The Fake Boyfriend Gambit - Chapter 10: Chapter 10
You are reading The Fake Boyfriend Gambit, Chapter 10: Chapter 10. Read more chapters of The Fake Boyfriend Gambit.
The truth was, I didn't hate animals.
But Jason's parents despised them, so I had to pretend I did too.
That year, I begged Jason for what felt like forever before he finally caved and sneaked a kitten home for me.
Before I could even hold it, my adoptive mother found out.
She tossed the kitten out like trash.
Then she tore into Jason—wasting his time on something so trivial, unworthy of being heir, a disgrace to the family.
As for me? Locked in a pitch-black room to "reflect."
One more slip-up, she warned, and it was back to the orphanage for me.
I didn't get why a tiny kitten caused such chaos.
But I didn't dare push back.
Going back to that place? No thanks.
So I dropped to my knees, sobbing, swearing I'd never bring an animal home again. Only then did her scowl loosen.
A week in that room.
By the time I got out, the kitten was gone—just another stray in the streets.
I searched everywhere. Nothing.
Devastated, I wandered the park alone…
And there he was.
Lucas, crouched under the cold glow of the moon, feeding a whole crowd of strays from a giant bowl.
The soft light made him look… different.
Lucas and I had similar stories.
No—his was worse.
An unwanted bastard. A drunken father. A mother who'd trapped his dad on purpose.
The family's dirty little secret.
No respect. No dignity.
Just a shadow of bitterness clinging to him.
Except with the strays.
They'd nuzzle his legs like he mattered.
That's when it hit me.
A cat could help.
If I ever left again…
Lucas would never abandon it. That's just who he was.
(Not that I'd ever tell him that.)
I kissed him.
"A pet would make the house feel alive."
The word child flickered in his eyes.
He swallowed hard, voice rough.
"Okay, Lucas?"
I wasn't letting Jason off the hook for what he'd done.
But the Sinclair family had power. If things went south…
Don't do anything stupid again.
His dark gaze pinned me.
The air between us hummed with silence.
Nervous, I looped my arms around his neck and pressed closer.
"Please?"
A beat. Then—
"Yeah. Okay."
But Jason's parents despised them, so I had to pretend I did too.
That year, I begged Jason for what felt like forever before he finally caved and sneaked a kitten home for me.
Before I could even hold it, my adoptive mother found out.
She tossed the kitten out like trash.
Then she tore into Jason—wasting his time on something so trivial, unworthy of being heir, a disgrace to the family.
As for me? Locked in a pitch-black room to "reflect."
One more slip-up, she warned, and it was back to the orphanage for me.
I didn't get why a tiny kitten caused such chaos.
But I didn't dare push back.
Going back to that place? No thanks.
So I dropped to my knees, sobbing, swearing I'd never bring an animal home again. Only then did her scowl loosen.
A week in that room.
By the time I got out, the kitten was gone—just another stray in the streets.
I searched everywhere. Nothing.
Devastated, I wandered the park alone…
And there he was.
Lucas, crouched under the cold glow of the moon, feeding a whole crowd of strays from a giant bowl.
The soft light made him look… different.
Lucas and I had similar stories.
No—his was worse.
An unwanted bastard. A drunken father. A mother who'd trapped his dad on purpose.
The family's dirty little secret.
No respect. No dignity.
Just a shadow of bitterness clinging to him.
Except with the strays.
They'd nuzzle his legs like he mattered.
That's when it hit me.
A cat could help.
If I ever left again…
Lucas would never abandon it. That's just who he was.
(Not that I'd ever tell him that.)
I kissed him.
"A pet would make the house feel alive."
The word child flickered in his eyes.
He swallowed hard, voice rough.
"Okay, Lucas?"
I wasn't letting Jason off the hook for what he'd done.
But the Sinclair family had power. If things went south…
Don't do anything stupid again.
His dark gaze pinned me.
The air between us hummed with silence.
Nervous, I looped my arms around his neck and pressed closer.
"Please?"
A beat. Then—
"Yeah. Okay."
End of The Fake Boyfriend Gambit Chapter 10. Continue reading Chapter 11 or return to The Fake Boyfriend Gambit book page.