THE ALGORITHM OF THE FORBIDDEN HEART

Chapitre 16

"I heard Ms. Vianelli is supervising all detentions tonight and tomorrow afternoon."

I learned that the three hours of detention were supervised by Dona.

GREAT.

I felt the irony twist in my stomach. The punishment was a constraint, but a constraint that forced me into intimacy, to spend more time alone with her. Fate, or Donatella, was playing games with me.

I knew I was going to have a good fifteen minutes... or rather, a very bad but intense three hours, tête-à-tête with my professor, my lover, my ethical executioner.

Donatella didn't keep me in the amphitheater. She simply set a tacit appointment.

She didn't keep me because she knew she would see me again in literally ten minutes. It was a subtle power game. She didn't need to escort me.

I went to the detention room. It was a small, empty, gloomy classroom. And my fears were confirmed: I was the only one. Oh, really perfect... The one-on-one was inevitable.

I sat down at a table. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through TikTok. It was my last act of rebellion and distraction before the storm. My heart was pounding, but I pretended to be absorbed by stupid videos.

The Judgment Then, I heard her heels arriving. The dry, authoritative sound echoed in the hallway, drawing closer.

She entered. She locked the door behind her. And my blood ran cold: she locked it.

I felt like I was in for a very bad time. The act of locking was a brutal reminder of past fears, even if the intention was different.

I swallowed hard. I put away my phone, looking defeated.

I watched her walk past me, settling on the teacher's desk – dominating the space, dominating the conversation.

She sat on the desk and looked at me, her eyes black and piercing. The physical distance was minimal, the hierarchical distance was immense.

Her voice was final, the tone of Professor Vianelli, but with the intimacy of the woman who held me . « Good. Now that we're alone, you're going to tell me two things, Carla. »

« First: what happened this morning in the other class, and why you were pale. And second: what was that attitude when you arrived late, and why you tried to humiliate me in front of the class. »

« And ABOVE ALL, don't lie to me. I spent the night helping you free yourself from your lies. Don't go back now. Time is running out. »

Faced with her piercing gaze, the air charged with tension, I knew I had to give in on something, but I had to maintain a line of defense.

I hesitated about the morning, then decided to tell her the truth. After all, it wasn't my fault; it was Mercier's.

"This morning... with Professor Mercier... I forgot an assignment. He humiliated me and yelled at me in front of everyone. He called me arrogant and belittled me despite my grades. I have one hour of detention."

I stopped there, my heart pounding. I had exposed the first truth.

Then, for my attitude, I lied to her.

"My attitude in class was... it was just fatigue and low blood sugar. I was annoyed that we were punished when we ran to get here. I didn't want to humiliate you."

She sensed it. Her expression didn't change, but her eyes darkened. She didn't move, but the pressure in the room increased exponentially.

Her voice was deadly cold « That's not the truth. Your low blood sugar doesn't explain the defiance. You lied once more. »