My Hockey Boyfriend Kept Me a Secret, So I Went Public with Someone Else Chapter 06

My Hockey Boyfriend Kept Me a Secret, So I Went Public with Someone Else Chapter 06

[Amelia’s POV]

After a long pause, Nina sighed. “Oh. Millie, let me tell you something…”

She started explaining things Chase had hidden from me. None of it hurt anymore.

Then my phone was snatched from my hand.

The dining hall was packed. Chase stood behind me, holding my phone to his ear. “Mom. We’re fine. Stop worrying. I’ll call you later.”

He didn’t give it back right away. He went cold and opened my iMessage. When he saw I hadn’t blocked him, he relaxed.

Chase pulled me aside and lowered his voice. “Okay, no more fighting.”

He wrapped his arms around me, sounding almost whiny. “You ignored me for days. Are you done being mad?”

I pushed against his chest, trying to make space.

He made a fist in front of me and opened his palm. A silver bracelet slid out, catching the light.

“I hear you girls like this brand. I spent a long time picking it. Do you like it?”

I stared at the bracelet. It cost enough to buy half a car. My stomach turned.

Rosie’s Instagram story from yesterday flashed in my mind. She’d posted a selfie showing off a necklace, with a caption that was almost sarcastic. “Payment for helping a buddy pick out a gift for his girlfriend. You think I charged him enough?”

Her necklace and this bracelet were from the same collection. Same diamonds.

I stepped back. “I don’t want it.”

Chase’s face fell.

Before he could speak, I went on. “One: I haven’t blocked you because I still owe you money.”

His jaw tightened. He gripped the bracelet.

“Two: I thought we already agreed on the phone. We’re done —”

“I don’t agree!” Chase grabbed my wrist. “Who said we were done? I just said no more tutoring.”

He pulled out his own phone and opened Rosie’s chat. “You’re just jealous of Rosie, aren’t you?”

Then he deleted her right in front of me. “There. Happy?”

I clenched my fists and said nothing.

He took my hand and gently pried my fingers open, like he had when he first confessed. He saw the nail marks in my palm. His voice softened.

“Rosie and I have known each other forever. Our families are close. But there’s nothing between us. If there was, it would have happened already. You don’t need to be jealous.”

Tears fell without warning.

His words stung like little needles. All the anger I’d felt, all the tears I’d cried over their blurry lines — he’d turned it all into my problem.

Chase froze, then panicked. He pulled me into a hug. For the first time, in a place where anyone could see. He rubbed my back gently. “Shh, don’t cry. It’s okay.”

His voice was soft, like he was calming a child.

I remembered what Nina had said on the phone.

“Rosie’s mom has a sickness that can’t be cured. Chase has been running around helping her. That’s why Rosie came back. Chase has a soft heart. He remembers old kindnesses. When he was little, his parents were always busy, and the Van Der Bergs fed him half the time. Now that Rosie’s in trouble, he feels like he has to help.”

Before, that would have made me feel bad for him. But I was done.

I didn’t push him away right away, though.

Nina had begged me on the phone. She asked me to stay with him through the end of the semester.

I couldn’t say no.

The money that saved my family — Chase had given it to me privately. But I knew Nina must have known. She’d built her business from nothing. She could have called me out. She could have made me feel small. Instead, she gave me and my family our pride.

I owed her that.

I lowered my head. “Okay.”

However, I just didn’t expect the end to come so fast.