CHAPTER 11: CHAPTER 11 SO WRONG

The fact that he couldn’t understand why and how she could suddenly leave the country left him feeling utterly frustrated.

He had always been the golden boy, born into wealthy, blessed with good looks, talented at sports.

He had everything. The girls all wanted him. The boys all wanted to be like him.

He never imagined the Alora who had been so sweet, who always looked at him with love and warm as if he had hung the moon would disappear without warning.

Without telling him the reason she was upset, without letting him fix things between them.

Without letting him figure out what he actually felt for her.

Her decision to leave him like this stroke and bruised his ego, terribly.

But beneath the anger lurked a deeper pain he couldn’t name, couldn’t even describe.

He shook his head.

What was wrong with him?

What was he even doing?

Why was he feeling pathetic?

This all started because of a bet anyway.

It should remain a bet.

Brielle wanted the Tisch spot. He wanted to be with Brielle.

Now, Alora had left so everything has been solved.

He was the winner here so he should stop feeling like a loser.

Even as Caden tried to console himself, deep down, he was still feeling empty.

Even as he kept telling himself that he won, he still felt like a loser.

His legs got stiff from sitting for so long, his body chilled by the night air and that was when he realized that it was getting late.

But still, he didn’t feel like getting up. He didn’t feel like seeing anyone. He only wanted to see Alora.

By midnight, he finally forced himself to his feet.

The Caden Steele who left the lake was not the same Caden who had waited there that morning.

Just as he was heading back in the silence, he heard a voice.

“I told you not to come to campus to look for me. There’s something called a phone you know. Plus, you can’t sneak in when it’s this late.”

Caden frowned.

That was Brielle’s voice.

He followed the sound and then saw Brielle with a middle-aged man with a weathered face and cheap suit.

He gripped Brielle’s arm.

“You left me no choice. You weren’t answering my calls.”

“Let me go!”

Instinctively, Caden felt that she was in danger and rushed forward.

“Who the fuck are you?!”He thundered, grabbed his collars and punched him on the face.

“Caden, stop!”Brielle quickly held his arm. “He’s my step-Dad.”

Brielle lowered her head, feeling ashamed.

Caden frowned. She suddenly seemed different from the Brielle he knew.

The confidence and composed Brielle.

She looked nervous.

Meanwhile, her stepfather seemed to recognize Caden.

He didn’t even seem upset at the fact that Caden had punched him. He smiled as blood trickled from his nose as his face transformed into a psychotic grin.

“I don’t actually like to be called her stepdad. I’m her father. And you must be Caden Steele.”

Caden nodded, awkwardly.

“What an honor to finally meet you. My daughter has told me a lot about you. We’re practically family now. Nothing like a good punch to break the ice, right?” He laughed as he tapped Caden on the shoulder.

He had this predatory look on his eyes that made Brielle nervous.

Couldn’t he even pretend?

“Can you leave now?”She asked through gritted teeth.

Not wanting to ruin their plans, the man nodded, he smiled at Caden one last time before walking off.

Caden swallowed.”So...that’s your stepdad?”He drawled.

Brielle nodded.”Yeah. We’re not as close as he made it seem. He’s an abuser and I don’t know why my mom is still with him.”She then looked pitiful.

“He always demands money from my mom and I. I’m sick and tired of him.”

She had never shared any of this with Caden before.

But she knew she couldn’t hide it from him forever.

Plus, she wanted them to get back together now so maybe she could use this as a way to earn his pity and make him pop the question.

She had been waiting, impatiently for him to ask her to be his again.

She had thought he was completely obsessed with her and would never like another girl.

She had just briefly wanted to use him to get rid of Alora.

That relationship with Alora was meant to last a month at most.

But Caden kept giving excuses about why he couldn’t break up with Alora yet.

He had literally dated Alora for six months.

Even if she didn’t admit it, Brielle had been scared that he’d leave her for Alora.

So she had to make sure he doesn’t. She had been the one urging his friends who get taunting and putting pressure on Caden regarding the bet.

Now, Alora was finally gone. She felt they should get back together so that her life of wealth would be finally secured.

Brielle put on the most pitiful look ever and batted her lashes at him.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you disgusted with me now? Do you not want to be with me anymore because of my abusive stepdad?”

Caden blinked.

“I...why would I feel disgusted with you because of your stepdad? You’re not him.”

Brielle smiled. “You’re just as sweet as you were before. Why did we even break up anyway?”As she asked, she slowly walked closer to him, closing the distance between them.

He stared at her, not knowing how to tell her that right now, he felt like being close to her was wrong.

So wrong.