His Heart Was Never Mine to Keep

Behind my brother Emmett's back, I was in a secret, three-year relationship with Yates Hiddleston, his best friend's younger brother.

He would snake his arm around my waist, pulling me through Austin’s hidden corners as we chased a never-ending thrill.

By a secluded lake, in a hushed late-night gallery, even in the stark emptiness of my studio, he always pushed for more, as if each moment was a new level in some game of sensory overload.

He was five years younger than me. He would whisper my name, Aveline, his voice a breathy, almost boyish plea, even as his grip tightened on my waist, refusing to let me go.

"Let… let go of me!"

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1

I was powerless against Yates Hiddleston’s relentless advances, able only to feign pleas for mercy in his arms.

Afterward, he’d press his body against mine, playfully pinning me down. He wouldn’t relent until I’d been coaxed into whispering the sweet, filthy things he wanted to hear.

For three whole years, we spent countless nights just like this.

He was like an insatiable leopard, constantly devouring me, yet he never once spent the night at my apartment.

I watched him, steadying my ragged breath as he coolly buttoned his shirt.

"Aveline, help me with my cufflinks."

He smirked, sitting at the foot of the bed. His fingers toyed with the edge of the sheet, his face glowing with smug satisfaction.

My body ached, feeling limp and utterly spent. Under his bold, undisguised gaze, I fastened his cufflinks for him.

"My family called again yesterday. We've been together for three years. Shouldn't we tell them?"

Yates’s admiring gaze was warm for a moment. But when he pulled his hand from mine, his eyes turned guarded.

"Why the hurry, Aveline? My company is just getting started. I don't want you to have to settle."

I let out a relieved sigh and smiled at him.

"If you're too scared of Emmett, I can be the one to tell him. It’s not like he’d actually strangle his own sister, right?"

Yates didn't answer. He just kissed my forehead and left for his company's victory party.

A few minutes later, I went downstairs to look for him, only to discover an encrypted folder on his study computer labeled "Project C."

I froze.

As if possessed, I opened the folder.

It was filled with chat logs. The messages detailed how he and his friends had plotted to get me to withdraw from the competition for a spot at the Florence Academy of Art—all because his childhood sweetheart, Cora, was also in the running.

Why did his friends know?

"Yates, you're the man! Even the untouchable Aveline Prescott, trapped in Austin for three years, all because of you. We're all jealous. Spill the details. What's she like? You're not actually thinking of marrying her, are you?"

Amid his friends' teasing, Yates's reply was exceptionally cold.

"It's just a game. Don't take it seriously. My heart has always belonged to Cora."

In that moment, a knife twisted in my gut. The pain was so sharp I nearly blacked out.

The voices in the chat log continued to chatter, but all the strength had drained from my body.

I stumbled back to my car, tears streaming down my face, blurring my vision.

When he first came back from college, I had gone with my brother to pick him up. I was surprised to find his looks and personality were an uncanny match for my type. But I’d always kept a careful distance, seeing him only as Emmett's best friend's little brother.

One day, a crazed fan stalked me, and in a blind panic, I called him.

He rushed over, beat the guy to a pulp, and then held me in his arms while I trembled.

"Aveline, don't be afraid. I'm here."

That night, he told me how he felt.

I avoided him for two weeks after that, until he cornered me at my doorstep.

When I looked into his eyes, shimmering on the verge of tears, I couldn't bring myself to say no.

Our secret life continued for three intimate years.

I’d always assumed he refused to go public because he was afraid my brother would kill him for dating his little sister.

I never imagined he had pursued me from the very beginning all for the girl he truly loved.

Swallowing the jagged pain in my throat, I called my parents.

"Dad, Mom, you were right. I'm coming home to Havenport."

These three years had been a beautiful lie, and now, it was time to wake up.

I was finally, truly done with Yates.