CHAPTER 21
Jul 10, 2025
KAT’S POV
I was already turning to leave, my entire body shaking with rage and humiliation, when Liam’s hand closed around my wrist. His grip was firm but not painful, just insistent enough to stop me from walking away.
“Let go of me,” I said through gritted teeth, not bothering to turn around and face him.
“Kate, wait,” he said, his voice rough with something I couldn’t identify. “We need to talk about what just happened.”
I spun around to face him, yanking my wrist free from his grasp. “Talk? Talk about what, exactly? How you just humiliated me in front of half the campus? How you destroyed any chance I had of salvaging my friendship with your brother?”
“I didn’t mean for it to happen like that,” Liam said, running a hand through his hair. “I was angry, and I—”
“How dare you?” I interrupted, my voice rising with fury. “I specifically told you that what happened between us had to stay between us. I made it clear that I wanted to pretend it never happened, and you threw it in Nate’s face like it was some kind of weapon!”
“Kate, I’m sorry—”
“Sorry?” I laughed bitterly, wiping away the tears that were still streaming down my cheeks. “You’re sorry? That’s supposed to make this better? That’s supposed to undo the fact that you just destroyed one of the only genuine friendships I’ve had since coming to this school?”
“I know I fucked up,” Liam said desperately, stepping closer. “I know I handled this all wrong. But seeing you with him, hearing him say that your relationship was real now—”
“So you decided to blow up my entire life?” I demanded. “You decided that your feelings were more important than mine? More important than Nate’s?”
“That’s not what I was thinking,” he protested.
“No, you weren’t thinking at all,” I shot back. “You were just acting on impulse, being selfish and cruel like you always are.”
Liam flinched at my words, but before he could respond, I heard the familiar sound of the arena doors opening behind us. My blood turned to ice as I recognized my father’s voice.
“Katya? What are you still doing out here?”
I quickly wiped my eyes and forced a smile onto my face, hoping Papa wouldn’t notice how red and puffy they were from crying. “Papa! I was just… talking with a friend.”
Viktor emerged from inside the house, his training bag slung over his shoulder, and his sharp eyes immediately took in my disheveled appearance and the obvious tension between Liam and me.
“Friend?” he asked, his gaze shifting to Liam with obvious curiosity.
“Yes,” I said quickly, my voice pitched higher than normal. “Papa, this is Liam Carter. He’s Nate’s older brother.”
Liam stepped forward, and I had to admire his ability to shift seamlessly into polite social mode despite everything that had just happened between us. “Mr. Melnyk, it’s an honor to meet you. I’ve heard incredible things about your coaching methods.”
“Have you?” Papa said, extending his hand for a shake. “And what is your sport, Liam?”
“Hockey, sir. I’m the team captain here at Ridgeview.”
Papa’s eyebrows rose with interest. “Ah, hockey. A sport that requires tremendous mental discipline. Are you familiar with visualization techniques?”
“Some,” Liam replied smoothly. “Though I’m sure nothing as advanced as what you teach.”
I watched this exchange with growing panic, praying that Papa wouldn’t ask too many questions about why Liam was here or why I looked like I’d been crying.
“What brings you by today?” Papa asked. “Were you looking for your brother?”
I opened my mouth to make up some excuse, but Liam beat me to it.
“Actually, Kate and I are debate partners for our Advanced Literature class,” he said without missing a beat. “We were just practicing our arguments for tomorrow’s presentation.”
I stared at him in shock, amazed by how easily the lie rolled off his tongue. Papa, however, seemed to buy it completely.
“Excellent,” he said with approval. “Academic excellence is just as important as athletic achievement. What’s your debate topic?”
“The role of conflict in character development,” Liam said, and I caught the subtle irony in his choice of words. “We were discussing how adversity can bring out both the best and worst in people.”
“Very true,” Papa nodded sagely. “Well, don’t let me interrupt your studies. Why don’t you two go inside and continue your practice where it’s more comfortable?”
“That’s very kind of you, Papa,” I said quickly, “but we were just finishing up—”
“Nonsense,” Papa interrupted. “I insist. Besides, I need to head out to meet with the athletic director about scheduling more training sessions. You two can use the living room.”
Before I could protest further, Papa drove away, I turned to face Liam with murder in my eyes. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“Accepting your father’s invitation,” he said innocently, but I could see the calculating look in his green eyes.
