Page 110 of Play It Sinful

Guilt flashes in her eyes. She looks away quickly and focuses on emptying her bag.

“I’m getting a surprise welcome home party, aren’t I?”

She laughs nervously, but still won’t meet my gaze. “What? No way.”

“Just give it up already. You can’t keep a secret to save your life.”

She throws her hands up in the air and turns. “Okay. You win. Yes, your roommates organized a surprise party, and when I tried to dissuade them of the idea, they ganged up against me. Now the best I can do is make sure you don’t look like roadkill.”

“Ouch.”

Kenzie’s eyes bug out. “Oh my God. Too soon?”

“Considering I’m still in the hospital, yeah, maybe? Who’s coming to the party?”

“The three musketeers: Zoey, Gia, and Blair, plus Gia’s and Blair’s boyfriends.”

Crap on toast. If Noah and Alex are coming, that means more hockey players will be present, including the bane of my existence. “Is Sean going to be there?”

Kenzie’s brows furrow slightly, and the muscles around her mouth tense. “Yes, why? You don’t want him to come?”

Shaking my head, I drop my gaze to my lap. “It’s not that… it’s just. I don’t know, it’s been weird between us since the accident.” I look up. “He wanted to tell me something right after my surgery, but you guys interrupted him, and he never told me what it was.”

A flash of guilt shines in Kenzie’s eyes. She looks conflicted as she takes out a hair straightener from her bag.

“Do you know what he wanted to tell me?”

She sighs, putting the straightener down. “I do. It’s about why Sean broke up with you.”

The constant heartache whenever I think about Sean intensifies. “He broke up with me because he didn’t love me enough. That’s the reason.”

Kenzie’s brows arches. “Oh, Ash. That’s not why. I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but hell, all your friends already know, and it’s not fair for you to be the only person in the dark.”

My stomach churns. “What do you mean, everyone already knows?”

“Sean was pretty shaken up after the accident, so he confessed to all your friends when they were here.”

“You’re scaring me.”

She swallows hard, and it’s audible. “Sean broke up with you because he thought you were our half-sister.”

My heart seems to stop beating for a second, only to restart with a lurch. “What?”

“Our dad is also your biological father.”

My pulse pounds in my ears hard, and the room stars to spin. “No, my father died when I was a kid.”

She shakes her head. “Dad and Marnie were old friends. I suppose they’ve always been in love with each other, and… well, their feelings were stronger than their wedding vows to other people.”

I go down memory lane. For as long as I can remember, Chris was around. I thought he was Mom’s friend back then. It never occurred to me he was more than that.

“Oh my God.” I cover my mouth with my hand while my eyes fill with tears. I’m glad I’m still in bed, because I don’t think my legs would be able to support me right now.

“Dad finally told Sean the truth after his heart attack, and my brother, being the eternal knight in shining armor that he is, decided to keep it a secret to protect you.”

I drop my hands into my lap. They feel as heavy as iron. “Protectme? Why? He didn’t think I could handle the truth?”

Kenzie shrugs. “I don’t know. He didn’t tell me either. I only found out you were my half-sister when there was a possibility you might need a kidney transplant.”

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