000.00 from Donovan.

Why are you ignoring me?

I stared at the screen, my steps faltering. I couldn't process it. I couldn't reconcile the icy, intellectual Professor Donovan with this needy, rich, possessive man demanding my attention.

And the money. It felt sinful.

Before I could figure out how to respondor how to breathe properlya message popped up from Taylor, the senior living in the dorm next door.

Brynn, Professor Wallace is asking for you. Says his computer is 'broken' again. Wants you to take a look.

Professor Wallace was my mentor. Ever since I fixed a simple lag issue on his laptop last semester, hed decided I was his personal Geek Squad.

I couldn't ignore him. I shoved my phone in my pocket, tried to calm my racing heart, and sprinted toward his office.

Chapter 3

I walked into the office and froze.

Donovan was there.

He was perched on the edge of a desk across the room, head bowed over his phone. The air around him was heavy, practically radiating a dark, brooding mood. He looked like a man on the edge.

I kept my head down, praying for invisibility. I focused entirely on Professor Wallaces computer, my fingers flying across the keyboard.

I fixed the glitch in three minutes flat.

Professor Wallace beamed, his eyes crinkling into happy slits. "I knew you were the wizard for this, Brynn. You're a lifesaver."

He gestured toward the brooding figure across the room. "Actually, Professor Donovan was just complaining that his messaging app is broken. He's not receiving any texts. Go take a look for him, will you?"

My heart stopped.

I knew exactly why he wasn't receiving messages.

Because I was ghosting him.

Is "being ignored by your girlfriend" a software bug I can patch?

But Professor Wallace was watching me with that expectant, grandfatherly smile. I had no choice. I gritted my teeth and walked over, pitching my voice lower, trying to sound like anyone but myself.

"Professor Donovan? Professor Wallace said you're having technical difficulties?"

Donovan jolted. Hed been deep in thought. He looked up, eyes sharp, and instinctively recoiled, shifting his body away from me.

"No."

One word. Ice cold.

He was back to being the untouchable Ice King. Distant. Polite.

Perfect.

I turned to flee.

But his gaze dropped. It locked onto my hand. My phone was still in my grip. The screen had lit up with a notification, illuminating my lock screen.

A close-up photo of my Golden Retriever.

Panic slammed into my chest.

I had sent my online boyfriendDonovanhundreds of photos of that dog. Id told him this specific picture was my favorite.

I saw the recognition flash in his eyes.

I shoved the phone into my pocket, my movements jerky. "Well, if everything is fine, I'll just go"

"Wait."

Donovan moved. Fast.

He stepped in front of me, blocking my exit. His scentsomething clean and expensive, like cedar and rainhit me. "Can I see your lock screen again?"

My pulse hammered in my throat.

He knew. He had to know.

I clamped my hand over my pocket, my voice trembling. "I I don't think that's appropriate."

Donovan frowned, his brow furrowing slightly. "Why not?"

I panicked. My brain offered up the stupidest possible excuse. "Because because it's highly private."

Donovan paused. He looked at me, really looked at me, and his expression softened into something apologetic but intense.

"I apologize. I don't mean to pry." He took a half-step closer, his voice dropping to a low, magnetic rumble. "It's just the dog on your screen. He looks exactly like a dog that saved me once. I just need to verify it. If it's private, you can cover the rest of the screen."

I stared at him, dumbfounded.

Saved him? Since when did my lazy ball of fur save anyone?

But the look in his eyes it was so earnest. So desperate. Like a man looking for a lifeline.

Against every survival instinct I had, I pulled the phone out. I held it up.

He didn't look at the phone for long. He leaned in, his eyes scanning the image for a fraction of a second before snapping back to my face.

The indifference was gone.

In its place was a burning, predatory focus. A mix of shock and dawning realization.

He spoke softly, but the words felt like they were vibrating in the air between us. "Is that your dog?"

Adrenaline spiked.

I snatched the phone back and shoved it behind my back.

