Crossing Boundaries [COMPLETE]

Lighthouse in a Storm

Tiffany sat frozen at the kitchen isle stool. Although her brain was running a thousand miles per second, her mind seemed barren of any words to say. A picture's worth a thousand words, they say, but in her case this picture's worth more than that. It cost her to lose her job. Worst of all, it cost her, her marriage.

When Principal McCarthy spoke with her to deliver the bad news months ago, her world crumbled right there and then. Today, her world was crumbling all over again. Only this time, it would be twice as painful given the fact that she was already made aware of the exact reason why she was sacked.

This fact came with tons of shame from the notion that a nude picture of her was out there and many people from her former place of work had seen it. The student, his parents, his friends, the school board.

Tiffany hadn't wronged anyone in her lifetime. She had always been kind to everyone around her and yet, something as horrible as this one had happened to her. The anguish in her heart, which had been begging to escape, ultimately did. She covered her eyes with her palms as she labored to plug away tears jetting down her cheeks. The pain she felt metamorphosed into whimpers that forced their way out of her pursed lips. She could feel the walls around her heart closing in on it, making it even harder for her to breathe.

Just like that, Tiffany was back from where she was, right before Chris reappeared in her life. As she bowed down towards the cold marble of the isle, her shoulders shaking from the sobs, warm arms sheltered her body.

Chris rested his lips on the back of her head, his breathing, the exact opposite of hers. He knew he needn't be anything more than the wall that would reinforce her tumbling foundation. Tiffany's reaction after seeing the picture was enough to confirm his hunch from the get-go. She had nothing to do with it.

He held her tight in his arms as if gluing back together her broken pieces. There wasn't anything more he hoped for than for her nightmare to be over.

*

Although she was staring at the ceiling, Tiffany's gaze bore beyond it. Her usual bright hazels resembled a fish's eyes. She could still feel the tightness in her chest, the news from yesterday, fresh from her mind.

Her gaze remained fixed on the ceiling as she sensed Chris, beside her, shifted from his position. He did so to move closer to her and to rest his lips on her right temple. He slept as much as she did, which at this point in time, was almost close to none. And no matter how much Tiffany wanted to break loose from his intimacy, she couldn't put him off.

Chris was dead set in weathering the storm with her. Add to that, she felt a lot calmer with him around. "Get some rest, sweet pea. You need to have energy if you wanna win the war." His voice was meant to give her solace, and that's what it does exactly.

Since he showed her the photo, Tiffany hadn't heard him ask anything. She moved to face him. "Aren't you gonna ask me about the picture?"

"I don't have to ask a question I already know the answer to." He tucked loose hair strands behind her ear. "Your reaction said it all."

Tiffany's eyes started to well up again. "I just don't understand how that could've happened. Chris," she paused. "are what they show in movies and TV true?"

"I'm not sure I follow."

"If pictures are taken from my phone, for instance. Or a message was sent. Even if I deleted them, there's still a way to retrieve the files deleted."

Now, Chris was more confused. His heart beat faster than normal. Not because he still couldn't follow what Tiffany meant but because of the scenario she mentioned. Did she delete a nude picture of her from her phone?