Chapter 56: Everything I Thought Was Wrong

Aveline’s POV

I didn’t sleep a single wink last night.

The morning sun was shining, making everything look far too bright and cheerful compared to how I actually felt. My head was pounding, my body felt stiff, and mentally, I was drowning in exhaustion. Every single time I closed my eyes, all I could hear was the sound of the ocean waves, and all I could see was Kieran’s face looking down at me under the moonlight.

“AVELINE, why are you like this? Chelsea and I aren’t together.”

His words kept repeating in my head like a broken record. But every time I tried to believe him, the image of Chelsea standing beside him at the party flashed into my mind again.

It hurt.

It felt like a heavy weight pressing against my chest. I was angry, confused, and completely tired of pretending to be my brother Asher while my own heart was breaking in secret.

I sat slumped over the kitchen counter, holding a warm mug of coffee I hadn’t even tasted yet.

Kieran walked into the kitchen.

I didn’t look up. I kept my eyes fixed on my cup, purposely ignoring him. From the corner of my eye, I could see him pacing near the pantry. He kept glancing at me, his jaw tight, looking like he wanted to cross the room and force me to talk to him.

But I didn’t give him the chance.

I ignored him completely.

The atmosphere in the room was tense, but it wasn’t only because of me and Kieran. I lifted my head slightly and noticed the strange silence between Cassian and Daphne at the breakfast bar nearby.

Usually, Daphne was loud, bubbly, and full of energy in the mornings. But today, she sat staring at a plate of untouched toast. Cassian stood near her pouring himself a glass of water. He didn’t say a word, but every movement he made felt careful and controlled. His eyes kept drifting toward her with an intensity I had never seen before.

I was confused.

Something major had clearly happened last night while I was crying alone on the dock, but I had no idea what it was.

“Hey, Asher.”

Milo’s loud voice suddenly cut through the silence, making me jump. He stood by the back door holding a pair of life jackets.

“The waves are perfect right now. Landon and the rest of the guys are already heading down to the shore to check out the jet skis. Are you coming?”

I forced myself to sound casual.

“You guys go ahead. I’m still too tired. I’ll catch up later.”

“Suit yourself,” Milo shrugged before turning around. “Hey, Captain! Cassian! Let’s move!”

Kieran stopped pacing immediately. He shot one last frustrated look in my direction, but since the rest of the team was watching, he couldn’t stay behind without making it suspicious.

He let out a sharp breath, grabbed his sunglasses from the counter, and walked out with Milo.

Cassian placed his glass down, gave Daphne one long unreadable look, and followed the others outside.

The door clicked shut.

Now only Daphne and I were left alone in the large quiet kitchen.

The silence stretched for a long moment. Daphne still hadn’t touched her food. She looked uncomfortable, nervously tracing the edge of her napkin with her fingers.

I took a slow sip of coffee before sliding onto the stool beside her.

“You’re really quiet today, Daph,” I said softly. “Is everything okay?”

Daphne startled slightly and looked up at me. For a second, guilt flashed across her face before she quickly looked back down.

“Oh. Hey, Asher. Yeah, everything’s fine. I just… didn’t sleep very well. The sea breeze was really loud last night.”

“Right. The sea breeze,” I murmured, studying her carefully. “You know you’re a terrible liar, right? You’ve been staring at that toast like it committed a crime. Did something happen at the party?”

Daphne bit her lower lip, and her shoulders stiffened.

She looked at me, and for a moment, I saw confusion deep in her eyes. I already knew she had a crush on “Asher” for a long time, but today her behaviour felt completely different.

“Asher… have you ever felt like you completely misunderstood your own heart?” she asked suddenly, her voice dropping into a quiet whisper.

I froze.

Immediately, I thought about Kieran, about my disguise, and about how messy my own life had become.

“Every single day,” I admitted honestly. “Why do you ask?”

Daphne let out a shaky breath and buried her face in her hands for a moment before looking back at me.