Mistake.

Chapter 4

Saved his life? Yeah, right. He was fishing. Baiting the hook to see if Id bite.

"No!" I shook my head so hard I felt my brain rattle. "Definitely not! It's it's my cousin Valerie's dog!"

Donovan tilted his head, the sharp lines of his face softening into confusion. "Your cousin?"

I nodded like a bobblehead on a dashboard. My fingers flew across my screen, switching accounts. I logged into my burnerthe digital dumpster I used to store reaction memes and edit drafts. I scrolled frantically to a chat where Id sent the original, unedited dog photos to myself years ago.

"Yeah, look. Valerie sent me these ages ago. She's obsessed with him."

I shoved the screen toward him, praying he wouldn't notice my hand shaking. I silently thanked the universe for my habit of digital hoarding.

Donovan leaned in. His eyes didn't just brighten; they blazed. He pointed a long finger at the profile picture of the sendermy main account.

"That's your cousin?"

My stomach dropped through the floor. "Uh, yeah. But we aren't close," I lied, backing away. "Like, barely talk."

Donovan stepped forward, cutting off my retreat. The intensity in his gaze was overwhelming. "Student, could you give me your contact information? I may need your help with something later."

Hell no.

I opened my mouth to refuse, but my eyes darted to Professor Wallace. Wallace was ten feet away. He had my real phone number. He had my real social media. If Donovan asked Wallace for "Brynn's cousin's info," Wallace would just give him my info. And then the game would be over. I'd be doxxed by my own mentor.

I had no choice.

I pulled up my burner account's QR code. "Sure! No problem, Professor!"

I beamed at him, a smile so bright and fake it made my jaw ache. He scanned my phone, added me on my alt, and I fled.

The second I turned the corner and was out of sight, my face collapsed. I leaned against the cold brick wall, sliding down until I was crouching on the pavement.

I am so screwed.

Donovan was perfect online. Doting, generous, sweet. But that was because he liked the idea of me. The faceless girl on the internet. If he found out that the girl receiving his dirty texts and shirtless mirror selfies was his student?

He wouldn't just be mad.

A man like thatproud, reserved, professionalwould be mortified. He'd probably fail me out of spite. Or have me expelled for harassment.

I chewed on my thumbnail.

There was only one way out.

I had to break up with him.

It stung. I actually liked him. But my GPA and my dignity were on the line. I trudged back to the dorm, my phone vibrating against my thigh like a ticking bomb.

Donovan again.

Baby, I just met one of your relatives. Your cousin is my student. Small world, right?

She has your dog on her lock screen. You guys must be close.

Don't be mad, okay? I wasn't trying to investigate you. It was a coincidence.

Why won't you talk to me?

You received $2,500.00 from Donovan.

I stared at the screen, misery washing over me.

Chapter 5

I stared at the wall of blue bubbles on my screen. Every vibration felt like a physical blow. My stomach churned, a toxic mix of guilt and panic.

I couldn't deal with this. Not now.

I slammed my thumb down on the Do Not Disturb toggle, threw the phone onto my mattress, and walked away.

After a shower and a change of clothesanything to scrub the stress off my skinI picked up my burner phone. I logged into the account I used for my "cousin" persona.

Donovan had found me there, too.

Brynn, are you able to get in touch with your cousin right now?

I let the message sit. I watched the minutes tick by on the clock, trying to create distance. Finally, I typed back.

No, I can't. Sorry, Professor.

I exhaled, thinking that would buy me some silence.

I was wrong.

My main phonethe one on silentlit up with a terrifying notification.

Baby, are you hurt?

Stay put. I'm calling 911. I'm filing a missing person report.

My entire body jerked.

What?

The police?

If the cops showed up at my dorm looking for his "girlfriend," and found me I was dead. Expelled. Humiliated. Game over.

Donovans brain worked on a wavelength I couldn't comprehend.

