The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 128

Chapter 128

ARIA’S POV

That night, sleep was a luxury I couldn’t afford.

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The sheets felt hard against my skin, and every time I closed my eyes, the courtroom replayed behind my eyelids in terrifying, vivid detail.

My uncle’s purple, panicked face, the sharp crack of the gavel, and the haunting realization of how my family truly died spun through my mind like a violent carousel.

But beneath the grief and the horror, a new weight was settling heavily on my chest: the sheer reality of what tomorrow would bring.

Now that I had officially gotten my father’s massive corporate legacy back, the spotlight was going to be blinding. The vultures, the board members, and worst of all, the ravenous media would be circling.

Front–page headlines, flashing cameras, journalists digging into my trauma, exposing Amelia to the public eye…just thinking about it made my chest tighten with a suffocating panic.

I didn’t want any of it. I had spent months hiding in the shadows just trying to survive, and I wasn’t ready to be thrust into the center of a corporate circus.

Unable to handle the racing thoughts for another second, I sat up in bed, my hands shaking as I reached for my phone on the nightstand. It was past midnight, but there was only one person who had the power to stop the impending storm.

I dialed Brandon’s number. He answered on the second ring, his deep voice instantly alert, completely devoid of sleep. “Aria? Is everything okay? Is it Amelia?”

“No, we’re okay,” I whispered, pressing my knees tightly against my chest. “I just… I need to ask you something, Brandon. And I need a realistic answer.”

“Anything. Name it.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat, staring out into the dark living room. “The verdict today. The company. My uncle’s arrest. Is there a way this can be kept completely out of the public eye? A total blackout. No media presence, no publishing on the news, no leaked legal documents. I just want to live a quiet, private life until I am fully back on my feet. I can’t handle the world watching me break down.”

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, the quiet sound of his steady breathing a sudden comfort in the dark.

“Consider it done,” Brandon replied, his tone filled with an absolute, unshakeable authority. “I’ll have my leg team seal the court records immediately, and I’ll put a non–disclosure directive on every journalist who e breathes near that courthouse. No one is going to exploit your story, Aria. You have my word.”

A massive wave of relief washed over me, loosening the tight knot in my stomach. “Thank you, Brand breathed softly. “Really. Thank you.”

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18:15 Mon, Jun 1

Chapter 128

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“Get some rest, Aria,” he said, his voice dropping into a lower, gentler register that made my skin prickle with a sudden reminder of the afternoon’s awkward heat. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

But the next morning, I didn’t wait for him.

The moment the first rays of dawn broke through the window, a sudden, desperate urge took over my entire body. I didn’t want to be protected in this apartment anymore.

I needed closure, and I needed to face the ghosts of my past on my own terms. Without Brandon’s knowledge, and without alerting Leo or any of the guards, I quietly booked a morning flight back to my hometown.

I packed a small diaper bag for Amelia, bundled her up carefully against the morning chill, and slipped out of the apartment building before the city even woke up.

The flight was a blur of anxiety, but the real test came the moment the taxi pulled up to the iron gates of my childhood home.

The sprawling family mansion stood tall and imposing against the gray sky. It was the place I had completely abandoned after the funeral, fleeing from the suffocating trauma and the agonizing loneliness that haunted every empty hallway.

Stepping out of the taxi with Amelia strapped securely to my chest, I pushed the heavy gates open.

Walking up the cobblestone driveway, seeing the neatly manicured lawns now slightly overgrown, brought a tidal wave of painful, beautiful memories rushing back.

I could almost hear my brother’s booming laughter echoing from the front porch. I could see my mother kneeling by the rose bushes, and my father standing by the front door, adjusting his briefcase with a proud, warm smile.

The grief hit me like a physical blow, a sob catching in my throat, but I forced my feet to keep moving. I didn’t go inside the house. I couldn’t handle the empty rooms just yet.

Instead, I walked around to the private, secluded family cemetery at the edge of the estate. The three marble headstones stood side by side, pristine and silent beneath the shade of a massive willow tree.

I approached slowly, my knees trembling as I knelt down on the damp grass, carefully laying down the fresh bouquet of white lilies I had purchased at the airport.

I touched the cold stone of my father’s grave, the tears finally slipping silently down my cheeks. “Hi, Dad. Mom. Big bro,” I whispered, my voice cracking in the quiet afternoon air. “It’s been so long. I’m sorry I stayed away.”

I gently unbuttoned my coat, revealing the wide, curious eyes of the baby sleeping against my chest. “I brought someone to meet you. This is Amelia. She’s your granddaughter, Dad. I’ve been struggling… I’ve bee struggling so hard just to survive since you left. There were days I didn’t think I’d make it to the next morning.”

I took a deep, trembling breath, wiping my face as a fiercely proud smile broke through my tears. “Bu I won. The man who did this to you… the monster who pretended to cry at your funerals… we caught is going to prison for the rest of his miserable life. He will never touch another dime of what you bu

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18:15 Mon, Jun 1

Chapter 128

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I leaned my forehead against the cool marble of my father’s headstone, feeling a profound sense of peace settle over my spirit for the very first time. “I promise you, Dad, I will keep your legacy alive. I will protect your life’s work with everything I have. Your death wasn’t in vain.”

I stayed there for another hour, just talking to them, letting the wind carry away the years of unresolved

bitterness.

When I finally stood up and walked away from the gravesides, the crushing weight on my shoulders felt noticeably lighter. It was time to get to work.

I walked out of the estate gates and pulled out my phone, scrolling down to a contact I never thought I would ever have to dial again.

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