ログインCHAPTER SEVENTY Three – The Decision I Never WantedStella’s POVI didn’t say another word after leaving the field.I didn’t turn around.I didn’t give Amber the satisfaction of seeing the pain on my face.I didn’t let my father see how much his words had affected me.I simply picked up my bag and walked away.Every step felt heavier than the one before.The field behind me slowly disappeared from my sight, but the feeling in my chest remained.It felt like someone had taken something from me.Not just a place.Not just a team.Something much bigger.For years, hockey had been the one thing that belonged only to me.My family had controlled almost every part of my life.They decided what I should do.Who I should listen to.Where I should go.How I should behave.But hockey had been different.I found it myself.I worked for it myself.No one had given me a chance because they felt sorry for me.No one had handed me a position because of my family name.Every goal.Every improvement.
CHAPTER Seventy Two – The Distance Between UsStella’s POVI thought I would feel better after seeing the footage.I thought finally seeing proof that someone had been trying to hurt me would make everything easier.Instead, it only made everything heavier.Because now I knew.The broken skate lace wasn’t an accident.Someone had walked into that room.Someone had touched my things.Someone had wanted me to fall.But the worst part wasn’t even that.The worst part was the look on Jaxon’s face when I accused Amber.For a moment, I thought he would finally say it.I thought he would finally admit that maybe I was right.Maybe he would finally see what I had been trying to tell him for so long.But he didn’t.He hesitated.Again.And that hesitation hurt more than I wanted to admit.I knew he was trying to be fair.I knew he wanted proof.But a small part of me couldn’t stop thinking about how many times I had needed him to believe me before.How many times I had stood alone while everyo
CHAPTER Seventy One – The Truth Behind the SkatesJaxon’s POVI had spent the entire night thinking about the broken skate.At first, I tried to convince myself that it was just another unfortunate accident.That was what everyone had been saying.An accident.A misunderstanding.A coincidence.But I had started to realize something.There had been too many coincidences surrounding Stella.Too many times she had been hurt, and everyone had found a reason to explain it away.And every time…I had believed them.I sat in my office, staring at the picture of the damaged skate on my phone.The broken lace.The clean cut.The timing.Everything about it bothered me.If someone wanted to hurt Stella, they wouldn’t do it openly.They would make it look like a mistake.Like something no one could blame them for.My fingers tightened around my phone.I needed answers.Not assumptions.Not guesses.The truth.I picked up my phone and dialed the security manager.The call connected quickly.“Cap
CHAPTER Sevnety – The Truth On The ScreenJaxon’s POVI had spent years trusting my instincts.On the ice, they had saved me countless times.A split-second decision.A small movement from an opponent.A change in direction that others missed.I trusted myself to recognize danger before it arrived.But when it came to Stella…I had ignored every instinct I had.I had believed the wrong people.I had accepted explanations without questioning them.And now, standing in the empty arena hallway, staring at the broken skate lace inside the evidence bag, I knew one thing.This was no longer something I could ignore.The lace had been cut, not damaged, not worn out, cut.Someone had wanted Stella to fall.Someone had wanted her to doubt herself.And the thought that someone was deliberately trying to hurt her made something inside me tighten.I turned toward the security office.“Get me the CCTV footage from yesterday’s training session.”The security manager looked surprised.“Captain, we
CHAPTER SIXTY Nine – The Rain Between UsJaxon’s POVThe rain started before I left the office.At first, it was nothing more than a light drizzle against the windows.Then, within minutes, the sky darkened, and the quiet sound turned into a heavy downpour.I stood near the window, watching the rain cover the city below.Normally, I wouldn’t have cared.Rain was just rain.But today, everything seemed different.Maybe because lately, everything I thought I knew had started to fall apart.The report from my assistant remained on my desk.The photograph of Stella standing behind her family.The medical records.The school reports.The things people had overlooked for years.I had spent so much time believing I knew Stella.Yet the truth was that I only knew the version of her that everyone else allowed me to see.My phone vibrated.I glanced at the screen.A message from my assistant.The investigation is continuing. I will update you as soon as I find more information.I locked my phon
CHAPTER SIXTY Eight – The Broken LaceStella’s POVMorning arrived sooner than I wanted.My muscles still ached from yesterday’s training, but it was the kind of pain I had learned to appreciate. Every sore muscle reminded me that I was getting stronger, one practice at a time.The championship was getting closer.Every drill mattered.Every mistake mattered even more.By the time I reached the arena, most of the team had already arrived.The locker room buzzed with conversation as players changed into their training gear.Some were laughing over something that had happened during yesterday’s practice, while others were already arguing about which line combinations Coach would choose for the championship.I greeted a few teammates before walking toward my locker.As always, I placed my hockey bag on the bench and began taking out my equipment.Everything looked normal.My gloves.My helmet.My shoulder pads.My skates.I picked up my right skate and began tightening the lace.Then I s