My fingers flew across the keyboard, trembling so hard I kept hitting the wrong letters.

Daddy, I'm here! I'm okay! I just fell asleep by accident!

The response was instantaneous.

Thank God. You scared the shit out of me.

Have you eaten? Take the transfer. Go get some food. Head pat

When you went silent today I felt like I was losing my mind.

Good girl you aren't going to leave me, are you?

I read that last line, and something sharp twisted in my chest. It hurt. Physically.

Donovan was attentive. He was generous. He sent me thirst traps of his abs without hesitation. He was everything I wanted on paper. And here I was, planning to break his heart.

Was I the villain here?

But if I kept this going how long until the bomb went off? How long until he looked out at the lecture hall and realized the truth?

The anxiety clawed at my throat. My nose stung, and before I could stop it, hot tears spilled over my lashes and splashed onto the screen.

Cheyenne walked in right as I let out a choked sob. She froze.

"Brynn? What happened?"

I turned to look at her, my vision swimming. She dropped her bag and rushed over, wrapping her arms around me.

"Who did this? Who do I need to kill?"

She looked ready to fight a linebacker.

I buried my face in her shoulder, my voice muffled and shaking. "Cheyenne hypothetically. If you found out your online boyfriend was someone impossible. Someone you absolutely couldn't be with in real life. What would you do?"

She relaxed instantly, letting out a breath. "That's it? That's what the tears are for?"

She pulled back, rolling her eyes. "Just dump him. It's just a guy. Look at you, Brynnyou're hot. You can find ten guys like him tomorrow."

Then she paused, a look of suspicion crossing her face. "Wait. Did he spend money on you?"

I blinked, wiping my eyes.

"I saw this thing on TikTok," she continued, her voice serious. "Some guys are psycho. If you break up, they try to sue you to get their Venmo payments back. It's a huge red flag. Total obsession behavior."

I froze.

Donovan had spent a lot of money on me. I hadn't accepted all of it, but the total was substantial.

Surely, Professor Donovanthe Ice Kingwouldn't sue a broke college student, right?

But then again, he just threatened to call the cops because I took a nap.

Cheyenne saw the look on my face and patted my shoulder sympathetically. "Hey, don't panic. Even if he spent money, it's fine. Just maybe don't make the breakup too messy? Don't ghost him cold turkey."

My blood ran cold.

Messy meant police.

I couldn't ghost him. I couldn't block him. If I wanted to survive this, I had to de-escalate. I had to make him lose interest.

Chapter 6

After agonizing over it, I gritted my teeth and typed back.

Don't be crazy~

His reply was instantaneous.

I knew you were the best.

Do you want another picture today?

You seemed to really enjoy what I sent last night.

Heat flared in my cheeks.

Wait.

Was my thirst that obvious?

But now knowing that those abs belonged to Professor Donovan? That the sweat-slicked skin was hiding under a tweed jacket?

It wasn't just hot. It was illicit.

I hesitated, fingers hovering.

I don't think we should.

He replied without skipping a beat.

Why not?

I like showing off for you.

I wavered.

Ten minutes later, my phone vibrated. Then again. And again.

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He didn't wait for permission.

The screen filled with skin.

One photo stopped my heart.

Grey sweatpants. The waistband was tugged dangerously low with a thumb. The sharp, sculpted ridges of his abs disappeared into the fabric, highlighting the deep, inviting grooves of his Adonis belt.

The implication was loud.

My pupils dilated. My mouth went dry.

He messaged again.

Is this okay?

Okay? It was a masterpiece.

But then the image of Professor Donovan on the lecture stage flashed in my mind. The top button fastened. The cold, academic distance. Seeing him like this it felt like a felony. It felt like defiling a national monument.

That was Professor Donovan.

It physically pained me to type the next words.

Stop it, Daddy. I don't like these anymore.

He sent a confused emoji.

But you loved them last night.

Then, the receipts.

