Just My Hockey Roommate’s Filthy Desires by Esther Pen novel Chapter 201

Chapter 201

Chapter 201

ARIA’S POV

The courtroom waiting area felt like it had no air at all. Julian stayed down on his knees, his fare totally old daughter stared at him with a sad, serious look that no little kid should ever have

When he couldn’t find any words to answer her first question, Amelja took a small step closer, holding her ony her sides.

“Why did it take you so long to come look for me?” she asked. Her voice was shaking but very dear “And why did married to someone else?”

Julian opened his mouth, his chest, moving up and down as he tried to think of something to say, but no words cars a all. The rich, proud Julian Vance was completely stuck because of the simple words from his own child.

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He looked completely broken, holding his hands out in the air between them but not touching her

Amelia looked right into his red, bloodshot eyes, and a tear finally fell down her soft cheek.

“I wanted to get to know you,” she whispered, her little shoulders shaking. “But I love my mommy more. You are my father, but you didn’t come to me?

Those simple words cut through the room like a sharp knife. Julian’s face changed from sad to angry and full of disbelief.

He could not accept that his own daughter was pushing him away all on her own. He snapped his head up, his wild, angry eyes leaving the little girl and locking right onto me.

“Did you do this?” Julian yelled, his voice getting loud and crazy as he pointed a shaking finger at me. “Are you turning Amelia against me, Aria? Is this what you’ve been doing for the fast five years? Teaching my daughter to hate me?”

The fact that he could even say that made my blood run cold. I took an angry step forward, closing my hands into tight fists as I felt a hot wave of anger in my chest. “Julian, don’t you dare-”

Before I could even finish my sentence, Amelia’s small voice cut me off completely, “No!” she shouted, stepping right in front of Julian to protect me. “My mommy never did that. She never told me you were a bad person. Every time I asked about you. she just told me things were hard and complicated.”

Julian jumped a little, looking like he had been slapped by her words. Amelia wiped her eyes with the back of ber small hand, looking at him with a stubborn face. “But you haven’t come for me since then. Why did you come now? Why now, Daddy?”

Julian swallowed hard, the anger leaving him as he looked at her with total panic. He reached out, his fingers lightly touching the cloth of her sleeve, his voice sounding rough and broken.

“Because I want us to be a family again. Amelia, I want to make things right. I want us to have a good life together. Amelia slowly shook her head, looking down at his hand and then looking back up at him, totally confused

“But you are already married,” she said simply, pointing back toward Leonie, who was standing in the background looking more and more shocked by what was happening. “Were you planning to leave your wife for us?”

Hearing those words come out of my daughter’s mouth made me freeze completely. My hand went to my mouth and my heart started bearing fast against my ribs.

Amelia was talking and thinking like a grown-up instead of a five-year-old kid. The heavy stress of this court high and the sudden appearance of her father had made her grow up in just one week. It broke my heart to a million pieces to see it

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Chapter 204-

jde . Brandon’s jaw went tight. He put his big hand on the lower part of my back to hold me steady as we both warched the scene play out.

Julian looked completely shocked, his eyes moving around fast as he realized his daughter was seeing right through the Ede story he had built in his head

He looked up at Leonie for a split second, then back down at Amelia, his breathing short and panicked.

“Amelia… princess, it’s not that simple,” Julian said, his voice sounding weak and desperate as he tried to find any excuse to save his name. “I just… I want to make things right. I want to fix everything I broke.”

Amelia shook her head slowly, looking down at him with a sad face. “You are just saying that now,” she whispered, her tiny voice taking away the last of his excuses.

Then, she turned her head back toward our side of the hallway. Her eyes locked onto Brandon, and a big, real smile came across her tear-stained face.

“Uncle Brandon is the father figure I have,” she said loudly, her voice echoing clearly for everyone in the room to hear. She turned her eyes back to Julian one last time. “If you really wanted to make things right, you would have come much earlier.”

Without waiting for him to say anything. Amelia turned around. She walked away from the shocked, broken man on the floor and came right toward me, reaching out her small, warm hand to hold mine.

Julian stayed completely frozen, kneeling on the cold floor in front of his family and lawyers. His head was down because the hard words from his daughter had completely destroyed his pride.

Without saying a single word to him or his family, we turned and walked straight into the main courtroom. Brandon’s big body led the way like a wall against the heavy quiet behind us.

I held Amelia’s hand tightly as we walked down the aisle, and the two of us sat down at our table while Brandon sat right

next to me.

The double doors of the courtroom clicked shut, and the big custody case officially started as the court worker called everyone to order.

But right before the judge could stand up, Amelia leaned in close, pulling on my sleeve to make me look down. She looked up at me with her big, clear eyes, looking completely calm now.

“Mommy,” she whispered softly in my ear. “I understand now.” The heavy bang of the judge’s gavel echoed through the room, cutting through the thick, heavy tension.

“The family court is now open,” the judge said, his

sharp eyes looking at everyone from behind his high desk. “We are here to decide who gets custody of the child. Amelia. Ler the defense counsel speak first.”

Julian’s family lawyer stood up right away, fixing the front of his very expensive suit. He spoke in a loud, powerful voice that filled every corner of the room.

“Your Honor,” the lawyer began, pointing over to where Julian sat looking stiff and tight. “My client has been treated very unfairly. Five years ago, Aria took Amelia and ran away from this city without ever telling Julian she was pregnant. She purposefully hid his own blood from him, taking away a loving father’s rights from day one. We are asking for full custody to fix this bas situation.”

During all thus loud accusation, Brandon’s main lawyer stayed completely calm, leaning back in his chair like he didn’t care at all. When the judge signated that it was our turn, he stood up slowly and slid a smooth digital tablet over to the court

worker.

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Chapter 201 –

Spices the euc, Brandon’s lawyer said, his voice smooth and very clear. “My client did not hide. She was left behind and had to survive. And we have clear, real proof that shows Mr. Vance knew about his daughter the whole time.”

The worker pressed a button, and suddenly, a loud, clear voice recording started playing through the courtroom speakers. The moment the sound started, my chest went tight. It was the exact day I had walked into Julian’s office five years ago, scared and pregnant.

He turned me away that day, not even bothering to look at my face. Amelia sat perfectly still in her seat between Brandon and me, watching and listening to everything happening in the room.

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