The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 146

Chapter 146

ÁRIA’S POV

Julian just stood there by the entryway, his dark eyes fixed on me for what felt like an eternity.

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He didn’t move, and he didn’t say another word, as if he was trying to see if I would change my mind. But I kept my finger pointed firmly at the door, refusing to look at him.

Finally, he let out a low, heavy sigh, turned around, and walked out.

The moment the front door clicked shut and I heard his footsteps fade down the hallway, the strength completely left my legs. I collapsed straight onto the couch, burying my face in my hands.

I was so completely, mentally exhausted. My mind was spinning out of control. What hurt the most was thinking about Amelia.

Even after I had sat her down, held her hands, and strictly told her to stay away from Julian, she had still followed him gladly. It turned out she genuinely believed that Julian was her father.

She had even proudly told her little friend at school about him. That’s what her teacher had told me when I called the school after Julian had switched off his phone.

was

I didn’t even know what to feel anymore. My emotions were a total mess. I was angry, I was terrified, and I was deeply hurt. The only thing I knew for certain was that I desperately needed space.

I needed to get far away from all this drama, and most importantly, away from Julian. I needed a clean break from everything before I completely went crazy.

Sitting there in the quiet living room, a desperate idea began to form in my head. I actually began to consider changing my apartment. I needed to pack up and move somewhere else where Julian couldn’t just show up randomly whenever he felt like it.

But this time around, I made a firm decision. I was going to do it entirely on my own, without involving Brandon. Brandon had enough on his plate, and after our argument, I didn’t want to rely on him for my safety anymore.

If I moved to a secret location, Julian wouldn’t be able to track me down so easily. And maybe, just maybe, if I served him with a legal restraining order as well, he would finally get the message and stay away from us for good.

Right then and there, I began to make my plans.

The next morning, the very first thing I did was call Brandon’s personal lawyer. I explicitly asked him to draw up the restraining order papers immediately, but I gave him one strict condition.

He had to do it without telling Brandon a single thing about it. The lawyer seemed confused and tried to ask me more questions to understand what was going on, but I didn’t give him any more details.

I kept my answers short and sharp. I didn’t care about the legal politics; I just wanted Julian away from me and Amelia in the

meantime.

Julian couldn’t just jump out of my life five years ago, leave me to drown, and then jump right back in whenever he suddenly felt like playing the dotting father. No one does that.

The lawyer finally sighed and told me he would handle it, promising that the legal papers would be served to Juhan in less than twenty–four hours.

Once I hung up with the lawyer, I immediately contacted a local housing agency. I told the agent I needed to get a new apartment right away. I didn’t want anything fancy or expensive.

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1 just wanted a place that was comfortable enough and safe enough to accommodate me and Amelia. Luckily, the agent was highly efficient.

He sent me a few options, and I quickly found one that I really liked. I didn’t even hesitate. I made the full payment ASAP right over my phone and planned to move all our things out the very next day.

A few hours later, my phone started ringing violently. It was Julian. He was calling me the exact moment he received the restraining order papers from the courier.

I took a deep breath and answered it, keeping my voice dead and cold. “What do you want, Julian?”

“What the hell is the meaning of this, Aria?” Julian roared through the phone, his voice shaking with absolute anger.

“A restraining order? Are you seriously trying to legally ban me from seeing my own daughter? From seeing you?”

“My mind is completely made up, Julian,” I told him, gripping the phone tightly. “Those papers are real. If you break that court order by coming anywhere close to me or Amelia’s school again, you will either pay a huge, massive fine, or you will be reprimanded and locked up by the cops. Don’t test me.”

Julian let out a harsh, dark laugh through the receiver. “Do you think I give a damn about a piece of paper, Aria? I don’t care about the law. I would gladly give up all my funds, every single dollar I own, just to see you. I can pay whatever fine they throw at me.”

His voice dropped, turning incredibly deep and desperate. “Those papers are not going to stop me from coming close to you, Aria. Nothing will.”

I let out a heavy, tired sigh, my head throbbing. “You are a crazy, selfish asshole,” I muttered.

Before he could say another word, I hung up the phone and blocked his number completely.

Hearing his threats only made me hasten my plans. I ran around the apartment, pulling out boxes and packing our clothes as fast as I could, determined to move into the new apartment first thing in the morning.

The next morning, the sun was just starting to rise. I was standing in the kitchen, brewing a quick cup of coffee to keep myself awake, when I heard small footsteps rushing down the hallway.

