The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 186

Chapter 186

Chapter 186

JULIAN’S POV

As soon as my boots hit the pavement outside the heavy glass doors of the building, my trembling hands frantically dug into my pocket for my phone.

My heart was slamming against my ribs like a trapped animal. I immediately dialed Aria’s number, pressing the device tightly against my ear as I paced the concrete floor.

It rang and rang, the empty, robotic tones stretching on forever until it finally cut to voicemail. I didn’t let myself breathe. I immediately hit redial and called her back a second time.

This time, the line connected with a sharp, aggressive click. But before I could even open my mouth to say her name, her voice cut through the air, completely distorted by a level of raw fury I had never heard from her before.

“How could you be so incredibly cruel, Julian?” she spat. I could hear her breathing hard, her voice trembling violently with a mixture of heavy tears and pure hatred. “How dare you? Here I was, actually sitting at my desk this morning, thinking that maybe just maybe you were finally changing for the better. I found out you sent David to help me, and I felt a second of gratitude. But you are still the exact same sick, manipulative bastard you have always been.”

“Aria, please, you have to listen to me.” I panicked, my voice cracking as I rushed toward my car in the lot. “I swear to you on my life, I didn’t know anything about this. I would never, ever try to take Amelia away from you. It was my father. He did this behind my back, and I just left his office-”

“Save your pathetic lies, Julian.” she scoffed loudly, a sound full of absolute disgust that cut me straight to the bone. “I hate you so much at this point. Do you hear me? I hate you with every single piece of my soul. I will never, ever forgive you for this. You are trying to steal my daughter.”

Hearing her say she hated me, hearing the absolute finality in her voice, made something inside my brain completely snap. All the stress, the fear, and the absolute frustration of the past few months came roaring to the surface, breaking through my control.

“Well, this wouldn’t have even happened if you had just allowed me to be close to you and Amelia in the first place.” I snapped back, my voice rising into a sharp, defensive yell as I slammed my hand against the hood of my car. “I have changed, Aria. I have begged you, I have broken down, and I have apologized a million times. What more do you want from me?”

“What I want is for you to stay completely away from me and my daughter for the rest of your miserable life,” she screamed back. And with that final, deafening sentence, the line went completely dead.

I let out a loud, frustrated groan and threw my phone onto the passenger seat, aggressively climbing into the car. I rested my forehead against the steering wheel, my chest heaving.

She was being so damn stubborn, so completely unyielding, and I was absolutely certain it was only because she had Brandon standing behind her, whispering in her ear and feeding her confidence.

By the time I drove home and walked through the front doors of the house, my head was splitting open. To make matters worse, Leonie was sitting right there in the living room.

The moment she saw me step inside, she stood up from the sofa and tried to walk over to talk to me.I didn’t even look in her direction. I completely ignored her presence, brushing right past her shoulder. I needed a drink.

I knew I had promised myself to abstain from alcohol, and I knew I had been doing so well for days, but right now, the pain in my chest was too heavy. I needed a drink badly just to shut my brain up.

I marched straight into the kitchen, grabbed two large bottles of hard liquor from the cabinet, and walked out onto the private balcony. I didn’t bother with a glass.

I ripped the cap off the first bottle and gulped the burning liquid down, again and again and again, letting it scorch my throat until my vision blurred.

Chapter 186

The alcohol hit my empty stomach fast, and within minutes, my knees gave out, and I collapsed heavily onto the hard ground, leaning my back against the wall.

A moment later, the balcony door slid open, and Leonie stepped outside. She looked down at me, her expression a mix of pity and calculation. “I heard about what happened at the headquarters today, Julian,” she said softly, crossing her arms.

“Your mother called me. She told me how you barged into the boardroom and screamed at your father.”

I raised my head, my eyes bloodshot and full of venom as I glared up at her. “Get the fuck away from me, Leonie,” I growled, my voice thick and slurred. “Leave me the hell alone.”

Leonie let out a heavy sigh, but she didn’t look angry. “I’m leaving, don’t worry. But before I go, I just really wanted you to actually think about what your dad is doing here. He isn’t trying to ruin you, Julian. All he wanted to do was help you get what’s yours.”

She stepped closer, her voice dropping into a manipulative whisper. “Aria is already openly dating Brandon. They are playing happy family. Tell me, Julian… Do you really want Amelia to start calling Brandon her dad?”

The words hit me like a bucket of ice water, cutting straight through my intoxication. Pure, possessive jealousy flared hot in my gut. I glared at her, my teeth gritted. “My daughter will never call that bastard her father. Never.”

Leonie bent over slightly, looking directly into my eyes, ensuring her words sank deep into my mind.

“Well, for that to not happen, then you need to actually have Amelia in your life, Julian. You need to secure her. Aria is being completely stubborn, and she’s never going to let you in willingly. Just allow your father to help you. That lawsuit is the only way Aria will ever submit to you and come to the table.”

I stared up at her through my drunken haze, my eyes narrowing with sudden suspicion. “Why the hell are you trying to help me with this, Leonie? What’s your angle?”

She offered a small, bittersweet smile, reaching down to gently touch my shoulder. “Because you are completely drowning, Julian, and I care about you more than anything or anyone else in this world. I hate seeing you like this.” She tapped my arm gently. “Just think about it.”

With that, she turned around and walked away, leaving me completely alone in the dimming light of the balcony.

For a few long, quiet minutes, my alcohol-soaked brain tried to process everything she had just said. The image of Brandon holding my daughter, of Brandon taking my place as a father, flashed vividly in my mind and made me sick to my stomach.

Leonie was right. I had to fight for Amelia. Maybe a high-stakes court battle was the only language Aria and the Vances truly understood. Maybe only when she realized she could lose everything would Aria finally see that we were supposed to be a real family, and then she would finally come back to me.

After all, Aria was mine in the first place. Brandon was just a temporary distraction, and I was going to take my family back.