All Chapters of A Dirty Little Secret : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

27 Chapters

Chapter 11: Fractured Recovery

The hospital room felt too small, too bright, too sterile. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead while I sat slumped in the stiff plastic chair beside Maya’s bed. They’d wheeled her in hours ago, pale and still, an oxygen mask fogging slightly with each shallow breath. Five hours. I hadn’t moved much except to stretch my legs once when a nurse insisted. “I really hope she’s okay,” I whispered to the quiet room, reaching out to take her hand. Her fingers were cool but steady. I held on tighter than I should have, thumb brushing over her knuckles. Guilt and fear twisted together in my gut. This was my fault—our fault. The fights, the tension, the way everything between us had spiraled since that party. If I hadn’t been so distracted by Clara and Jordan and my own screwed-up feelings, maybe I would’ve found her sooner.Then her fingers squeezed back weakly. My heart jumped. I shifted my chair closer with a scrape, leaning in until I could see the faint flutter of her lashes. “Maya? Can

Chapter 12: Homeward Tension

“I’m asking again,” Mom said, her voice low and sharp. “Don’t make me repeat myself. What was that?”The hospital room suddenly felt ten degrees hotter. My mouth went dry. I opened it, closed it, then stammered like an idiot. “Uh… uh… uh…” The words wouldn’t come. All I could think about was the video still echoing in my head—our moans, the filthy things we’d said to each other. Clara had us by the throat.Maya shifted on the bed, letting out a dramatic groan and clutching her head. “Oh my head… ugh, it hurts so much. It hurts.”Mom’s focus flipped instantly. “Sweetie, are you okay?” She rushed over, setting her coffee down and hovering, one hand gently on Maya’s shoulder. “Should I get the doctor back in here?”“No,” Maya rasped, eyes squeezed shut like she was fighting real pain. “I just… I want everyone to leave right now. I need some space. Please.”Mom hesitated, glancing between us with that worried-mom look, but she nodded. “Okay. We’ll step out. Just rest, honey.” She motione

Chapter 13: School Aftermath

“Wait, what?!”Marcus stepped closer, his expression serious, jaw clenched tight. “I said I’m gay. And what you just saw in my living room is real. We were having a threesome before you interrupted us.”I put both hands on my head, staring at him like he’d grown horns. “Oh wow… crazy stuff.” The images were still burned into my brain—Joshua and Anthony going at it like that. I shook my head hard. “You know what? I’ll just go home. Continue what you were doing, man.”I didn’t wait for a reply. I bounced out of there fast, practically jogging back to my car. The engine roared to life and I peeled away, muttering under my breath, “Okay, this day can’t get any better. Jesus.”Going home meant facing Nora and whatever questions she still had from the hospital. No thanks. I needed space to think, so I drove straight to my uncle’s place instead. He was the CEO of Apex Dynamics, this massive tech firm that supplied parts to half the cars in the city. Their house was huge—modern glass and ste

Chapter 14: Damage Control

The party was still going strong when I slipped into the kitchen for a bottle of water. My head was pounding from everything, the hospital, Clara’s threats, that damn video. I just needed a second to breathe.A girl that was practically naked, one of the strippers someone had hired for the night, sauntered over with a sly smile. She pressed up against me, running her hand down my chest. “Hey, handsome.”I stepped back quickly. “Please… don’t touch me.”She laughed softly and moved closer anyway. “Why not? You look like you could use some fun.”Before I could say anything else, Clara appeared out of nowhere. She grabbed the girl by the hair and yanked hard. “You bitch!” Clara started slapping her, wild and furious. “How dare you touch my man!”Chaos erupted. I jumped in with a couple of the guys, pulling them apart. The stripper was yelling, Clara was fighting to get free. “Leo, let me go! Let me handle this bitch!”“You need to fucking calm down, Clara,” I snapped, throwing her over

Chapter 15: Marcus’s Price

I stood there in the bathroom staring at Marcus’s phone like it was a bomb about to go off. “How did the—”Marcus stepped closer, that smug look still plastered on his face. “You should’ve been more careful, Leo.” He let out a short laugh. “I leaked it, by the way.”“You did what?” I grabbed his shirt and shoved him against the sink. We were face to face now, breathing hard. “Relax,” he said, not even flinching. “They can’t even see your faces clearly.” His eyes locked onto mine, cold and serious. “You think you’re hot shit, huh? Bragging about how good you are on the ice. Let me burst your bubble. I’ve got videos. I’ve been watching you and Maya for a while now. I know you two are fucking. And now I want a taste of that pussy.”I didn’t even think twice. My fist connected hard with his jaw. The sound echoed off the bathroom tiles. “How dare you talk about Maya like that in front of me, you sick fuck?”Marcus stumbled back a step but recovered fast, laughing through the blood on his