“I just… I thought I knew exactly what I wanted. I thought I knew who I was supposed to like. But last night something happened, and now my head is spinning. It feels like the entire script of my summer got ripped apart, and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“Who says you need to fix it?” I asked gently, leaning my elbow on the counter. “Sometimes when things fall apart, it just means you’re supposed to start over. Was it someone at the party?”

Daphne’s cheeks immediately turned bright red.

She looked terrified that I would figure out the truth.

“I can’t tell you, Asher. I really can’t,” she whispered. “If I say it out loud, then it becomes real, and it’s just… too messy. It would complicate everything.”

“Hey, look at me,” I said softly. “Whatever it is, you don’t have to carry it alone. If you’re confused about life, or high school ending, or what comes next, that’s okay. You don’t need to have everything figured out right now.”

Daphne looked down at my hand, a sad smile touching her lips.

She reached out and lightly tapped my knuckles.

“You’re really nice, Asher. Seriously. Sometimes you say exactly what I need to hear. I just wish…”

She stopped suddenly, her voice cracking.

“Wish what?” I asked quietly.

“Nothing,” she said quickly, shaking her head as she stood up from the stool. “Nothing. I think I just need to go upstairs and clear my head for a bit.”

“Okay,” I nodded supportively. “Go rest. I’ll be here if you want to talk later.”

Daphne gave me a small grateful smile before quickly leaving the kitchen.

Once she was gone, I sighed and buried my face in my hands.

I had gotten so distracted trying to understand Daphne’s hidden drama that I completely forgot about my own problems.

Until the side door opened.

I straightened immediately, expecting one of the hockey guys to walk in.

But it wasn’t them.

It was Chelsea.

She wore a simple summer dress, her hair tied in a loose bun. She looked beautiful, but she didn’t have the perfectly polished confidence she usually carried around Kieran.

Today, she looked exhausted.

Her shoulders slumped as she walked toward the refrigerator.

At first, she didn’t notice me sitting at the far corner of the counter. She opened the freezer, grabbed a plastic bucket, and started scooping ice into it with a metal scoop.

I cleared my throat softly so I wouldn’t scare her.

“Morning.”

Chelsea jumped slightly, dropping the scoop back into the bucket. She turned around quickly with her hand against her chest.

When she saw it was me, she let out a long relieved sigh.

She glanced around the empty kitchen to make sure nobody else was there before walking over and leaning against the counter beside me.

“Oh, thank goodness it’s just you, Asher,” Chelsea sighed tiredly. “I’m honestly so tired of putting on a show for everyone here.”

I blinked slowly, keeping my expression calm. “Are you okay?”

Chelsea dumped ice into a glass of water and shook her head.

“Not really. Honestly, I really miss my boyfriend back home. Staying in this beach house just keeps reminding me of him.”

My heart stopped for a second. Boyfriend?

Chelsea didn’t notice the shock on my face.

She kept talking. “I hate that Kieran’s dad is forcing us to pretend to date for their family image. It’s exhausting, Asher. I hate pretending to be Kieran’s perfect girlfriend just because our parents want their corporate deal to look good in newspapers.”

She turned toward me with a small apologetic smile.

“Kieran hates it just as much as I do. His dad basically controls his hockey future. But sorry for dumping all this on you first thing in the morning. I just really needed to say it out loud.”

Chelsea grabbed her bucket of ice, lightly patted my shoulder, and walked out through the back doors.

I sat there frozen.

The coffee in my hand suddenly felt cold. My ears rang loudly, and the room felt like it was spinning.

My entire world tilted upside down. Kieran had been telling the truth. Everything he said on the dock last night was true.

He didn’t bring Chelsea here to hurt me. He wasn’t playing games with my feelings. He was trapped. His own father was blackmailing him, controlling his future, and forcing him into a fake relationship while he tried to protect his hockey career.

And I had run away from him.

I had called him a liar.

A crushing guilt slammed into my chest, making it hard to breathe. I had spent so long trying to hate Kieran Hampton that I never stopped to realise he was another victim trying to survive under his father’s shadow.

I stood up so fast that I needed to find him immediately and look directly in his eyes