Just My Hockey Roommate’s Filthy Desires by Esther Pen novel Chapter 210

11:44 Thu, Jul 2

Chapter 210

Chapter 210

ARIA’S POV

I stood frozen on the gravel driveway, my eyes burning as I watched Brandon’s car speed away until it completely vanished from sight.

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A heavy wave of regret hit me, so strong it made my knees weak. I shouldn’t have hesitated. When he asked me if I still had feelings for Julian, I knew the answer was an absolute no. My heart belonged to Brandon.

But my mind had been in such a chaotic mess that I froze, and that one second of silence had ruined everything. The feelings I had for Julian had resurfaced at that moment and for a split second 1, I had forgotten about Brandon.

Just last night, we were smiling on a video call and saying we loved each other. Now, he was gone, thinking I had betrayed him. I turned back toward the house, my footsteps heavy and slow.

When I walked through the front doors, the entryway was completely quiet. The mess in the dining room was still there, broken plates and spilled breakfast scattered on the floor but my only focus was my daughter.

I looked over and saw Amelia standing by the entryway table. She had stopped crying, but her little face was pale and full of sadness. In her small hands, she was clutching the large box of chocolates that Brandon had dropped before walking out.

I walked over to her and knelt down to her eye level, my heart breaking all over again at the sight of her. “Mommy,” Amelia whispered, her voice cracking as she looked down at the box in her hands. “I’m sorry. I hurt Uncle Brandon.”

Fresh tears welled

up in her big, innocent eyes,

and my chest tightened with a painful ache. I reached out, pulling her small body into my arms and holding her close against me.

“Oh, sweetie, no,” I murmured, rubbing her back as she began to sob quietly into my shoulder. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s not your fault at all.”

“But I asked you to let him in,” she cried softly, her little fingers tightening around the cardboard box. “If he didn’t stay, Uncle Brandon wouldn’t be mad. He didn’t even look at me, Mommy.”

Hearing her blame herself broke my heart into a million pieces. This was my mess, not hers. She had acted out of pure kindness, but my own inability to control Julian and my hesitation with Brandon had caused this disaster.

I pulled back slightly, wiping the tears from her warm cheeks with my thumbs, and forced a gentle smile despite the heavy weight in my own chest.

“Listen to me, Amelia. Uncle Brandon loves you so much. He isn’t mad at you. He was just very upset, needed some space. I am the adult here, and I should have handled everything better. You have nothing to apologize for.”

and he

Amelia sniffled, looking down at the box of chocolates one last time before giving me a small, quiet nod. I

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11:44 Thu, Jul 2

Chapter 210

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stood up.

and took her hand, trying to stay strong for her sake. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s get your backpack. I’m going to drop you off at school today.”

Usually for the past few days, Anthony drove her and then dropped me at work but right now, I needed these few extra minutes with my daughter. I wanted to make sure she felt safe and reassured after the awful scene she had just witnessed.

We walked out to the car together. The drive to her kindergarten was completely quiet, save for the low hum of the engine.

Amelia stared out the window, her little mind clearly still processing everything, while I gripped the steering, wheel, my chest tight with a heavy, suffocating anxiety.

When we finally pulled up to the school gates, I unbuckled my seatbelt and turned to face her, smoothing down her hair. “Have a good day at school, okay? I love you so much.”

“I love you too, Mommy,” she murmured softly, leaning in to give me a quick hug before grabbing her backpack.

I watched her walk through the school doors until she was completely inside. The moment she was out of sight, the forced smile slid right off my face.

I leaned my head back against the headrest, a shaky breath escaping my lips as the reality of the situation crashed down on me.

Julian had caused chaos in my home, and Brandon was out there right now, completely heartbroken and furious. I needed to fix this. I had to find Brandon and explain the truth, no matter what it took.

I pulled my phone out of my purse with shaking hands and scrolled to Anthony’s contact. I pressed call and held it to my ear. It rang for a few long minutes, making my worry grow with every second, until he finally answered.

“Anthony,” I breathed out quickly. “Where is Brandon?”

There was a heavy pause on the other end of the line. When Anthony finally spoke, his voice was tight. “I’m sorry, Miss Aria. Mr. Brandon told me not to tell you where he went.”

“Anthony, please,” I tried to reason with him, my voice desperate. “You have to tell me where he is. It’s a huge misunderstanding. I just need to talk to him and explain.”

“I’m really sorry, Miss Aria,” Anthony replied, sounding genuinely apologetic. “I can’t tell you.”

Before I could say another word, a soft click sounded in my ear. He had ended the call.

I pulled the phone away and stared at the dark screen, a cold feeling spreading through my stomach. I couldn’t just give up. I quickly opened my recent calls and tapped Brandon’s name.

I held the phone tight to my ear, praying he would just pick up so I could hear his voice. It rang, and rang, and rang. Every ring felt like a heavy weight pressing down on my chest. Finally, it stopped, going straight to his voicemail.

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Chapter 210

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Hot tears gathered in my eyes, blurring my vision as I sat all alone in the quiet car. This was all my fault. I should have told him last night when I let Julian in.

But I was so caught up in the feelings I had for Julian that I didn’t. What’s worse was that he saw us kissing. How the hell would I explain that it wasn’t what he thought?

My mind went back to the kiss. I hated Julian but why did my body react that way to him? Why did I let him kiss me? I had caused so much trouble for myself by doing that.

I sat in my car for what felt like hours thinking of what to do. What would I say to Brandon that would make him forgive me?

As I sat there, my phone buzzed again in my hand, making me flinch. I glanced down, hoping against hope that it was Brandon, but Chloe’s name was flashing on the screen.

I took a shaky breath, trying to steady my voice before pressing the phone to my ear. “Hey, Chloe.”

“Miss Aria, where are you?” Chloe’s voice came through fast and urgent, the busy background noise of the office humming behind her. “You have that big meeting with the new investors this morning. They just arrived early, and we need you here right now.”

The absolute last thing I wanted to do right now was talk about business, but I couldn’t let my personal chaos ruin everything we had worked for.

“I’m on my way,” I told her, shifting the car into drive. “But Chloe, listen to me. I’m only staying for the duration of the meeting. The second it’s over, I

have to leave immediately. Clear my entire schedule for the day please.”

“Is everything okay, Miss Aria?” Chloe asked, her tone shifting to concern.

“Yes, yes everything is fine,” I murmured. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

I ended the call, wiped the stray tears from my cheeks, and checked my reflection in the rearview mirror. I looked pale and exhausted, but I forced myself into professional mode.

I couldn’t break down right now. I had to get through this meeting, and then I was going to find Brandon, no matter what. Stepping on the gas, I pulled away from the school curb and headed straight toward the

company.

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