He sent a screenshot of our chat from twenty-four hours ago. A wall of nosebleed emojis and my unhinged replies:

Daddy, pull it down further!

LOWER!

I stared at my own depravity. I squeezed my eyes shut.

That was in the past.

I've changed, Daddy. I'm a different woman now.

Donovan sent a single crying emoji. Then, silence.

I switched to my burner phone. Predictably, a notification was waiting.

Brynn, could you do me a favor? Could you ask your cousin how she feels about her boyfriend?

Is she in a bad mood today?

Committing to the bit, I played dumb.

Boyfriend? She has a boyfriend?

Donovan replied instantly.

Yes. Just ask her. You'll see.

A wicked idea sparked. I opened a chat between my two phones and staged a performance.

Me: Val, are you dating anyone right now?

Valerie: Nope.

Me: Seriously? Don't lie to me.

Valerie: I'm serious.

I took a screenshot and forwarded it to Donovan.

She says she doesn't have a boyfriend.

Donovan was spiraling.

That's impossible.

Are you sure that's your cousin?

He attached a screenshot of my main profile page.

Yes, that's her.

Is something wrong, Professor?

Read 10:45 PM.

No reply.

He went completely silent.

Chapter 7

Hours bled into eternity before my main phone finally lit up.

One message.

Baby, do you not like me anymore?

A dull, rusted blade twisted in my chest. I ignored the ache. I forced my fingers to move, typing out the lies that would set me free.

Not really.

I think Im bored.

Its been over a year. Aren't you bored yet?

His reply was instantaneous. Desperate.

No. Never.

What did I do wrong? Tell me. I can change.

Baby, please. You said you wouldn't leave me

My vision blurred.

This was torture. For him. For me. Dragging this out was cruel. I had to sever the limb to save the body.

Even if he came after me for the money later, Id pay him back. Id work three jobs if I had to.

I needed to end it. Now.

I'm sorry. Let's break up.

I didn't give him a chance to reply.

I hit Block.

The silence that followed was deafening. A sudden, violent vacuum in my life. But there was no turning back. This way, Professor Donovan would never know the humiliating truth: that he had been sexting his own student.

I tried to reboot my life. Default settings.

I went to class. I ate. I slept.

But the muscle memory was hard to kill.

When a guy cut in front of me at the cafeteria, my hand instinctively reached for my phone to complain to him. Phone locked. Contact blocked.

When I was buried under a pile of busywork, I wanted to whine to him and hear him call me "good girl." Chat deleted.

Donovan tried to reach me through my "cousin" account on the burner phone. He asked "Valerie" to mediate. I shut him down. I told him "Brynn" was immovable. That she didn't want to hear from him.

Eventually, he stopped asking.

I thought he accepted it.

I only saw him on the glossy "Faculty of Distinction" posters in the hallway now. I avoided his building like it was radioactive.

Two weeks later.

Professor Wallace summoned me. Another "computer emergency."

I was crouching under his desk, checking the cables on his tower, when his desk phone rang. Wallace answered, his voice casual.

Then, the air in the room shifted.

"What?"

Wallace stood up, his chair scraping loudly against the floor. "Which hospital? I'm coming. Right now."

My hands froze on the cables.

"Professor?" I crawled out from under the desk, dusting off my knees. "Is someone sick?"

Wallace was already shoving papers into his briefcase, his face pale. "It's Professor Donovan. You know him, right?" He shook his head, looking rattled. "I don't know what's going on with him lately."

The world tilted on its axis.

Donovan?

My blood turned to slush.

"What what happened to him?" I grabbed Wallaces sleeve without thinking, my grip tight.

Wallace looked surprised by my intensity, but he didn't pull away. "He collapsed at home. Apparently, he hasn't eaten a proper meal in days. Just stopped taking care of himself."

The air left my lungs in a rush.

He wasn't eating.

Because of me?

Before I could ask anything elsedetails, room numbers, prognosisWallace was gone, the door slamming shut behind him