LOGIN“And once this deal is over... what will you see me as?” Maddox pressed on, his sharp gray eyes searching mine. The huge apartment felt quieter than usual as I tried to look away from him, but I couldn't tear my eyes off his face.“It's going to come to an end,” I murmured. “We’ll officially be back to stepbrothers who hate each other.”Maddox let out a dry laugh. “Is that you confirming that you’re really going to renew your hatred for me?”I shrugged slightly, taking the spoon of food he held out to me. “I don't have hate in my heart.”“Liar.”“What?” A small laugh escaped my lips. “You’re the one who hated me... and my dad.”“Maybe not toward you anymore...” he looked down at the container of food, his tone shifting into something warm and grounding. “Before the semester ends, let's make it worthwhile.”I gave him a small nod, my chest tightening with an unfamiliar warmth. “Yeah.”“Once you get checked by the doctor and can walk a bit, we should probably go see a movie together,” h
I came to a stop right by the kitchen island, grunting under my breath as a sharp, white-hot agony shot up my leg. My knuckles turned stark white from how tightly I was gripping the edge of the quartz counter.After resting my weight for a few seconds, I managed to open the fridge to grab a snack. Just as I set a bag of chips down on the counter, my phone buzzed against the marble surface.I glanced down at the caller ID.Dad.I let out a slow breath, swallowing back the urge to groan in pain before sliding the screen to answer.“Hey, Dad,” I called out, keeping my voice as steady as possible.“Jason! Are you okay? I heard you got injured during today’s game... Where are you? Have you been treated yet?” Dad fired off in a single, breathless panic.I rolled my eyes toward the ceiling at his overreaction. To be fair, I was having my own internal meltdown—except mine was over the fact that Maddox was still out with his aunt and Wendy while I was left standing here crippled, despite him s
“Yeah, that’s Maddox’s favorite dish,” Sabrina said to the waiter as he took our dinner orders.“He hardly eats well... You look so thin already,” Wendy chimed in, resting her chin on her hand as she looked at me. “We should come over more often to remind him to eat. If we don’t, Jason certainly doesn't give a damn whether he eats or starves.”My aunt nodded along in agreement, absorbing Wendy's words like gospel—which I already knew she was going to do anyway.The waiter returned shortly after, serving the steaming dishes onto the white tablecloth.I glanced down at my wristwatch. It had already been more than thirty minutes since we arrived, and this dinner was taking far longer than I had intended.“Let’s eat,” Sabrina announced, cutting into her food.I picked up my spoon and took a bite. The food tasted fine, but the overwhelming knot of worry in my chest made it impossible to digest a single mouthful. All I could think about was getting back to Jason. He was lying in that empty
Instead of letting Jason struggle on his feet, I decided to carry him out of the clinic myself, and there wasn't a single doubt in my mind about it.Wrapping my arms securely under his thighs and behind his back, I lifted him into a firm bridal carry and walked out of the clinic, leaving Charles’ burning gaze trailing behind us in the doorway.As I carried him down the main hallway, a few of the guys who were coming to check on Jason froze, watching in stunned silence as I navigated through the arena doors with my stepbrother held tight against my chest.The moment we stepped outside into the cool night air, my stride dragged to a sudden halt.Standing right by the VIP entrance was Wendy, a sly, triumphant smile playing on her lips. She wasn't alone. Standing right beside her was my aunt Sabrina.The second Jason’s eyes locked onto theirs, I felt the tension spike through his entire body. His grip on my jersey loosened slightly as he tried to pull back, but I held him firmer, pulling
Instead of letting Jason struggle on his feet, I decided to carry him out of the clinic myself, and there wasn't a single doubt in my mind about it.Wrapping my arms securely under his thighs and behind his back, I lifted him into a firm bridal carry and walked out of the clinic, leaving Charles’ burning gaze trailing behind us in the doorway.As I carried him down the main hallway, a few of the guys who were coming to check on Jason froze, watching in stunned silence as I navigated through the arena doors with my stepbrother held tight against my chest.The moment we stepped outside into the cool night air, my stride dragged to a sudden halt.Standing right by the VIP entrance was Wendy, a sly, triumphant smile playing on her lips. She wasn't alone. Standing right beside her was my aunt Sabrina.The second Jason’s eyes locked onto theirs, I felt the tension spike through his entire body. His grip on my jersey loosened slightly as he tried to pull back, but I held him firmer, pulling
Maddox wrapped an arm firmly around my waist in a frantic rush, hauling me up and skating straight off the ice before the referee could even blow the whistle to pause the game.He carried me swiftly down the hallway while I groaned softly against his chest, a sharp, white-hot agony shooting up my spine every time my leg shifted.I clenched my fists tightly into the fabric of his jersey, trying to hold back the tears.Maddox burst through the doors of the arena’s medical bay, carefully lowering me onto the examination bed as the medical staff rushed over instantly to attend to me.“Get these off him, carefully,” he ordered sharply, his voice laced with panic as the doctor began unbuckling my ice skates and gently sliding off my thick protective socks.A sharp gasp escaped my throat the moment my ankle was exposed, swollen and purplish red. Maddox sat right on the edge of the bed by my side, taking my hand into a firm, grounding grip.“You’re going to be fine...” he muttered softly near
I blinked once—twice. Was I seeing correctly? Jace immediately turned away from me, this time his bare ass faced towards me. He would have gone ahead to grab a towel or something to cover up but there didn't seem to be anything closer to his reach and he could only stand there, smooth round ass
Right from where I was seated, I could see Jace panting this time, sweating profusely as though I had asked him to do more than fifteen laps, but there he was, skating around the ice as though it were a death sentence. Is this his first time seeing an ice rink or what? Seated here I couldn't ev
It’s been two days and Maddox words have continuously rang in my head. I was seated in the library staring at my phone with my dad's contact displaying on the screen. I never wanted to bother him. I knew the moment I complained to Dad, Mrs. Donovan would step in to smooth things over—which woul
With a slight frown creasing my brows I dragged my luggage towards the apartment that stood big and mighty right in front of me. No matter how far I ran, life always dragged me back toward him. And now, after years of distance, I was walking straight into the one place I swore I’d never share with







