Forbidden Lessons On Ice

Chapter 3

If you were me, not only beaten at a college party but broken up and humiliated, then reaching your room hoping for a safe escape only to be given news that your bully is now your stepbrother, be honest, would you sleep?

Would you actually close your eyes and rest? With no sleeping medication? Nah. If you say you would, then you’re lying straight up there because for me, even if I had taken sleeping medication, I don’t think it would work on me. Now imagine with none.

After taking a shower and avoiding Freya, I laid on the bed, literally watched with my eyes fully open until the sun rose.

It was a Saturday, so there were no classes. Freya left to give me my space, and I spent the whole day sitting in my sweaters, holding the phone in my hands waiting for Ryan’s reply as I had left him a hundred messages.

I was so desperate that I even made an excuse for him at one point. I told him that I understood he might have been drunk, that he had no idea what he had done. Trust me, I said everything. I apologised for showing up in the skirt he hated and even offered to apologise to Sienna if he wanted me to, but still, he didn’t respond.

Now, let me tell you just a little about my life, maybe the past year. I was graduating high school. There was a party that required our parents to attend.

My mother obviously was going to be by my side that day when I received a call from the hospital that she had been in an accident. That was six months ago. When I got there, I was late. She was gone and my world turned black.

Ever since then I pulled away from the world. I was on my own. Only Ryan understood me. We had known each other since we were kids and he was an orphan, so he got me. He understood my pain. He was my safety net.

With him, I could live again. That’s why right now, with the new news, I needed to speak to him. I needed him to hold me and tell me I would overcome this before I broke. Until it was going to five p.m. and there was still no response from him.

When my phone beeped with a notification, I actually jumped, only to find it was a message from my father reminding me that I only had an hour, that if I didn’t show up he would be so disappointed in me. Honestly, I couldn’t have him cutting me off, so I dragged myself out of bed and went to the shower.

I was quick like always. It only took ten minutes for me to be ready. Soon I was in my oversized pants and a sweater, grabbing my backpack. I left. My Uber was already waiting. Even though Dad said Axel could offer me a ride, I rejected it. I couldn’t ride in a car with him. Why would I do that to myself?

Soon I was outside the Donovan mansion. I’d been here before. Like I mentioned, my mom was friends with Vanessa. Well, they weren’t close, but it was enough for me to be here at least twice.

“Welcome.” At the main entrance, an older woman whom I recognised as their maid greeted me and then showed me in. As everyone had done the last times I was here, she judged me. “Can I take that?” Her voice was full of disgust.

“I’ll hold onto it,” I told her. I couldn’t give her my backpack.

“Give her the bag, Mia.” I heard my father’s voice. Looking up, he was on the stairs. His eyes were sharp and, hear this, his judgment in his tone and the way he looked at me was worse than the maid’s. “Thank you, Matilde,” he said to the maid as he reached downstairs. Gosh, he didn’t sound like my father. His tone was all polished. I even noticed he was in a suit. He barely wore that.

“When last did I see you? Let me think...” Vanessa, coming from the kitchen side, said, cutting through the tension. “My God, you’ve grown so much and oh God, you look so beautiful.” Lies. I mean, at this point I won’t know, but she was being overly nice and I hated it.

“She just greeted you, Mia. Say something.” My father said, his voice firm and threatening in a way that I knew if I didn’t do as he was saying he would scold me right here, and I was trying so much to avoid that.

“She just lost her mother. Try to be gentle,” Vanessa said, coming out like a saint. “Come on, dinner is ready,” she said to me, and I forced a smile before following her.

In the dining room, dinner was really ready, already set. I took a seat on the left side and my father took the head seat. Honestly, this surprised me as it still felt like yesterday he took the head seat of our home.

It even made me wonder if he married Vanessa for the Donovan money because they were wealthy. That’s why Axel was such a d**k, but I wasn’t trying to think of all that. I only wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible so I could get back to my dorm and see Ryan.

“So… Axel might be late,” Vanessa said, gesturing that we could get started. “It should be his practice again.” She didn’t sound happy at all, but I minded my business. Then my father decided to push me.

“You just couldn’t make an effort?” he asked, looking at me. “You’re in college now. The way you dress and present yourself to the world matters, Mia.” He added, his tone slightly irritated. “And why is your face so pink like that? Why do you always look sick?”

“Honey,” Vanessa said and quickly cleared her throat when I choked on my water. This was some weird s**t. “I mean, she’s still young. Plus, isn’t it medicine she’s majoring in? Nurses don’t need to be fancy.” At this point I don’t know if she was trying to help me or humiliate me even more.

But before my dad could reply, Axel walked in the room and I was facing right toward the door, so I couldn’t miss him if I wanted to.

I don’t know why I was even bothered to scan him, but he was in one of his hockey tee shirts, sleeves rolled up just enough to show his muscles.

His hair was damp, looking careless as always. At the corner of his mouth was a scratch, which I guessed was from practice. I almost turned back to my food when someone else joined the room, coming in and standing right beside Axel.

Sienna.

Okay, what the hell was she doing here? I thought this was a family dinner. She wasn’t family, so again, what in the world made her put on her mini dress and come here?