The Hockey Roommate's Filthy Desire novel Chapter 88

Chapter 88

Chapter 88

ARIA’S POV

The moment he said it, the air shifted slightly in the room. What did he mean?

One condition.

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The words echoed in my mind, louder than they should have, heavier than they had any right to be. My fingers tightened slightly around the teacup, the warmth against my palms doing nothing to calm the sudden rush of thoughts flooding my head.

I didn’t ask immediately. Because before I could, my mind had already begun to spiral. A condition? What kind of condition?

My heart started beating faster, each second stretching longer as possibilities formed, twisted, and tangled into something I didn’t want to name.

Was this where it changed?

Was this the moment everything I thought about him, everything I had started to believe, fell apart? Did he want to sleep with me too? Another rich man who wanted my body. I scoffed internally.

A bitter thought slipped in before I could stop it.

Of course. Nothing came without a price. Nothing ever did.

My grip tightened further, my chest constricting as a familiar sense of disappointment crept in. So much for thinking he was different.

So much for believing, even for a second, that this wasn’t going to turn into something else, something transactional.

I swallowed, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “What condition?” I asked again.

Brandon didn’t answer immediately.

He studied me instead, his expression unreadable, his silence stretching just long enough to make the tension in my chest tighten further.

And then, “Who is the father of your child?”

I froze. The question hit me in a way I hadn’t expected. It was not sharp nor aggressive. But it was direct. Too direct.

For a moment, I just stared at him, my mind blank, my thoughts completely scattered. Of all the things I had imagined, all the things I had prepared myself to hear, that wasn’t one of them.

“I—” My voice failed me before I could even form a proper response. Because the truth sat right there, at the edge of my lips.

12:21 Thu, May 14 N

Chapter 88

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Heavy, complicated and painful. And I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t bring myself to say his name. To give that part of me a voice again.

Silence stretched between us. Brandon didn’t look away. “If it’s the professor involved in your scandal,” he said calmly, “then-”

“No.”

The word came out sharper than I intended. My chest rose and fell unevenly as something inside me flared.

“I thought you said you didn’t care about that,” I added, my voice tightening slightly.

“I don’t,” he replied evenly. “But I need clarity.”

“Clarity?” I repeated, almost incredulous.

“Yes.”

I let out a quiet, humorless breath.

“There’s nothing to clarify,” I said firmly. “I never slept with my professor. Those are rumors and lies. I had nothing to do with my professor. He was practically like a father to me.”

His gaze remained steady, searching. “And the father?” he asked again, his tone unchanged.

My fingers curled slightly against the fabric of the bed. I looked away this time. Because I couldn’t say it. Not yet. Not like this.

“I’m not comfortable talking about him,” I said quietly. “Not now.”

A pause. Then, softer, “You’ll find out when the time is right.”

The silence that followed felt different this time. Less tense. Less pressing. And to my surprise, he didn’t push.

He didn’t demand answers. Didn’t question me further. He simply nodded once. “Alright.”

That was it. Just like that.

Something in my chest eased slightly, a tension I hadn’t even realized I was holding loosening just enough for me to breathe properly again.

“I’ll help you,” he said.

My eyes lifted to his again. “And that condition?” I asked cautiously.

His gaze held mine for a brief moment before he spoke. “That was it.”

I blinked. “That’s all you wanted?”

“Yes.” For a second, I didn’t know what to say.

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12:21 Thu, May 14 N

Chapter 88

Because that… that wasn’t what I had expected.

Not even close. Relief came first. Then confusion.

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And then something else entirely, something softer, quieter, something I wasn’t ready to name.

“Thank you,” I said finally, my voice sincere.

And I meant it. Because whatever this was, whatever he was offering, it wasn’t what I had feared.

But even as that thought settled, another one followed closely behind. “I don’t want to stay here anymore,” I said suddenly.

His expression shifted slightly. “In your house,” I clarified. “I can’t keep living here.”

“Why?” he asked.

I hesitated. “Because I don’t want to depend on you,” I said honestly. “And I don’t want people seeing me here.”

My jaw tightened slightly. “The last thing I need right now is another scandal.”

Understanding flickered briefly across his face.

“Then you’ll move,” he said simply. “I have another property-”

“No.”

The word came out faster than I intended. Sharper and more immediate. His brow lifted slightly.

“I don’t want another house that belongs to you,” I added, my voice steadier now. “That’s the same thing, just in a different location.”

Silence settled between us again. But before he could respond, my phone buzzed once. Then again. Then again.

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