"Harry," Catarina sang his name again. "So good to see you."

I stared speechlessly, in disbelief, from the doorway at the scene that met me. I couldn't believe what I was seeing, and yet I was.

Catarina, Harry's ex and the woman who left him for his brother, inexplicably stood before him. The same woman who had wanted him for his money and connections, who had no doubt participated in the schemes laid out this past summer, had the audacity to stand in his classroom and smile at him like they were old friends.

Were they?

My mind immediately jumped into high gear and my stomach toiled over in dread as I watched her move in and make the apparent gesture to hug Harry.

Were they still friends? Had they rekindled things these past few months? And if so, was that why he was truly here? Did she teach here as well, so he came here to be closer to her?

My theory was quickly squashed, however, just as quickly as it formed. Because as I watched Catarina move in and hug Harry, I saw how not even as much as a single muscle moved in his body. He stayed perfectly still and allowed his ex to grant him an awkward one-sided hug, one which she didn't appear to be the least bit deterred by. In fact, she even popped a tender kiss to his cheek, before slowly moving back with a cat-like smirk.

Oh. This bitch had some nerves.

"It's been too long," She voiced, smiling affectionately at Harry, who didn't return her sentiments.

"Not long enough," He replied in a surprisingly calm voice. But I could sense the tension brewing beneath the surface. "What brings you to my classroom today, Catarina?"

Catarina chuckled unfazed, and from what I could tell from my hideout at the door, took a casual seat on his desk, crossing her perfectly sculpted legs.

"I see you're still doing this," She said, gesturing down to the many notes on his table. "Cracked any new mathematical riddles lately?"

"None that you'll ever take credit in again."

Catarina merely smiled at his chilled replies, before sighing. "You know, I never thought I'd live to see the day," She then remarked, quirking a brow. "And yet here we are; Harry Devon, teaching."

Harry's jaw tightened visibly, even from where I was standing. "A man is allowed to change his mind."

"You never did for me," Catarina replied without missing a beat. "She must've been something truly special. For you to change your mind because of her."

My eyes widened briefly at Catarina's words and my breath froze. He had changed his mind because of... me?

Her statement confused me, but I stayed silent to listen for Harry's response. I wasn't surprised when nothing came.

"I hear she's in your class," Catarina therefore continued, while Harry began to pack up his stuff, stuffing papers into his suitcase. "Part of the transfers from Mississauga, yes? Is it true?"

"It is."

"My, my. That must be interesting." Catarina noted with a slight chuckle. "Perhaps I should meet her?"

You already did. You were just too pompous to notice me.

"I doubt you'd have anything to talk about," Harry flatly replied.

"Oh, I beg to differ," Catarina leaned in, placing an intimate hand on his shoulder. A little smirk lifted on her lips. "I bet we would have loads to talk about."

At length, I finally saw Harry's jaw tick with the last drop. He turned his eyes to Catarina and I was surprised at the sheer coldness in his gaze.

"Why are you here, Catarina?" He bristled.

"I teach here, same as you," Catarina replied, almost innocently. I, however, got my suspicions confirmed.

So she did teach here. Harry did say she was a brilliantly smart woman, but somehow that soured the news even more, knowing a woman like her could thrive in society, instead of rotting in a hole where she belonged.

Easy there, jealous.

"Don't insult me," Harry dismissed her stupid reply with a hard tone. "We both know you're smarter than that."

Finally, Catarina's demeanor seemed to change as well. Just like Harry, she appeared to have grown tired of their coquette banter.

"You know why I'm here," She finally whispered, sliding her hand down his arm and giving his hand a clench. Her perfectly manicured fingertips danced across his skin.

This bitch, I swear to God.

Harry's eyes fell to the movement, and much to my pleasure and relief, I saw his lip twist in what could only be described as repulsion.

"I thought you and my brother were happy together," He scoffed, turning his eyes away and pulling his hand free from hers without mercy.

"We are, but it's not... it's never how it was between you and I," She confessed with a note of desperation. Good God. I might've been desperate at one point, but at least I had never been this desperate. "You know it, Harry. I've been miserable these past months."

"Misery becomes you," Harry noted, eyeing up her polished figure the same way I had in the hallway; She wore misery like a dream.

"You know what I mean," Catarina angrily responded. "I've missed you, Harry, I've missed your company so much."

"You started to miss me because you failed to replace me," Harry countered calmly, still packing up his papers into his bag. He barely regarded her with his eyes. "Don't pretend you didn't know what would happen. You always knew what you were getting with me. That's why you chose my brother."

"But I never stopped loving you, too," She stated, moving closer when Harry kept ignoring her. He paused when she clenched his arm again. "Please, Harry."

Harry's unimpressed gaze fell to the hand on his arm. "If only your actions loved me the way your words did, we might've still been together."

At this, it was Catarina's turn to scoff. "Don't insult me. Like you said; I knew what I was getting with you," She countered. "You never loved me. You never even tried to. If you had only offered me more—"

"Then I wouldn't have been me," Harry broke her off cleanly, removing her hand firmly from his arm yet again.

Catarina leaned back, folding her arms over her chest, looking almost hurt, except she was too proud to look truly hurt. Instead, she watched him with a tight look, a shadow of sadness on her face.

"You don't even care how much this pains me," She finally whispered. "I know what I did was wrong, but doing this? Denying me the only thing I ever asked for—"

"That's the thing," Harry's voice rang out sharply, cutting her off once more. "You asked me for plenty, Catarina. And then you choose my brother and helped him set up a fraud of a scheme against me and an innocent girl, only to come here and have the audacity to still ask me in person."

"Harry—"

"I know full and well how much it pains you," Harry's voice hardened, and just then, I saw his eyes lift and penetrate hers. The action almost had me gasping; Never before had I seen his eyes so cold, so poisonous. "I know, and it thrills me every morning I wake up."

"Harry—"

"Nice talking to you, Catarina. Give my best to my infertile brother," Harry ended with an icy calmness and then grasped his bag and turned to leave.

I had been frozen in my place, pressed against the door, but at the sight of Harry moving towards it, I quickly ran down the hall and hid behind one of the trophy cases protruding from the wall. They were just thick enough to shield my body as I pressed myself up behind them, narrowly avoiding the moment I heard the door being pressed opened and seeing Harry come marching out, carrying his suitcase. He walked down the hall, towards the exit, the opposite direction from me. I didn't exhale until I heard the door to the outside go as well.

I stayed in my spot, however, because not long after, I heard the expensive clack of heels following slowly. The door to the classroom went once more, and this time, it closed as silently as it was opened.

Catarina stood in the hall for a moment, before I heard a small sigh of what I presumed had to be defeat. Then, after a short moment, the sound of her heels clacked against the floors again, and moments later the door to the outside went again. 

– I was alone.

Deflating, I propped my head back against the wall and tried to process what had just happened. There was too much to absorb, too much new information to take it, but here was the gist of it all that I could make out;

Catarina worked here.

She wanted him back for some reason.

Harry had known, yet he still refused her.

But perhaps the most important information I had gotten were the words Catarina had spoken about Harry, just before dropping the charade.

'She must've been something truly special. For you to change your mind because of her.'

While Harry hadn't agreed with her, he also hadn't contradicted her. And, as much as I hated to admit it, perhaps Catarina knew Harry better than me. Perhaps this was more than just an assumption.

Perhaps this was the truth, and once more, Harry had lied to me, and I was left with a feeling of confusion and hurt.

When would this web of lies end?

• • •

And the plot thickens.