hapter 9
+15 Bonus
“I know you act all tough, but deep down, you’re fragile. But I want to be good to you. I want to take care of you. So, I have to keep
making up excuses–ones you can’t say no to.”
I squinted at him. “What are you rambling about now? When your mom joked about marrying me, you got so mad that you
stormed off and didn’t come home for days. Did you think I’d forget that?”
Yannick hesitated, his lips curling into a faint, bitter smile. “I wasn’t mad about that. I was mad because I was afraid you’d never
come back to my house again. And honestly? That’s not how I wanted you to hear it.”
His gaze flickered, full of hesitation. It made him look like a lost puppy.
“And besides, I heard from Quella that you’ve had a crush on someone for ages. I was jealous. Furious, even. I thought you were
blind to not see what was right in front of you. But it never even crossed my mind that she was talking about me.
“When you dragged me to your place, I thought you were just heartbroken and using me as a rebound.”
My chest tightened, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. For a moment, my vision blurred. But I shoved it all down. I forced a
casual shrug. “Oh? Well, I took those things to heart. And honestly? They hurt me.”
Yannick stepped forward, closing the distance between us. “You’re gonna hold this against me forever, huh, Yulia?”
I raised an eyebrow. “You’ve seen how I treat my mother. What makes you think you’re special?”
He sighed. “I don’t want to argue with you. I know something’s going on. I just want the truth.”
My fingers curled into fists, my nails digging into my palms. Then, I smiled and said lightly, “You want the truth? The truth is, I
was mad at you. So, I lied.”
His brows were furrowed together. “You lied? About what?”
I exhaled slowly. “Liking you. It was just a stupid teenage mistake. But now? Now, I want you because I can’t stand that stupid
cold, untouchable act of yours. I need to tear it down. And let’s be honest. You’re not as untouchable as you pretend to be. You
make a pretty useful tool.”
