The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Chapter 56

ARIA’S POV

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I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I just stood there, staring at him like maybe, just maybe I had misunderstood. Maybe I had misheard him.

“She’ll stay in my room.” The words echoed in my head. Loud. Sharp. Unforgiving.

My throat felt dry. “Your room?” I repeated slowly.

Julian didn’t look away. Didn’t even hesitate. “Yes.” Something inside my chest twisted painfully.

“But you have another apartment,” I said, trying and failing stupidly to keep my voice steady. “The bigger one. You could just let her move there instead-”

“She’s not going there,” he cut in flatly. The silence that followed was something else. It was heavy and uncomfortable.

“So she’s staying here?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

“With me,” he added. That did it. My heart clenched so hard it actually hurt.

Just yesterday, just last night, everything had been different. We had been different. And now this?

Now he was bringing another woman into his room like I didn’t matter. Like what we shared didn’t matter.

Like what we had didn’t matter. I swallowed hard, forcing my expression to stay neutral even as my chest tightened. “Okay,” I said quietly.

Because what else was I supposed to say? This was his house. It didn’t mean my heart wasn’t shattering into a million pieces.

Leonie’s smile widened, satisfaction practically radiating off her. “Thank you again, Julian,” she said sweetly, already stepping closer to him like she belonged there.

Like she had won. And maybe she had. Because I sure as hell didn’t feel like I had.

I turned before either of them could see the way my expression cracked, walking straight to my room without another word.

The door shut softly behind me. And that’s when everything hit. I leaned back against it, exhaling shakily, What the hell was that?

What was he doing? What were we even doing? I pushed myself off the door and paced the room, running a hand through my hair.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. We were supposed to be alright. Why was this happening now? All because of those pictures?

11:48 Thu, May 14

Chapter 36

God: 1 squeezed my eyes shut. We were supposed to be okay. Not perfect. But better than this. He had told me he loved me but right now, I didn’t believe that anymore.

Instead, it felt like everything had shattered overnight. I dropped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. But my mind wouldn’t stop.

It kept replaying everything. His voice. His expression. The way he said she’d stay with him like it was nothing.

Like I was nothing. A bitter laugh slipped out.

“Of course,” I muttered under my breath.

Sleep didn’t come easy that night.

In fact, it didn’t come at all. I tossed and turned, my body restless, my thoughts louder than the silence around me.

Every little sound from the apartment made it worse. A door closing. Footsteps. Muffled voices. My chest tightened.

And then, the worst part was my imagination.

It ran wild. Uncontrollable. Images I didn’t want, that I didn’t ask for. But I couldn’t stop seeing them.

Leonie in his space. In his room. Close to him the way I was, touching him the way I had touched him the night before.

Laughing with him. Then there was the image of him looking at her the same way he had looked at me. I sat up abruptly, my breath uneven.

“Stop,” I whispered to myself, dragging my hands over my face. This was ridiculous.

I wasn’t…I wasn’t jealous. I just hated her.

That was it. Nothing more. Nothing deeper.

But the tightness in my chest said otherwise.

The ache said otherwise. I swung my legs off the bed, pacing again. Back and forth. Until I couldn’t take it

anymore.

I needed answers. I needed to hear it from him. I needed closure. Or something close to it. Before I could overthink it, I walked out of my room and straight down the hallway.

His door was slightly open. And just as I got closer, it opened wider. Julian stepped out. My breath caught. He had changed.

A loose nightrobe hung open slightly at the top, exposing part of his chest, his hair still slightly damp. Effortless. Unbothered. Like none of this was affecting him at all. Meanwhile, I felt like I was unraveling. His

11:48 Thu, May 14

Chapter 6

gare landed on me, and for a split second, something flickered there.

Then it was gone. Replaced by that same cold indifference. “What do you want, Aria?” he asked. Just that. One word. Like I was an interruption.

My throat tightened, but I forced myself to speak. “Why are you doing this?” I asked, my voice quieter than I intended.

His brows pulled together slightly. “Doing what?”

“This,” I gestured vaguely. “Her. This whole situation.”

His expression hardened. “You tell me,” he replied.

I frowned. “What does that mean?”

A short, humorless laugh left him. “It means,” he stepped closer, his gaze sharpening, “you don’t get to question me after what you’ve been doing.”

Confusion flashed across my face. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t,” he cut in sharply. “Don’t act like you don’t know.”

“I don’t,” I snapped, frustration bubbling up now. “So maybe instead of speaking in riddles, you could just say it clearly…”

“Your professor,” he said flatly.

The words hit me like a slap. “What?”

“I saw the pictures,” he continued, his voice colder now. “You getting into his car. Him dropping you off. Smiling like…”

“That’s not what you think!” I cut in immediately.

“Really?” he challenged. “Because it looks pretty clear to me.”

“He gave me a ride because it was raining!” I said, my voice rising. “That’s it!”

“Sure,” he scoffed.

My chest tightened. “You don’t believe me?”

He didn’t answer. And somehow, that silence hurt more than anything.

“I can’t believe you,” I whispered, shaking my head.

“And I can’t believe you,” he shot back.

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