LOGINJulian simply turned around, his tight black singlet shifting over his broad shoulders as he looked back at her. A soft, incredibly tender smile broke across his handsome face, his grey eyes softening with a look that belonged only to her. "The pendant was just too special to take off, Val," he said, his deep voice carrying a quiet warmth. "Even for a second." He noticed the deep curiosity in her eyes and let out a low chuckle, shifting the bundle of her old clothes to his other arm. "However, I promise to tell you the whole story when I get back. Just wait for me, love." With that, he turned around and stepped out into the hallway, shutting the heavy mahogany door quietly behind him. The moment the door clicked closed, the immense room fell back into a comfortable, warm silence. Valeria stood by the bathroom door for another second, her heart fluttering before she finally walked over and climbed onto the huge king sized bed. The mattress was incredibly soft, sinking beneath her we
The heavy mahogany door clicked shut, leaving Valeria in the absolute, serene silence of the luxury bathroom. For a long moment, she just stood there, leaning her back against the cool wood, listening to the faint, distant sound of Julian’s footsteps fading down the hallway. Slowly, she began to shed the heavy, exhausting layers of the day. She took off her simple black hoodie, her fitted trousers, and the rest of her clothes, leaving them in a small, neat pile on the marble countertop. Stepping onto the heated floors, she approached the massive, freestanding marble bathtub. She turned on the gold fixtures, letting the steaming, crystal clear water fill the tub, the gentle hiss of the water echoing softly off the polished walls. Valeria stepped into the tub, sinking her body completely beneath the surface. She let out a long, shaky sigh that she felt like she had been holding in for five long years. The warm water immediately sunk deep into her skin, relaxing all her tensed nerves
With a cold, decisive swipe, Julian immediately turned the phone completely off, the screen going pitch black. He tossed the device onto the marble counter like a piece of trash, cutting off his mother's access to him completely. Everywhere went silent for a second. The ticking of the grand wall clock seemed to slow down as the heavy realization of the past five years settled between them. Julian took a deep, shaky breath, holding his head in his hands for a brief moment as he processed the crushing weight of the betrayal. The silence stretched between them, thick and heavy with the ghosts of the letters that were never sent, the words that were never spoken, and the years that had been stolen from them by someone he'd trusted most. Slowly, he got up from the velvet sofa. He reached down and pulled off his heavy, customized team jersey, tossing it carelessly to the fluffy sofa without a second thought. This left him wearing only his tight black singlet, which perfectly hugged his ma
"Valeria..." Julian whispered, his voice cracking completely under the weight of the truth. He took a slow, heavy step toward her, his massive frame trembling as the reality of their stolen years fully settled into his bones. Valeria stayed perfectly still, her eyes wide, staring at the polished white marble floor. The cold expression he had worn in the locker room was entirely gone, replaced by a raw, agonizing vulnerability. She stayed quiet, her throat too tight to offer any words. "She told me you trashed my letters," Julian said, his voice dropping into a hollow, breathless register. He reached up, his large hand rubbing his face as if trying to wake up from a terrible nightmare. "The silver bracelet I bought with my very first training stipend in England, the letters I spent hours writing , I had sent them all to you through her. When I didn't hear back, I begged her to check on you. She then told me you tossed the bracelet and the papers right into a trash bin down the stre
Valeria stared up at him, her chest heaving as the weight of five years of secrets pressed heavily against her throat. The silence inside the luxurious penthouse was thick, broken only by the sound of her shaky breathing. "When I went back to your house that last time," Valeria finally began, her voice dropping to a soft, trembling whisper as she finally spilled the tea on everything that had happened, "I just wanted to know if you were okay. But your mum… she sat me down in the living room. She looked at me with this stern expression, and that’s what made it hurt so much. She told me that you were completely done with our relationship. She said you had moved on to a completely different world in England, that the pressure of your new career was immense, and that you explicitly told her you didn't want anything to do with me anymore. She said you didn't know how to tell me yourself, so she was doing it herself." Valeria paused, wiping a fresh tear from her cheek, her tone remarkab
The silence that followed inside the luxurious penthouse was so heavy it felt suffocating. Julian stood completely paralyzed, his heart hammering against his ribs as he stared down at the girl he had spent five years hating. The very next words that came out from Valeria's mouth made Julian's broad shoulders drop in absolute surprise and shock. "I never received anything, Julian," Valeria said, her voice shaking but full of a fierce, desperate certainty. She raised her hand to her chest, her fingers clutching the fabric of her hoodie. "I swear to you, on everything I hold holy, I never received a single letter from you, from your mother, or from any person. Not one." Julian felt the ground beneath his feet tilt. His mind was spinning, trying to process the sheer weight of what she was saying. "That can't be," he whispered, though his voice lacked conviction now. "She never gave them to me!" Valeria cried out, the dam finally breaking as tears began to stream down her pale cheeks.
The game instantly exploded into action the very second the black rubber puck hit the ice. The speed of the match was absolutely terrifying. From the very first second, the Canadians showed everyone in the packed stadium exactly why they were the most feared team in the tournament. They were far to
The heavy team bus rumbled to life in the private parking lot of the hotel, its massive engine vibrating through the asphalt. Ken and Julian didn't waste another single second. They immediately walked downstairs together, carrying their heavy gear bags, and boarded the bus waiting for them. The doo
Back in his luxury penthouse suite, Julian was already getting prepared for the biggest night of his career. He had just taken a long, steaming bath to ease the tension in his muscles, and he was about to start getting ready for the stadium. However, even as he dried off, his grey eyes were still g
The echoes of Mrs. Clara and Ariel’s clicking high heels slowly faded into the distance, leaving the lobby of the Daily Blitz in absolute, suffocating silence. Valeria remained collapsed on the hard, cold floor, surrounded by her shattered dreams and scattered belongings. Her chest heaved as she so