Amelia came running straight into the kitchen, her eyes wide with excitement. In her little hands, she was holding a massive, beautiful bouquet of fresh red roses, along with a small, handwritten note.

“Mommy, look!” she chirped happily, holding them up to me. “I found these sitting right outside our front door when I went to look for the morning papers!”

At first, my heart dropped into my stomach and my blood ran cold. A wave of anger washed over me because I automatically thought it was Julian breaking the order already.

But then, I reached out and took the note from Amelia’s hands. The moment my eyes landed on the neat, familiar handwriting, my heart calmed down. It wasn’t Julian’s. It was Brandon’s.

I opened the folded paper and read the sweet words he had written for me:

Aria,

I know things got incredibly heated between us the other day, and my heart breaks knowing I left you alone to face the storm. I never want to be the man who disappears when you need a rock to lean on. I am so sorry for walking away. Please accept these roses as a small reminder that no matter how hard things get, I am always right here, waiting to protect you and

Amelia.

Forever yours,

19:05 Tue, Jun 2 MM.

Chapter 146

Brandon.

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As I finished reading the note, a small, involuntary blush crept up my cheeks. A tiny smile touched my lips, but it was quickly replaced by a heavy wave of guilt. I felt incredibly bad for him.

Here he was, sending me beautiful flowers and apologizing, while I was actively packing up my entire life and moving out of my apartment without his knowledge. I was keeping him completely in the dark.

. But then, I shook my head and brushed the guilt off. I looked around at the packed boxes waiting by the living room door.

I had spent the last five years worrying about everyone else, protecting Amelia, and dealing with the wreckage Julian left behind.

Maybe, just this once, I actually needed to consider myself and my daughter’s safety first, regardless of how anyone else felt.

Chapter 147

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He stepped closer to the microphones, his eyes locked onto the camera as if he knew I was watching him from the other side. “I am dedicating this massive victory to the only woman I have ever loved in my entire life, and to my beautiful daughter, Amelia.”

With a soft, genuine smile, he lifted his hand and blew a warm kiss right at the screen.

Sitting on the couch, Amelia let out a happy giggle and clapped her tiny hands together, reaching out to catch the air inja deeply cute way. “I caught it, Mommy!”

On the screen, total chaos broke out. The reporters were completely shocked and blindsided to find out that the famous Julian had a secret child.

They went wild, screaming over one another, desperately trying to grill him for more information about who the mother was and where his daughter came from. But Julian didn’t answer them.

A wall of his massive personal security personnel immediately stepped in, pushing the paparazzi back and escorting him away into the locker rooms.

I just stood there right in the middle of my new living room, staring at the blank screen as the broadcast cut away. Tears were swimming at the rims of my eyes, blurring my vision.

A heavy, suffocating wave of sadness washed over me. If he had done this five years ago, it would have meant the entire world to me.

If he had proudly claimed me and our baby when I was lying helpless in a hospital bed, or when I had newly birthed Amelia all alone, it would have saved me from a lifetime of pain.

But now? Now, it just didn’t matter anymore. It was too late. I was too broken, and I couldn’t feel the joy of his words. The love I used to have for him was completely gone, replaced by a hollow emptiness.

After a long time, I finally managed to wipe my tears away. I took Amelia to her room, tucked her safely into her bed, and kissed her goodnight.

Once the apartment was completely quiet, I sat down on my bed and pulled out my laptop to scroll through my work emails. As I opened my inbox, a specific name caught my eye, making my stomach drop.

An email from Brandon.

I closed my eyes and let out a frustrated sigh, realizing I had made a massive mistake. In my hurry to escape Julian, I had forgotten that changing my phone number wouldn’t automatically change my email address.

Brandon could still reach me. I clicked the email open with trembling fingers and read his words.

Aria,

I know you are feeling completely overwhelmed right now with everything that happened, and causing you more stress was never my intention. I just hope that you and Amelia are doing okay out there wherever you are. Please, just call me. At least let me know you are safe.

I stared at the glowing text on the screen, a deep, painful guilt twisting in my chest. “I’m so sorry, Brandon,” I muttered out loud into the empty room, as if he could actually hear my voice.

But despite the guilt, I didn’t reach for my phone. I didn’t call him back.

Brandon was a good man, and what he truly wanted from me was real, romantic love. But as I sat alone in the dark, looking at the packed walls of my new life, I realized something devastating. My heart was completely dead inside.

After everything Julian had put me through, I didn’t think my heart was even capable of giving love to anyone anymore. I was too damaged, and I didn’t want to keep dragging Brandon along and hurting him when I had nothing left to give.