The next day, Ivy didn’t make it back to campus until nearly noon. Roberta wasn’t in the dorm when she arrived, and Ivy, feeling an overwhelming wave of exhaustion, decided to take a nap first.
Really, this was all Jamison’s fault. Under the guise of “balance and harmony”—for her own good, of course—he’d kept her up half the night, going at it three times until he’d wrung out every last bit of her strength. Ordinarily, he was the picture of tenderness and concern, always fussing over her well-being, worried she might be tired or uncomfortable. But when things heated up, all that went out the window; he acted like he was on something, wild and insatiable.
With a groan of relief, Ivy collapsed onto her bed, massaging her aching lower back while muttering silent complaints about a certain someone. She wasn’t sure how long she slept. When the dorm door finally creaked open, she woke with a start and rolled over. Roberta looked just as surprised to see her. “You’re back?”
“Yeah, got in this morning.” Ivy sat up and glanced at the clock on the wall—it was almost one. Roberta busied herself with her own things while Ivy grabbed her phone to check her messages. Jamison had sent two texts, each more wickedly shameless than the last.
[Nearly nodded off at work today. Should’ve driven you back to campus last night.]
[On second thought, maybe it’s better you’re staying in the dorms. Otherwise, I’d never get a break with you around every night.]
Grinding her teeth, Ivy fired back a “kick you out the window” meme. She didn’t notice Roberta watching her until she set her phone down and got out of bed. Roberta looked like she wanted to say something but kept hesitating.
“Something on your mind?” Ivy asked, taking the initiative. Roberta’s expression grew complicated. After a moment’s pause, she finally spoke.
“Did you know someone’s out to get you?”
Ivy was slipping on her shoes when she froze, looking up sharply, her expression tightening. Roberta continued, “Someone tried to pay me off to hurt you. But I didn’t agree.”
Shock flashed across Ivy’s face—her first thought was of Emma. Emma was, after all, her bitterest enemy. But lately, the Windsor family had marked her as a threat, too; it was hard to say for sure. After a tense silence, Ivy collected herself, her face grave. “Did you see who it was?”
“I did, but it wasn’t the same person both times. The first time, it was a man. Yesterday, it was a woman—she wore a hat and sunglasses, basically covered her whole face. The man who came before gave me two thousand dollars in cash and a little vial. He wanted me to use it to hurt you…” Roberta was nothing if not candid, spilling everything in a single breath.
Ivy listened in mounting horror, staring hard at her roommate while her mind raced. Why confess all of this now? Was Roberta about to pull a knife on her? Ivy’s heart started pounding; she glanced at the desk, calculating what she could use to defend herself if she had to.
Roberta caught the anxiety in Ivy’s eyes and said calmly, “Look, if I was going to hurt you, I wouldn’t be telling you all this. You don’t have to be scared.”
Still suspicious, Ivy pressed, “How were you supposed to hurt me?”
Roberta didn’t answer right away; she glanced toward the water dispenser in the corner. Ivy followed her gaze, and suddenly her eyes went wide with a jolt of realization. “The water you dumped out last time!” Ivy blurted. There hadn’t been bugs in the dispenser after all… it was poisoned!
Roberta’s hands trembled as she continued, “The man gave me two thousand dollars and a little vial. He told me to mix it into the water. I… I only put a tiny bit, just a little… but don’t worry, I made sure you never drank any. Over the weekend, I bought a new water dispenser and replaced all the water.”