All Chapters of Dirty Little Secret With My Stepbrother : Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

KILLIAN'S POVI walked out of the arena doors and into the quiet back hallway with the official letter still clutched tightly in my hands, my heart pounding violently against my ribs as the overwhelming reality finally sank in.Years of early morning ice sessions, brutal physical training, agonizing injuries, and countless sleepless nights spent chasing a distant dream had all led to this exact piece of paper. I had done it. I had been officially selected for the international hockey programme in Europe. Before I could even process my own thoughts, footsteps echoed down the corridor, and Maya came rushing toward me. Her eyes were shining, completely unable to contain her excitement. Forgetting every rule about keeping our distance in public, she threw her arms around my neck, pulling me tight against her."Killian," she gasped against my chest, pulling back just enough to look up at me. "Beaumont officially emailed me back... I got it, Killian. The apprenticeship in Milan is mine."

KILLIAN'S POVI spent the entire day moving through the city with a sense of clarity I hadn't felt in months.From the moment I woke up, my mind was focused on one thing. Creating a night Maya would remember forever. I wanted to completely wash away the lingering shadows of the hard choices we’d made, replacing the doubt and anxiety with something warm, real, and undeniable.My first stop was her favorite Italian takeout spot downtown—the quiet little place with the incredible wood-fired arrabbiata she always craved whenever she was stressed. Next was the bakery three blocks over, where I picked up a small, elegant box containing two of those overpriced almond tarts she loved. Finally, on a sudden impulse, I pulled into a local florist stand and bought a fresh bouquet of soft cream roses and eucalyptus.As the florist wrapped them in butcher paper, a faint smile tugged at my lips. I could already hear Maya's voice teasing me, reminding me of all the times I’d scoffed that fresh flo

MAYA'S POVI woke up slowly, stretched out under the heavy duvet as warm morning sunlight filtered softly through the sheer curtains. A lazy, contented smile spread across my face as the memories of the night before rushed back, the unhurried heat, the fierce promises whispered in the dark, and the absolute freedom of finally belonging to him without fear.Instinctively, I shifted on the mattress, reaching across the tangled sheets for Killian. My hand met nothing but cool, empty fabric.I blinked against the light, pushing myself up on one elbow and looking around the quiet bedroom. The bathroom door was cracked open, but there was no sound of running water, no shadow moving inside. At first, I didn't think much of it. Killian had always been an early riser, a habit born from years of dawn ice sessions and brutal morning conditioning. He often went for early runs around the perimeter of the estate whenever he needed to clear his head, so I assumed he was just out burning off energ

MAYA'S POVThree days. For seventy-two agonizing hours, time ceased to exist in any meaningful way. My world shrank down to the dark rectangle of my phone screen, the crumpled two-line note resting on my nightstand, and the ghostly memory of his hands on my skin. I spent every waking minute replaying our last night together, his low growls in the dark, the way he looked into my eyes, the absolute certainty in his voice when he promised he would always choose me.None of it made sense. How could a man love you with that kind of ferocious intensity at midnight and vanish into the air before dawn?Mom knocked on my bedroom door repeatedly throughout the weekend, her face etched with growing concern every time she stepped inside. She tried to coax me out of bed, bringing trays of food I couldn't bear to touch, worried that I was spiraling into a deep depression over turning down Milan."Maya, darling, I know you're exhausted and questioning your choices," she murmured softly on the sec

MAYA'S POVThe sound of Killian's name instantly froze me where I stood.The delicate silk dress I had been holding slipped straight from my numb fingers, pooling onto the floorboards in a crumpled heap of soft fabric. Every protective instinct in my body screamed at me to close my eyes, to turn around, to run into the back fitting room and hide from the wall-mounted screen. Yet, my body refused to obey. I couldn't move a single muscle, my gaze completely locked onto the television playing high in the corner of the boutique.Riley noticed the sudden, drastic change in my posture and followed my terrified, wide-eyed look up to the broadcast.The news anchor’s voice boomed through the boutique’s overhead speakers, introducing Killian as the newest, most high-profile signing in European hockey history. The segment then cut directly to live footage from a massive, glittering press event hosted by his new team's primary corporate sponsors across the Atlantic.There he was.Killian was w