The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 112

ppp.

Chapter 112

ARIA’S POV

My question clearly caught Brandon off guard.

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For a few seconds, he stayed completely silent while staring at Amelia sleeping peacefully beside us. Then slowly, he placed the tablet aside and carefully lifted Amelia from my arms.

“I’ll put her down first,” he said quietly.

I watched him carry her toward the crib near the couch. His movements were gentle and careful like always. After making sure she was comfortable, he stood there silently for a moment before finally turning back toward me.

Something about his expression had changed. The softness from earlier was gone. Now he just looked distant and tired, like the question had touched a wound he didn’t want to reopen.

I immediately regretted asking. Maybe he wasn’t ready to talk yet. Way to go, Aria. “Brandon—”

“No,” he interrupted quietly while sitting back down. “It’s fine. I guess it’s time someone other than my family knows what really went wrong in my life.”

But his voice sounded strained. He rubbed his palms together slowly before speaking again. “The truth, Aria is that I was married once.”

My eyes widened slightly. “Wait what?” I asked, clearly shocked at the revelation. There was no way Brandon was married before.

He gave a small bitter laugh at my expression. “You sound surprised.”

“I just…” I hesitated, not wanting to say anything that would hurt him. “You never mentioned it.”

“There’s a lot I don’t mention.” Silence settled between us briefly before he continued. “It was five years ago,” he said quietly. “Her name was Claire.”

The way he said her name made my chest tighten slightly. There was still love there. Deep love. “She was my first girlfriend,” he continued. “The only woman I ever really loved.”

I stayed quiet and let him speak.

“We met in college.” A faint smile appeared briefly on his face before disappearing again. “I believed in loving one person only. One woman for the rest of my life.”

His eyes lowered slightly.

“After my mother, she became the most important person in my life.” Something painful flickered across his expression before he looked away completely.

“We got married young,” he continued quietly. “And one year later, she got pregnant.”

My chest tightened immediately because I already knew where this was heading. Brandon exhaled shakily.

“There were complications during delivery.” His voice became rougher after that. “The doctors tried everything they could

to save her.”

He swallowed hard. “But I lost her.” The room became painfully silent. For the first time since I met Brandon, he looked

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Chapter 112

completely vulnerable.

Not angry. Not cold. Just broken. “She died giving birth?” I asked softly. He nodded once. “And the baby?”

His jaw clenched tightly. “Our baby didn’t survive either.”

My heart sank completely. “I’m sorry.” I whispered immediately.

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He laughed quietly again, but there was no humor in it. “I couldn’t forgive myself after that.” His eyes looked slightly red

now

“I kept thinking maybe if I had noticed the complications earlier…” He stopped speaking briefly before shaking his head. “Maybe things would’ve been different.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“That doesn’t really matter when the people you love are dead.” His words hit me harder than I expected. For a while, neither of us spoke.

The only sound in the room was Amelia breathing softly in her sleep. “I still love her,” Brandon admitted quietly after a while. “Even now.”

Something about that confession made my chest ache unexpectedly. “I tried moving on,” he continued. “I really did.”

I looked at him carefully.

“But nothing worked.” He leaned back slightly and closed his eyes briefly. “I could sleep with other women, but that was all it

ever was.”

His voice sounded tired now. “There was never any connection.” He opened his eyes again slowly. “So eventually I stopped trying.”

I stared at him quietly while emotions twisted painfully inside my chest. This man had been carrying grief alone for years.

And somehow, despite all that pain, he still opened his heart enough to care for me and Amelia. His eyes became redder the longer he spoke, though he clearly tried hiding it.

He looked away quickly and rubbed his face roughly. “Forget it,” he muttered. “I shouldn’t have said all that.”

But hearing the crack in his voice hurt me more than I expected. Without thinking properly, I moved closer to him on the couch. “Brandon…”

“I’m fine,” he said, trying not to look at me.

“You’re clearly not.”

He stayed silent. I reached for his hand carefully. “You don’t always have to pretend you’re okay.” That finally broke something in him.

A shaky breath escaped his mouth while he looked down briefly. I could tell he was trying hard not to cry.

And somehow, seeing him like that affected me deeply. Before I could stop myself, I lifted my hand and touched his face gently.

His eyes slowly lifted to mine. The moment stretched quietly between us. Then suddenly, I leaned closer and I kissed him.

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11:08 am

Chapter 112

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