If you want a successful Ch 17

NATE’S POV

I’d been dreading this conversation all morning. The weight of my deception had been eating away at me since yesterday, when Liam had exposed the truth about my research into Viktor Melnyk’s training methods. I knew Kate deserved an explanation, an apology, something to make this right, but I had no idea how to begin.

I found her in the library, sitting alone at a table near the windows, her books spread out in front of her but her attention clearly elsewhere. She looked smaller somehow, more fragile than I’d ever seen her, and the guilt that had been gnawing at my chest intensified.

“Kate,” I said softly, approaching her table cautiously. “Can we talk?”

She looked up at me, and the pain in her dark eyes made me feel like the worst kind of bastard.

“I’ve been looking for you all morning,” I admitted, sliding into the chair across from her. “I needed to… I needed to explain.”

“Explain what?” she asked, her voice carefully neutral. “How you’ve been using me to get to my father? How our entire relationship has been built on lies?”

The words hit me like physical blows, each one justified and devastating. “Kate, I know how this looks—”

“Do you?” she interrupted, her composure starting to crack. “Do you really know how it feels to find out that someone you trusted, someone you considered a friend, has been manipulating you from the very beginning?”

“I wasn’t manipulating you,” I said desperately.

“Really?” she asked, and I could hear the tears she was fighting to hold back. “Because right now, I don’t know what’s real and what’s been part of your grand plan to impress my father.”

The guilt was crushing. I could see the hurt I’d caused written all over her face, could hear it in every word she spoke. This girl who had trusted me, who had let me into her life when she was vulnerable and alone, and I had betrayed that trust for my own selfish ambitions.

“Kate, I’m so sorry,” I said, my voice thick with remorse. “I know I fucked up. I know I should have been honest with you from the beginning, but I was scared that if you knew the truth, you’d never give me a chance.”

“A chance at what?” she demanded. “A chance to use me? A chance to advance your career through my connections?”

“A chance to know you,” I said quietly. “Kate, yes, I was initially interested in you because of your father. But that changed so quickly. The more time I spent with you, the more I realized that you’re incredible all on your own. Smart, funny, talented, stronger than you know—”

“Don’t,” she said, holding up a hand to stop me. “Don’t try to charm your way out of this, Nate. I’ve had enough lies.”

Before I could respond, a familiar voice cut through our conversation.

“She’s right, you know.”

We both turned to see Liam standing beside our table, his expression cold and matter-of-fact. My brother’s presence sent a jolt of panic through me – this conversation was already difficult enough without his interference.

“Liam,” I said, my voice tight with warning. “This is none of your business.”

“Isn’t it?” Liam asked, his green eyes fixed on me with obvious disappointment. “When my brother is manipulating someone who doesn’t deserve it, I think it becomes my business.”

“I’m not manipulating anyone,” I protested, but even I could hear how weak my denial sounded.

“Really?” Liam’s voice was dangerously quiet.

“Liam, stop,” I said, rising from my chair. Heat was flooding my face, a mixture of embarrassment and anger that my brother was exposing my most shameful secrets. “You don’t understand—”

“I understand perfectly,” Liam interrupted, standing as well. “You saw an opportunity and you took it, regardless of who might get hurt in the process.”

“That’s not how it happened,” I said, my voice rising with frustration. “Yes, I was interested in Viktor’s training methods, but my feelings for Kate are genuine.”

“Are they?” Liam challenged, stepping closer. “Or do you just like the idea of having access to one of the most respected coaches in figure skating?”

“You bastard,” I snarled, my hands clenching into fists. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t I?” Liam shot back. “Then explain why you’ve been lying to her for weeks. Explain why you let her trust you while you were planning to use that trust to advance your own career.”

I could feel the rage building in my chest, the familiar urge to lash out at my brother for always knowing exactly how to hit where it hurt most. But before I could say or do something I’d regret, Kate was suddenly between us.

“Stop,” she said firmly, her hands pressed against both our chests to keep us apart. “Both of you, just stop.”

The authority in her voice cut through our anger, and we both took a step back. I could see tears in her eyes, and the knowledge that our fight was making everything worse for her made me feel even more ashamed.

“Liam,” Kate said, turning to face my brother. “I need to talk to Nate alone. Please.”

Liam looked between us, something unreadable flickering across his face. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Kate said quietly. “Just… give us some space.”

For a moment, I thought Liam might argue. His jaw was clenched, his hands still fisted at his sides, and I could see the internal battle playing out in his expression. Finally, he nodded curtly.

“Fine,” he said. “But Kate? Don’t let him lie to you anymore. You deserve better than that.”

With that pointed comment, he turned and walked away, leaving Kate and me alone with the wreckage of our conversation.

We sat back down in heavy silence, both of us processing what had just happened. The guilt was eating me alive – not just for deceiving Kate, but for putting her in the middle of a confrontation between my brother and me.

“Kate,” I said quietly, “I’m so sorry. For everything. For lying to you, for using you, for letting Liam make this even more difficult for you.”

She was quiet for a long moment, her hands folded in her lap, her eyes focused on the table between us. When she finally looked up, I could see the exhaustion in her expression.

“Why?” she asked simply. “Why couldn’t you just be honest with me from the beginning?”

“Because I was terrified,” I admitted. “Terrified that if you knew my real motives, you’d never give me a chance to prove that I was more than just someone trying to use you.”

“And now?” she asked. “What are your motives now?”

I took a deep breath, knowing that this was my chance to be completely honest with her. “Now, I just want to make this right. I want to earn back your trust, if that’s even possible. I want to be the friend you deserve, not the manipulative asshole I’ve been.”

“Is that what you want?” she asked. “To be friends?”

The question hung in the air between us, loaded with implications I wasn’t sure I was ready to examine. The truth was, I wanted more than friendship with Kate. But after everything I’d done, after all the trust I’d broken, I didn’t have the right to want anything.

“I want whatever you’re willing to give me,” I said honestly. “If friendship is all you can offer, then I’ll take it and be grateful for it.”

Kate studied my face for a long moment, and I held my breath waiting for her response. I could see her weighing my words, trying to decide if I was being genuine or if this was just another manipulation.

“Our friendship,” she said finally. “Is it still intact?”

The question was simple, but I could hear the vulnerability beneath it. She was giving me a chance – not forgiveness, not absolution, but a chance to prove that there was something real worth salvaging from the mess I’d made.

“If you want it to be,” I said carefully. “Kate, I know I don’t deserve your friendship after what I’ve done, but if you’re willing to give me another chance, I swear I’ll do everything I can to earn it back.”

She nodded slowly, and I felt a tiny spark of hope in my chest. It wasn’t much, but it was more than I deserved.

“I need time,” she said, standing up and gathering her books. “I need time to process all of this, to figure out what I want and what I’m ready for.”

“Take all the time you need,” I said immediately. “I’ll wait. However long it takes.”

Kate looked at me one more time, her expression unreadable. Then, without another word, she turned and walked away, leaving me alone with my guilt and the desperate hope that maybe, somehow, I could find a way to make this right.