“This is not an invitation for you to worm your way into my personal space,” I hissed, stalking toward the front door of the rental house Papa had leased for his extended stay. “You’re going to go inside, wait exactly five minutes so Papa doesn’t see you leaving immediately, and then you’re going to get out of my life.”
“Kate—”
“No,” I said firmly, unlocking the front door. “Whatever you think is going to happen here, you’re wrong. I don’t want to talk to you, I don’t want to see you, and I certainly don’t want to be alone with you.”
But Liam was already following me inside, and I heard him let out a low whistle of appreciation as he took in the elegant furnishings and expensive artwork that Papa had insisted on even for a temporary residence.
“Wow,” he said, looking around the spacious living room with its floor-to-ceiling windows and modern furniture. “This is really nice. Your father has good taste.”
“Get out,” I said, pointing toward the door. “I’m serious, Liam. Leave now before I call security.”
“Kate, please,” he said, turning to face me with an expression that was almost pleading. “Just give me five minutes to explain.”
“Explain what?” I demanded. “How you completely humiliated me in front of your brother? How you violated my trust and threw something private back in my face? How you managed to destroy the one positive relationship I had at this school?”
“I’m sorry,” he said, and there was something raw in his voice that made me pause despite my anger. “I’m so fucking sorry, Kate. I never meant for it to go that far.”
“But it did go that far,” I said, my voice breaking slightly. “It went exactly that far, and now Nate hates both of us, and my father is going to find out that his daughter has been lying to him about everything.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.” I asked, genuinely confused. “You got what you wanted, didn’t you? You exposed our fake relationship, you humiliated both of us, you proved that you were right about Nate’s motives. Mission accomplished.”
“That’s not what I wanted,” he said, his voice growing heated. “I never wanted to hurt you, Kate. That’s the last thing I wanted.”
“Then why did you?” I demanded, stepping closer to him. “Why did you take something that was supposed to be private and throw it in both our faces like that?”
“Because I was jealous,” he said, the words exploding out of him like he’d been holding them back by force. “Because I was standing there listening to my brother claim that you were really his now, and I couldn’t stand it. Because the thought of you being with him, choosing him over me, was driving me insane.”
“So you decided to destroy everything instead?” I asked incredulously. “Rather than let me be happy with someone else, you decided to blow up my entire world?”
“I wasn’t thinking clearly,” he said, stepping closer until we were almost touching. “I was hurt and angry and—”
“And selfish,” I finished. “You were being selfish, just like you always are. You don’t care about anyone’s feelings but your own.”
“That’s not true,” he protested.
“Isn’t it?” I challenged. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’d rather see me miserable and alone than happy with your brother.”
“I’d rather see you happy with me,” he said quietly, and the admission hung in the air between us like a live wire.
I stared at him, my anger warring with something else I didn’t want to name. “That’s not your choice to make.”
“I know,” he said, reaching out to touch my face. “But I can’t help wanting it anyway.”
“Don’t,” I said, stepping back from his touch. “Don’t do this. Don’t try to make this about us when you just destroyed any chance we might have had.”
“Kate—”
“No, Liam,” I said firmly. “You don’t get to have it both ways. You don’t get to treat me like shit for weeks, then sleep with me when I’m vulnerable, then expose our private moment to hurt your brother, and then expect me to fall into your arms like nothing happened.”
“I’m not expecting anything,” he said desperately. “I’m just asking for a chance to make this right.”
“You can’t make this right,” I said, my voice breaking again. “You’ve ruined everything. My friendship with Nate, my relationship with my father, my entire social standing at this school. You’ve destroyed it all.”
“Then let me help you rebuild it,” he said, moving closer again. “Let me help you figure out how to move forward.”
“I don’t want your help,” I said, backing away from him. “I want you to leave. I want you to get out of my father’s house and out of my life and—”
He kissed me.
One moment I was yelling at him, demanding that he leave, and the next his hands were framing my face and his mouth was on mine, cutting off my words and my protests and my ability to think clearly.
The kiss was desperate and hungry, full of all the frustration and want and confusion that had been building between us for weeks.
Despite everything that had just happened, despite my anger and hurt and betrayal, I found myself kissing him back, my hands fisting in his shirt as he pulled me closer.
