Chapter 120: The Silent Threshold

Aveline's POV

I never looked back after walking away from Kieran. If I did, I knew I would not have the strength to keep walking. By the time the transit bus doors shut behind me, the small velvet box in my bag felt heavier than everything else I carried.

I pressed my face against the window, watching the snowy streets of the city move past in a grey blur. My left ankle hurt with a dull ache from my fall on the mountain trail, but I could barely feel it.

My fingers stayed deep inside my bag, touching the smooth corners of the package. Kieran had told me not to open it until Christmas Day. His deep voice still echoed in my ears. I was the one who had begged him to fake-date Katty to protect my identity and save him from my problems, but watching him do it at school was tearing me apart.

Now, with the break starting, being cut off from him felt like a heavy weight crushing my chest.

The bus stopped at the edge of my neighbourhood, and I walked the rest of the way alone. The sidewalks were covered in clean snow. From the outside, the Carter house looked beautiful and perfect. But the moment I unlocked the front door and stepped inside, the cold silence hit me.

"I'm home, Mom. Asher's home."

I walked down, purposely not looking at the closed door of my old bedroom. The radiator clicked loudly against the floor. Downstairs, the loud ticking of the grandfather clock filled the space.

"Asher? Is that you, sweetheart?"

My mother’s voice came from the kitchen, warm and bright. I walked through the doorway, my heart pounding hard against my tight chest, binding.

Evelyn Carter was standing by the counter, folding a stack of clean towels. The second she saw me, her whole face lit up with a big, adoring smile. It was the exact smile she had never once given me in eighteen years.

Before I could say anything, she stepped across the floor and reached out. Her thin fingers touched my neck, gently fixing the collar of my coat. Her thumb softly brushed my cheek. Her eyes were completely clear, totally lost in her own delusion. She did not see the short hair or the fake posture. She only saw her boy.

"Look at you, you're freezing," she murmured. "The mountain trip was called for, Asher. You look so pale. Did you remember to take your afternoon medicine while you were away? Your heart condition can get so tricky when the winter weather hits. You must stay strong.

The weight of her love felt like a hand squeezing my throat. She was smothering me with the exact devotion I had wanted my whole life, but she was only giving it to me because she thought I was a ghost.

"I took them, Mom," I lied softly, forcing the gentle Asher voice out of my mouth. "I stayed inside during the storm."

"Good boy," she whispered. Her hands stayed on my shoulders for a long moment, smoothing down my jacket as if she were afraid I would disappear if she let go. "Go upstairs and rest. I will bring you some warm tea soon."

"Thank you, Mom."

I turned away from her, my legs feeling weak as I walked up the stairs. Every step felt heavy. Downstairs, I could hear her softly humming a Christmas carol while she went back to her folding. I went into Asher's bedroom, locked the door from the inside, and let my back slide down the wood until I was sitting flat on the cold floor.

I pulled off my heavy gloves, my hands shaking as I buried my face in my knees. I reached into the bag and pulled out Kieran's velvet gift box. The velvet was blue, catching the weak light from the window. I wanted to rip open the packaging to see what he had given me, but I had promised him I would wait.

I stood up carefully on my sore ankle and knelt beside the bed. I lifted the loose wooden floorboard to the dark, hidden space where my real female ID and spare chest binders were buried. As I reached inside to place the blue velvet box, my fingers brushed against something else. It was a folded note in Asher's handwriting that had slipped deep between the beams.

My fingers brushed against the folded paper, and I froze completely. It definitely wasn't there before.

Buzz.

The sudden vibration made me flinch. I let go of the mysterious note, leaving it under the bed as I quickly pulled my phone from my pocket. A single text message appeared on the screen from a number I knew by heart.

Kieran: Did you get home safely?

I stared at the simple words, my thumbs hovering over the glass keyboard.

I typed a reply, deleted it. Typed again, wanting to tell him how I feel.

Deleted it again.

In the end, I let my hand drop. The screen went completely dark without a reply. I could not send a single word. If I replied, his protective instincts would bring him right back to this house, and I could not let him ruin his future for a lie.

I tossed the phone onto the blanket beside me, but a minute later, a loud beep cut through the quiet room. It was an official email from the Crestwood athletic department. I opened the document, scanning the mandatory scheduling list for all Titans players until my breathing completely stopped.

Booth 4: Hot Chocolate & Gift Wrapping

Volunteers: Kieran Hampton, Elivis Turner and Asher Carter

I stared at the glowing text in the bedroom, my breath catching as the silence of the room closed in around me.