Chapter 16: Too Far

Maya’s POVGod, I couldn’t believe Leo had actually said that to me.I stormed back toward the classroom, my heart pounding so hard it felt like it was going to crack my ribs. Sleep with Marcus? Is he insane? What does he take me for — some toy he can just pass around to save his precious captain spot? The anger burned hot in my chest, mixing with something sharper. Hurt. Real hurt.I grabbed my bag from my desk, slinging it over my shoulder a little too roughly. That’s when Jordan appeared at the door, flashing that easy smile of his. “Hey babe.”I almost laughed. Jordan wasn’t really my boyfriend. We were just hooking up — nothing serious. I’d started it hoping it would make Leo jealous, push him to finally stop hiding us. Such a low move, even for me. But right now, I didn’t care.“You look angry. You okay?” Jordan stepped closer and gently put his hand on my forehead like he was checking for a fever.I brushed his hand away. “I’m fine, Jordan. Can you just drop me home?”He tilte

Chapter 17: Marks We Can’t Hide

Leo’s POVDamn. I actually keep messing everything up.I stood in the hallway like an idiot, staring at Maya’s closed door. The slam still echoed in my head. She was mad, like really mad and I couldn’t blame her one bit. Telling her to sleep with Marcus to save my own skin? What kind of selfish asshole says something like that to the girl he can’t stop thinking about? I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair, then dragged myself back to my room feeling like shit.I dropped onto the bed and picked up my controller, hoping the game would drown out my thoughts. The screen lit up with bright colors and explosions, but it didn’t help. Every few seconds my mind drifted back to Maya’s face — the hurt in her eyes, the way she looked at me like I’d betrayed her. I kept playing on autopilot, but my focus was gone.My phone buzzed on the bed. I picked it up and saw a message in the hockey group chat from Coach: “Emergency team meeting tomorrow at 8 AM sharp. Be on time. No excuses, no

Chapter 18: Kitchen Interrogation

Nora stepped right in front of us, arms crossed tight, eyes moving between me and Maya like she was reading a crime scene. The kitchen suddenly felt way too small. “Leo… is Maya having sex?”I choked hard on the sip of water I’d just taken. It went down the wrong way, burning my throat as I coughed and sputtered, eyes watering. “Uhm… okay, first of all, that’s Maya’s private life, not mine,” I managed, voice hoarse.“Thank you!” Maya said quickly, rolling her eyes at me like I’d actually done her a solid for once.Before Nora could push any further, the front door burst open with loud, cheerful voices.“Surpriseeee!” Uncle Michael and Aunt Lorraine called out together, stepping inside like they owned the place. Lorraine was holding a bottle of wine, Michael had that usual confident grin. They looked like they’d just come from some fancy event, her in a nice dress, him in a button-up.The three of us froze. Nora recovered first, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace. “What ar

Chapter 19: Fake Date

The second Lorraine and Michael left, the front door barely clicked shut before I was already moving. My heart was still racing from everything that just went down at the table. I ran upstairs and knocked softly on Maya’s door.“Maya? Are you okay?” Worry laced every word. No answer. I knocked again, harder. “Maya, talk to me.”Still nothing. I kept banging on the door until it finally cracked open. Maya stood there, face pale, sweat beading on her forehead. She looked exhausted.Before I could say anything, her knees buckled. She started collapsing slowly. “Maya! Maya!” I caught her just in time, holding her up.“I’m fine, Leo,” she whispered, voice weak. “Just a bit weak. I’ll get some rest. Go to sleep.”She pushed me gently but firmly out of the doorway and closed the door in my face. I stood there for a second, staring at the wood, my chest tight. What the hell was going on with her?I walked back to my room, head spinning. What did Aunt Lorraine mean by Maya’s been puking? What

Chapter 20: Silent Treatment

I stepped toward Maya slowly, the house eerily quiet around us. Mom and Dad were out for the evening, so it was just the two of us. The air between us felt thick, suffocating. “Maya… it’s not like that. You know it’s not. Those photos don’t mean anything.”“Don’t fucking touch me,” she snapped, stepping back. Her eyes were red-rimmed, like she’d been crying for hours. Her voice trembled with barely contained rage. “Don’t you dare come near me right now.”I took another step anyway, desperate. “Please, just listen to me for a second. Clara forced that date. I had no choice. She’s still threatening us with the videos—”The slap came fast and hard. Her palm cracked across my cheek, the sting sharp and immediate. I staggered back a step, holding my face, more shocked than hurt. She was breathing heavily, chest rising and falling fast, tears shining in her eyes.“I thought we had something real, Leo,” she said, voice cracking. “I thought you loved me! Why would you go on a date with her? A

1 2 3

SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP