Chapter 159
LIVIA-
“You cannot have a girlfriend you’re proudly showing off to reporters and then tell me not to return Luca’s texts.” My voice filled the car. “At least Luca isn’t ashamed to be seen with me. At least he isn’t keeping me hidden from everyone.”
Roman’s hands flexed on the wheel. Pissed.
“You know I’m only keeping this private because of Ethan. I have no problem with showing you to the world.”
“Right,” I said. “Ethan. Always Ethan. Convenient Ethan.”
“That isn’t fair.”
“Neither was having to watch you claim Eden in front of all those reporters. You know how I feel about you. I have not hidden it from you. You’ve known from the start. Do you understand how much it hurt me to see you with her? If you can’t understand that, then we shouldn’t be having this conversation.”
We pulled up to the house just then. I could see that my father’s office lights were still on. He was most definitely waiting for me. I reached for the door.
It hurt that Roman hadn’t said anything in response. He was quiet. Probably deciding to just let me go.
Just as I was about to leave, he grabbed my wrist before I could storm off.
Not hard. Strong enough that I felt it everywhere.
“Eden isn’t my real girlfriend.”
I paused. Did I just hear him correctly?
I stared at him. The engine made a noise in response. “How is that possible?”
“It’s a PR relationship.” He said like he wasn’t proud of it. “My parents set it up. I’m under contract. I had no choice.”
No choice.
I stayed with that for a second and felt something worse than when I first saw the interview.
I frowned. “If you knew this all along, why did you take so long to tell me?”
His other hand tightened on the steering wheel.
I figured it out before he said it.
He had not told me because he wanted the fake relationship to do the work for him. To keep me away. He felt like it would work in his favor.
He thought I would stop asking. A reason I would stop hoping. He had walked her into my kitchen. Onto
TWU Mon, Sep 21 JIMU
The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife
my lawn. He had let her touch him in front of me. He had let me sit in sweats with ice cream while she smiled like she owned him, and he had known the whole time that she did not. It was never about her. It
s always about keeping me away. A safe distance. One where he didn’t ruin his friendship with my brother.
I whispered it.
“You did it so I would stay away from you.”
Roman looked guilty. He didn’t look like a man who didn’t know what I was talking about.
That was enough of an answer.
Anger and hurt fought for a position until I could not tell which one was shaking my hands. “You brought her to my house. You brought her into your life. You let her stand on that court tonight and take credit for a game you played after your tongue was inside me. You watched me break and you still did not say it was fake. You let me think I was competing with a woman you actually chose. A woman you liked.”
“I was trying to keep you from getting hurt.”
“You hurt me anyway.” My voice went sharp. “You used her like a fence. You used Ethan like a lock. You used my body when no one was looking and her name when everyone was. Do not sit in this driveway and tell me you had no choice. You had a choice every time you put her in a room I had to walk into. You had a choice every time you saw how sad she made me. You let me believe it because you wanted distance from me!”
His jaw flexed. Frustration on his face, hot and helpless. “What was I supposed to say? In front of your brother? In front of cameras my father was standing behind? I asked them to end it. They said no. I still—”
“You still hurt me. I only went to that hotel room with Luca because you hurt me Roman. Every moment I had with Luca, was in response to you hurting me.”
He hit the steering wheel with his hand. Hard enough that I flinched.
“I know what I said. I know how it sounded. I have been losing my mind since that article loaded. You think I wanted you in his hotel? You think I wanted to see that picture? I drove there ready to take a door off its hinges. Ready to set fire to his car.”
“You owed me the truth weeks ago.”
We glared at each other. The house waited. Dad waited. The articles waited.
I narrowed my eyes at him, wrist still in his grip. “Well. If you want me to stay away from you so much, congratulations. You finally get your wish.”
I pulled free.
He said my name once. I could hear the panic.
I got out of the car and did not look back. The jacket came with me because I forgot I was wearing it, or because I wanted his smell on me for one more minute while I walked toward an office that would not care about PR contracts or locker rooms or the fact that I had just been told I was a problem he had tried to solve with Eden Hart.
21 O
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1840 Mon, Sep 21 MS.
The Mockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife
Dad would have his wedding plan.
Noman would have his wish.
Stay away from Roman?
If that’s what he wanted.
Then fine.
AD
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T40 Mon, Sep 21 1 M J
Dex Morgan
Dex works to elevate each story with clean writing, emotional balance, and thoughtful flow for readers.