All Chapters of Reborn for my Step brother: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

ARIAI waited until it was completely dark before I left my dorm. My arm still hurt a little from the injury, but that wasn’t the reason my stomach felt tight and sick. I was going to meet Tristan. Every step toward the old storage room behind the gym felt heavier than the last. I hated this part. I hated lying. I hated pretending to be the person he wanted me to be. But if I wanted to protect Trenton, I had to keep playing this dangerous game.Tristan was already waiting inside when I arrived. The room was dimly lit by one small lamp in the corner. As soon as I walked in, he stood up with a big smile on his face. He pulled me into a tight hug right away.“There she is,” he said happily, squeezing me. “My clever little mate. I saw the pictures my friend sent. You and Trenton walking across campus together like a real couple. Good work, Aria. Really good work.”I forced myself to smile and hugged him back. “I told you I was making progress. He waited for me outside the infirmary this m

ARIAMy heart was beating so fast it felt like it would explode. I stood outside the boys’ dormitory, breathing hard. My legs were tired from running, but I didn’t care. I had to see him. I had to know the truth. T_Cock was Trenton. The man I loved had been behind that mask the whole time. I walked quickly down the hallway until I found his room. I knew which one it was because I had seen him come out of it before.I stopped in front of his door. My hands were shaking. I took a deep breath and knocked hard. “Trenton!” I called. “Open the door. I know you’re in there.”No answer. The hallway was quiet. I knocked again, louder this time. “Trenton, please. I saw your face on the call. It was you. I know it was you!”Still nothing. I could feel him inside. I could feel the mate bond pulling between us even through the door. He was there. He was just refusing to open it.“Trenton, don’t do this,” I said. My voice was getting louder. “Talk to me. Was it really you all this time? The late-ni

ARIAI stood in Trenton's room with my heart beating fast. We had finally talked about the truth of T_Cock. The air felt heavy with all the feelings between us. Trenton looked at me for a long moment. Then he walked over to his bed and quietly pulled out an old storage box from underneath it. He placed the box on the bed and opened it slowly. I stepped closer to see what was inside.The box was full of memories. There were unopened letters that looked like apologies. Birthday cards that had my name on them but were never given to me. Some harsh text messages he had printed out. Old photographs he took secretly during campus events. Small things that reminded him of me. I felt my eyes getting wet as I looked at everything."These are all from you," Trenton said in a quiet voice. "I could never throw any of it away. Even when you rejected me, even when you were cruel to me, I kept everything. Because it came from you. Even your anger felt precious if it meant you had looked at me."I pi

TRENTONThe days after we stopped hiding our feelings felt different and special. Aria and I started spending more time together. I caught myself smiling whenever she was near. I looked forward to her visits after hockey practice. Even during training, my mind would wander to her. I would think about her laugh, the way she looked at me with those big eyes, and how safe I felt when she was close. It was like a new light had come into my life after so much darkness.One afternoon after practice, I was still on the ice doing extra drills. The arena was quiet. The team had already left. Then I saw Aria sitting in the stands watching me. She waved when I noticed her. I skated over to the boards."You came," I said, smiling."I always come when I can," she replied. "You look good out there. Strong."I rested my arms on the boards. "It's better when you're watching."We talked for a while. She told me about her classes. I told her about the upcoming championship game. It felt normal. It felt

ARIA I woke up the next morning with a big smile on my face. The sun was shining through my window, painting the room in soft golden light. I stretched slowly, feeling a warm happiness in my chest. Even though the meeting with Tristan had been uncomfortable, I believed everything was finally falling into place. Trenton had slowly begun trusting me again. We were only one step away from becoming a real couple. I even caught myself daydreaming about our postponed dinner. I wondered if I should finally tell him everything about Tristan's manipulation. Maybe tonight would be the right time. I imagined his surprised face when I explained how I had been protecting him all along.I got dressed quickly, choosing a simple sweater that hid my bandage. I went to the cafeteria for breakfast, my steps light. I was excited to see Trenton. But when I saw him across the room, something felt wrong. He barely looked at me. When our eyes met for a second, he looked away so fast it felt like even lookin