CHAPTER 27
Jul 10, 2025
KAT’S POV
I was still holding Liam’s hand when my phone buzzed with an incoming call. The name on the screen made my stomach clench with anxiety: Papa.
“Shit,” I muttered, looking at the time. It was exactly seven PM – our weekly check-in call that I’d completely forgotten about in the chaos of the afternoon.
“Who is it?” Liam asked, noticing my sudden tension.
“My father,” I said, showing him the screen. “We have a scheduled call every week, and if I don’t answer, he’ll probably drive over here thinking something’s wrong.”
“Answer it,” Liam said, squeezing my hand. “I’ll be quiet.”
I hesitated, looking between my phone and Liam’s face. Having a conversation with Papa while sitting next to his injured form seemed like a recipe for disaster, especially given how observant my father was.
“Actually,” I said, standing up, “I should take this outside. I need to talk to Nate anyway.”
Liam raised an eyebrow. “About what? Where is he anyway?”
“He was here when you fell asleep. He went home to bring you some food and a change of clothes. And I want to talk to him about what I’m going to tell Papa,” I said, not wanting to get into the details right now. “I’ll be right back, okay?”
He nodded.
I answered the call as I stepped into the hallway. “Hi, Papa.”
“Katya, my darling,” Viktor’s warm voice filled my ear. “How was your week? How is training going?”
“Training is good,” I said when I spotted Nate. I spotted him in the waiting area, talking quietly with Coach Williams. “I’ve been working on my combination jumps.”
“Excellent. And how is school? Your classes?”
“Fine, Papa. Everything’s fine.”
There was a pause, and I could practically hear my father’s mental gears turning. He’d always been able to read my moods, even over the phone.
“You sound distracted, Katya. Is everything alright?”
“Everything’s fine,” I repeated, gesturing for Nate to join me in a more private corner of the waiting area. “Just tired from practice.”
“How is Nathaniel?” Papa asked, and I felt my heart skip a beat. “I’ve been looking forward to our next training session. The boy has remarkable potential.”
“About that, Papa,” I said, watching as Nate approached with obvious concern on his face. “Can I call you back in just a few minutes? I’m actually at the medical center right now.”
“The medical center?” Viktor’s voice immediately sharpened with worry. “Are you injured? What happened?”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly. “It’s not me. A friend had an accident during hockey practice, and I’m just here for support.”
“Which friend?”
I hesitated, not wanting to explain about Liam over the phone. “Just someone from school. I’ll call you back in ten minutes, okay?”
“Alright, but don’t make me wait too long. I worry when you don’t give me details.”
After ending the call, I turned to face Nate, who was studying my expression with obvious concern.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
“Papa wants to schedule another training session with you,” I said without preamble. “He’s really excited about working with you. He thinks you have ‘remarkable potential.'”
I expected Nate to light up with excitement, to show some sign of the enthusiasm he’d displayed when Papa first offered to train him. Instead, his expression grew troubled, and he ran a hand through his hair.
“Kate, we need to talk,” he said quietly.
“About what?”
“About this whole situation with your father,” he said, glancing around to make sure we weren’t being overheard. “I’ve been thinking about it since our conversation yesterday, and I think it’s time we tell Viktor the truth.”
“What truth?” I asked, though I had a sinking feeling I knew exactly what he meant.
“The truth about our relationship,” he said firmly. “The truth about how it started, why it started, and why it ended. He deserves to know that his offer to train me was based on false pretenses.”
“No,” I said immediately, the word coming out harsher than I’d intended. “Absolutely not.”
“Kate—”
“No, Nate,” I interrupted. “Papa has been so happy about working with you. He’s excited in a way I haven’t seen in months. I’m not going to let you destroy that by confessing to something that doesn’t even matter anymore.”
“It does matter,” Nate insisted. “It matters because I gained access to him under false pretenses. It matters because every training session we have is built on a lie.”
“But you do have potential,” I argued. “Papa wouldn’t have offered to train you if he didn’t see something genuine in your abilities. The circumstances of how you met him don’t change your talent.”
“They change everything,” Nate said. “Kate, I can’t build my career on a foundation of deception. I won’t.”
“Why not?” I demanded, my voice rising with frustration. “Why does it matter how the opportunity came about if you’re genuinely deserving of it?”
“Because integrity matters,” he said simply. “Because being honest matters. Because—”
“Why no?”
The voice came from behind us, and we both turned to see Liam standing in the doorway of the medical center, leaning heavily against the frame. His face was pale, and he looked unsteady on his feet, but his green eyes were sharp and focused on our conversation.
“Liam, what are you doing out of bed?” I asked, immediately moving toward him. “The doctor said you need to rest.”
“I got tired of lying there listening to you two argue in the hallway,” he said, his gaze shifting between Nate and me. “And I’m curious about something.”
“What?” I asked, though I had a feeling I didn’t want to know.
“Why are you so adamant about not telling Viktor the truth about your fake relationship?” Liam asked, his voice deceptively casual. “What are you afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid of anything,” I said defensively. “I just don’t see the point in hurting Papa unnecessarily.”
“Really?” Liam took a step closer, and I could see the calculation in his eyes. “Or is it because you’re not ready to admit that your feelings for my brother are more complicated than you’re letting on?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nate asked, looking between us with growing confusion.
“It means,” Liam said, his voice taking on that dangerous edge I knew so well, “that maybe Kate doesn’t want to end the fake relationship because it gives her an excuse to avoid dealing with her real feelings.”
“That’s not true,” I protested, but I could hear the uncertainty in my own voice.
“Isn’t it?” Liam challenged. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’re using Viktor’s training sessions as an excuse to keep Nate in your life without having to define what you actually want from him.”
“Liam, stop,” Nate said, his voice warning. “You’re still concussed. You’re not thinking clearly.”
“I’m thinking perfectly clearly,” Liam replied, his eyes never leaving my face. “I’m thinking that maybe I need to know where I stand before I make any more confessions or take any more risks.”
“What are you asking?” I said quietly, though I was pretty sure I already knew.
“I’m asking a simple question,” Liam said, stepping closer until he was right in front of me. “Do you love Nate?”
The question hung in the air between us, heavy with implications and consequences. I could feel both brothers watching me, waiting for an answer that would determine the trajectory of all our relationships.
“I…” I started, then stopped, my voice failing me completely.
“Kate?” Nate said softly. “Do you?”
I looked between them – Nate with his kind brown eyes and genuine concern, Liam with his intense green gaze and barely controlled emotion. Both of them waiting for me to be honest about feelings I wasn’t even sure I understood myself.
“I don’t know,” I whispered finally. “I don’t know what I feel about anything anymore.”
“That’s not an answer,” Liam said, his voice rough with pain and frustration. “That’s an evasion.”
The silence that followed was deafening, filled with unspoken words and unresolved feelings. We stood there in the hallway of the medical center, three people caught in a web of lies and half-truths and emotions we didn’t know how to handle.
