CHAPTER 28
Jul 10, 2025
LIAM’S POV
The tension in the hallway was suffocating. Kate looked like she was about to cry, Nate was staring at the floor, and I felt like my head was going to explode from the combination of concussion and emotional overload.
“Do you love him, Kat?” I said, leaning more heavily against the doorframe as a wave of dizziness hit me. “You promised to give me a chance, remember?”
“Liam, you should go back to bed,” Kate said, her voice thick with unshed tears. “The doctor said—”
“The doctor said a lot of things,” I interrupted. “But right now I need to understand why you’re so desperate to keep lying to your father about your relationship with my brother.”
Kate and Nate exchanged a look that told me there was definitely more to this story than I’d been hearing.
“Viktor offered to mentor me,” Nate said finally, his voice quiet. “Private training sessions, advanced techniques, the kind of opportunity that could change my entire career trajectory.”
“And Kate doesn’t want you to tell him the truth about your fake relationship because she’s afraid he’ll rescind the offer,” I said, the pieces clicking into place. “She wants you to keep pretending to be together so you can keep training with him.”
“That’s not true and I don’t love Nate!” Kate started, but I held up a hand to stop her.
Silence filled the air. “I’m only trying to make sure Nate doesn’t throw away an incredible opportunity because of some misguided sense of guilt.”
“It’s not misguided,” Nate said, his voice growing stronger. “Liam, I need to apologize.”
“For what?!”
“I knew you liked Kate from the start and I decided to ask her to fake-date me just to piss you off. You were being all fussy about not seeing me with her and I wanted to challenge. I also saw an opportunity and I took it, regardless of how it might affect Kate or you or anyone else. It was selfish and manipulative, and I’m sorry.”
I stared at my brother for a long moment, processing his apology. Despite everything that had happened between us, despite all the hurt and anger and jealousy, I could see that his regret was genuine.
“I’m sorry too,” I said finally. “For hitting you at the party. For exposing your relationship in front of everyone. For being such an ass about the whole situation.”
“You had every right to be angry,” Nate said. “I was lying to you, to Kate, to Viktor. I was lying to everyone, including myself.”
“But you’re not anymore?” I asked.
“No,” he said firmly. “I’m done lying. Which is why I can’t keep training with Viktor under false pretenses.”
“Even if it means giving up the opportunity of a lifetime?” Kate asked, her voice desperate.
“Even then,” Nate confirmed. “Liam was right about one thing – I can’t build my career on a foundation of lies.”
“But Papa thinks you have real potential,” Kate argued. “He wouldn’t have offered to train you if he didn’t see something genuine in your abilities.”
“Maybe,” Nate said. “But I’ll never know if that’s true as long as I’m training with him based on a lie. If he still wants to work with me after he knows the truth, then I’ll know it’s because of my actual talent, not because of my relationship with his daughter.”
I found myself nodding in agreement. “That actually makes sense.”
“Does it?” Kate asked, looking between us with frustration. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re both willing to throw away everything good in your lives because of some abstract principle.”
“It’s not abstract,” I said gently. “Kate, integrity isn’t something you can compromise on and still call it integrity. Either you’re honest or you’re not.”
“But what about all the other players on the team?” Kate asked suddenly, turning to Nate. “What about their opinions?”
Nate’s expression darkened slightly. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, are you sure this is just about integrity?” Kate pressed. “Or is it because some of the other players are starting to whisper that you’re getting an unfair advantage because of your relationship with me?”
The way Nate’s jaw clenched told me that Kate had hit on something he hadn’t wanted to admit.
“They are, aren’t they?” I said, understanding dawning. “The team is talking.”
“Some of them,” Nate admitted reluctantly. “There have been comments about how convenient it is that I’m dating the daughter of a world-renowned coach. About how maybe my improved play isn’t entirely due to my own efforts.”
“And that bothers you,” I observed.
“Of course it bothers me,” Nate said, his voice rising with frustration. “I’ve worked my ass off to get where I am. I don’t want anyone questioning whether I deserve to be here.”
“So this is about your reputation,” Kate said accusingly.
“It’s about earning respect,” Nate corrected. “It’s about being able to look at myself in the mirror and know that everything I’ve achieved is because of my own efforts, not because of who I’m sleeping with or pretending to sleep with.”
The conviction in his voice was unmistakable, and I found myself respecting my brother more than I had in years.
“Alright,” I said. “So you’re going to tell Viktor the truth.”
“I am,” Nate confirmed, then looked at Kate. “With or without your permission.”
Kate’s shoulders sagged in defeat. “Fine. Good luck.”
He went into the room to drop the food flask and a bag of cloth for Liam, then walked out almost immediately. “I should get going. I want to call Viktor tonight and set up a meeting to explain everything.”
“Nate,” I said as he headed toward the door. “Thank you. For being honest. For apologizing. For… for everything.”
“Thank you for forgiving me,” he replied. “I know I didn’t deserve it. And forgive me too, Kate.”
Kate nodded.
“We’re brothers,” I said simply. “We’re supposed to forgive each other for being idiots.”
Nate grinned at that, the first genuine smile I’d seen from him in weeks. “I’ll be back this evening to check on you. Try not to do anything stupid while I’m gone.”
“No promises,” I said, glancing at Kate.
He was almost out the door when he suddenly stopped and turned back to look at us. There was something different in his expression now, something knowing and slightly mischievous.
“Liam?” he called out.
I looked at him, taking my eyes off Kate for the first time since he’d started talking about leaving.
“I’ve never seen you serious with any girl,” Nate said, his voice carrying clearly through the hallway. “I’ve never seen you look at a girl with so much admiration like you do with Kate. You and I have never fought over anything before, but because of her, our fights have been numerous.”
I felt my face heat up at his words, but I couldn’t deny their truth.
“Now I believe you truly love her,” he continued, his eyes moving to Kate, who had gone completely still beside me. “And Kate loves you too. She just doesn’t know it yet.”
Kate gasped audibly, her hand flying to her mouth as she stared at Nate in shock.
“Nate!” she exclaimed, but he just winked at her with that trademark grin of his.
“See you tonight, brother,” he said to me, then looked back at Kate one more time. “Figure it out, Kate. Life’s too short to waste time being afraid of what you want.”
And then he was gone, leaving Kate and me alone in the hallway with the weight of his words hanging between us like a challenge and a blessing all at once.
