INICIAR SESIÓNCHAPTER THIRTY ONEScarlett’s POVThe roar inside the arena grew louder until it felt as though the entire building was shaking beneath my feet.Every seat was occupied, every fan was standing.Blue and white flags filled the air as people chanted the Blackhawks’ name over and over again.The lights slowly brightened until the entire rink was glowing beneath them.I tightened my hands around the railing in front of me.This was it. Everything had come down to this moment. Ryan skated toward the center of the ice with calm, steady movements, his face revealed nothing.If someone looked at him for the first time today, they would never guess that only a few days ago he had disappeared without telling anyone where he was going.They would never guess that he had been fighting an injured shoulder.They would never guess that someone he trusted had betrayed him.He looked exactly like a captain, strong, focused and ready The referee glided toward the center circle with the puck resting
CHAPTER THIRTY : Ready? Scarlett’s POVI remained where I was long after Ryan disappeared into the locker room.The door had already closed, but my eyes refused to leave it.It felt as though the rest of the world had disappeared.The cheering outside, the reporters, the cameras.The fans screaming Ryan’s name. None of it reached me anymore. The only thing I could think about was the look on his face.He had returned, he had come back to lead his team yet not once had he looked at me, not once.A painful ache spread through my chest, I couldn’t blame him.If our places had been exchanged, I didn’t know if I could have looked at him either.I lowered my head and wiped away the tears that continued to fall. “I deserve this,” I whispered to myself. “I deserve every bit of it.”Taking a slow breath, I forced my feet to move.Standing outside the locker room would change nothing.Ryan had a championship to play, the least I could do was stay out of his way. I turned and slowly walked
CHAPTER TWENTY NineScarlett’s POVI could barely hear my own breathing.The noise inside the arena was louder than anything I had ever experienced, yet somehow it all sounded distant, as though I were standing underwater.Thousands of fans filled every seat.The giant screens circled the arena, replaying Ryan’s greatest moments over the years.Every time his face appeared, the crowd cheered.Every time the video ended, the excitement faded into uneasy whispers.He still wasn’t here.I stood near the players’ tunnel with my hands clasped tightly together.I had lost count of how many times I had looked toward the entrance.Every single time, it was someone else.Another official, another member of staff, another player. Never Ryan.The giant clock hanging above the ice continued counting down.Only a few minutes remained before the championship would begin.A painful knot settled inside my stomach.Maybe… Maybe he really wasn’t coming.The thought made my chest tighten.I slowly lowe
CHAPTER TWENTY Eight — Scarlett’s POVThe day I had been dreading finally arrived.I barely slept the night before.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Ryan standing in front of me with disbelief written across his face after I confessed everything.I heard his voice over and over again.“What did I do to deserve this?”No matter how many times I told myself to stop thinking about it, the memories refused to leave me.By the time the first rays of sunlight slipped through my bedroom window, I had already given up on trying to sleep again.I slowly climbed out of bed and walked toward the window.The Carter mansion was unusually quiet.Normally, championship day filled the house with excitement.The staff would be moving quickly through the hallways.Phones would be ringing.Cars would be arriving and leaving.Everyone would be talking about the biggest game of the season.Today felt completely different.It felt as though a heavy cloud had settled over the entire mansion.I rested my f
CHAPTER Twenty Seven — Ryan’s POVThe rehabilitation room was quiet except for the steady sound of the therapy machine working against my shoulder.Every movement sent a dull ache through my arm, but compared to two days ago, the pain had already begun to lessen.The specialist slowly removed the support strap before asking me to lift my arm one more time.I did exactly as he instructed.The movement was still uncomfortable, but I could already feel the difference.The doctor nodded with satisfaction.“You’re recovering well.”He carefully examined my shoulder again before looking at me. “The treatment is working exactly as I hoped.”I let out a slow breath. “Does that mean I’ll be ready?”He didn’t answer immediately.Instead, he removed his gloves and placed them neatly on the table. “Your shoulder is healing.”He looked directly at me. “But healing and being ready for a championship are two different things.”I remained silent.He continued. “If someone keeps targeting this shoulde
CHAPTER Twenty Six — Scarlett’s POVI couldn’t stay inside the mansion any longer.Every corner of the house reminded me of Ryan.His favorite chair was still by the window.His coffee cup was still on the kitchen counter.Even the silence felt different without him.No matter where I looked, I saw traces of the man who had opened his home to me without asking for anything in return.I had taken that kindness and repaid it with betrayal.The thought refused to leave my mind.I grabbed my jacket, picked up my bag, and quietly left the mansion before anyone could stop me.The drive to the arena felt longer than usual.The closer I got, the heavier my chest became.I wasn’t even sure why I had come.Maybe I wanted answers, maybe I wanted to see the place where everything had started or maybe I simply couldn’t bear sitting alone with my guilt.When I stepped inside the arena, the familiar sound of skates scraping across the ice echoed through the building.Several players were already pra
CHAPTER FIVE — Scarlett POVI was asleep when my phone started ringing.At first, I didn’t want to open my eyes. My body felt too heavy, and my mind was still stuck in everything that had happened over the past few days. The ringing continued anyway, sharp and persistent, until I finally forced my
CHAPTER fourRyan POVI took her home last night.Even now, sitting alone in my office, I still could not understand why.Bringing Scarlett Hayes to my pack had never been part of my plans.In fact, if anyone had asked me yesterday morning what I would be doing today, this would have been the last
CHAPTER THREE — Scarlett POVFor a moment, nobody moved.The silence in the hall after he said those words felt heavy, like the air itself had been pressed down on everyone’s shoulders.I could still feel the shock in my body and my stepmother was still holding my arm, but her grip had loosened sli
CHAPTER TWOScarlett POVToday was the announcement, I was supposed to run awayI did not run this time.Maybe I should have.Maybe if I had left before the announcement started, I could have kept pretending there was still a chance that something would change.But I didn’t.So I sat there with eve







