All Chapters of Fake Dating My Ex's Favourite Hockey Player: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

EMILIA The silence makes my skin crawl. I anxiously drum my fingers against the railing, while Adrian stays quiet on the other end. It takes a few long, fumbling seconds before I finally hear him breathe out, “Oh.” “Yeah.” “Um— shit. Sorry. I just… wasn’t expecting this. At all.” He sounds like he's scrambling, words tripping over each other. “How are you? Wait — no, is that even the right thing to ask? Should I still call you Emily? Or it’s Emilia now, right? God, I’m messing this up, aren’t I?” “Adrian,” I laugh softly, almost despite myself. The awkwardness in his voice is achingly familiar. Some things really don’t change. “Emily, Emilia — it doesn’t matter. And you can relax. My parents still don’t know you’re the one with the rest of his sculptures.” I hear the nervousness leave him all at once, like a balloon deflating. “Oh. Well… that’s a relief.” “Did I catch you at a bad time?” I ask, guilt creeping in. “I can call back later if—” “No! No, you’re fine. It’s fi

EMILIAHer eyes snap to mine, irritation flaring like I’ve just asked the dumbest question imaginable. “What the hell? You don’t know who Julie is?”I blink. “No? Is she a friend? Like Jessica?” Even saying the name ‘Jessica’ feels like licking rust.For some reason, that sets Lacey off. She snorts — actually snorts — and then dissolves into messy laughter. “Julie? Like Jessica?” She nearly slides off the stool. “God, Liam, she really doesn’t know anything about Jess, huh?”“Drop it.” Liam doesn’t raise his voice, but it’s enough to slice through the room. Lacey’s laugh dies on her lips.“Wait, she doesn’t?” Her gaze swings back to me, slower this time. There’s something different behind her eyes now — curiosity, maybe pity. I can’t tell which is worse.“I’m not getting involved in that shit,” she mutters, standing with a wobble. “He’s already thrown out my wine, so it’s time for me to leave.” She leans in, drops a sloppy kiss on my cheek, then stumbles toward Liam. Her hand slaps aga

LIAM It’s painful to admit my sauce went uneaten.After a few more minutes with Emilia’s lips locked on mine, I found that her appetite wasn’t for food.Not that I’m complaining — oh, no, not at all. In fact, the thought of her lips on mine is the only thing keeping my sour mood from getting any worse.But then, just as I thought we might finally get some peace, the ship’s horn blares through the air, loud and jarring, dragging us both back to reality.“Attention, all passengers!” the voice crackles over the intercom. “We are approaching Mackinac Island. Please make your way to the nearest exit as we prepare to dock. The island awaits!”I groan, half in frustration, half in disbelief, as the moment we were building shatters. Emilia pulls away from me with a soft laugh, her eyes still shining, and I can’t help but stare at her for a second longer than I should.And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I found myself standing at the entrance to Mackinac Island — next to a practically glo

TW: Abuse, please proceed with caution.EMILIAThe hardest part of falling in love — truly falling — is the moment you realise what love isn’t.It’s the moment you understand that love shouldn’t ache just to feel real. That the tight pull in your stomach isn’t butterflies — it’s fear. That the alarm bells ringing in your mind aren’t oxytocin — they’re warnings.Real love doesn’t confine you.It doesn’t demand control.It doesn’t shame you for falling short of its expectations.It doesn’t dismiss your voice or steal your choices.It doesn’t mask manipulation as care, or dominance as passion.Love isn’t supposed to strip you bare until there’s nothing left to give.Liam’s hands move gently into my hair, unraveling the little braid I did this morning. A tear escapes before I can stop it.And when I open my eyes—It’s not Liam I see.It’s Zane.The memory returns so vividly, I almost double over. It visits me often, especially when I try to convince myself that he loved me. That he always

EMILIA“That’s everyone,” Tonia says, ticking the last name off her clipboard. She looks up, gives her boyfriend and Céline a long, tight-lipped glare, and sighs like she’s been holding her breath all day.“Did you see that?” I whisper to Lacey, who’s standing beside me and Liam. As expected, the red plastic cup she’s holding smells like cheap beer up close.Lacey nods. “I’ll ask her about it later. They ditched me halfway again. I had to find my way back using straight-up muscle memory.”“Impressive,” Liam mumbles. “Didn’t know being buzzed improved your internal compass.”I pinch his arm. He barely reacts but throws me a sly smile. Lacey doesn’t notice a thing, just shrugs and takes another sip.“If I had to guess, I’d say Tonia’s finally figuring out that three’s a crowd,” Lacey says, wiping her lip with the back of her hand.I hum, distracted. Cameras are everywhere. I spot one guy pretending not to point his lens directly at us, but he’s not slick. The tension gets worse when I s