After I Dressed as a Man, He Mistook Me for His Rival Chapter 05

After I Dressed as a Man, He Mistook Me for His Rival Chapter 05

When Lachlan walked Maribel home, he stopped me at the entrance.

“The police found your phone.”

The screen wasn’t locked. I thanked him and took it quickly.

I was about to go upstairs when the phone rang.

My steps stopped.

Before I could look down, Lachlan lowered his own phone from his ear behind me.

“So it really was you.”

Under the dim streetlight, we stared at each other from a distance.

There was no joy from finally learning the truth, nor regret over the mistake.

He was calm as still water when he handed me a plastic card.

“Sutton, can we pretend none of this ever happened?”

“I don’t want anyone else to know.”

He paused, then added quietly, “It’s disgusting.”

Cold rain dotted my face.

Every drop felt like another slap.

I stood there, burning with shame, my throat aching from everything I refused to cry out.

I snapped the card in half and threw it at him.

Then I turned and went upstairs.

The moment I stepped inside, the tears broke loose.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to demand why the world had to be this unfair to me.

Dad saw me and immediately lifted a finger to his lips.

“Maribel just fell asleep…”

But that silence made me feel like I was going insane.

Through my tears, I shouted, “Dad, Mom, I don’t want to be her little brother anymore!”

“I want to be a girl again. I want to grow my hair out. I want to learn ballet too.”

“Why are you doing this to me? Maribel’s illness wasn’t my fault. Why do I have to pay for it?”

It was the first time I had ever talked back.

Mom’s face twisted with anger. She raised her hand and slapped me.

“What is wrong with you?” she snapped. “Who upset you? Why are you taking it out on us?”

My cheek burned.

I couldn’t stay there another second.

I turned and ran out.

Behind me, Maribel woke up and came out rubbing her eyes.

“Why is Sutton crying?” she mumbled. “Boys crying like that are so embarrassing.”

Dad frowned. “What was that about?”

Mom said flatly, “Who knows?”

Outside, the rain only came down harder.

I curled up under the bus stop shelter with nowhere to go, crying until one bus pulled away, then another.

Then someone stopped in front of me with an umbrella.

“Sutton?”

Tavish called my name a few times. When I still didn’t respond, he crouched down and pressed a hand to my forehead.

“Damn, you’re burning up. Do you have a fever?”

He reached for my arm, trying to help me stand, but the second I put weight on my legs, they gave out.

I fell straight into him.

Tavish caught me with a low hiss. My soaked jacket shifted, and his gaze dropped for one second.

Then he froze.

“You’re… a girl?”