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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Breaking Up With The Hottest Man On Ice : Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

200 Kabanata

Liam Makes His Move

Emma's POV I spent the rest of the day in my room. Sarah had taken Alex to school and promised to pick him up afterward. She knew I was falling apart. She knew I needed time to process everything that had happened with Jake. But time didn't help. Every minute that passed just made the pain worse. Jake knew the truth now. He knew about Alex. He knew about Margaret's threats. He knew everything. And he still couldn't forgive me. *"I don't know if I can forgive that."* Those words played over and over in my head like a cruel song I couldn't turn off. Around two in the afternoon, there was a knock at my door. I ignored it. I didn't want to see anyone. I didn't want to talk to anyone. The knock came again. Louder. More insistent. "Emma, I know you're in there. Open the door." Liam. I closed my eyes. I didn't have the energy to deal with him right now. "Emma, please. I'm worried about you. You haven't answered any of my calls." I hadn't even looked at my phone since this morni

Shattered

Emma's POV "I'm trying to help you! Why can't you see that?" But he didn't let go. His fingers dug deeper into my arm. "Jake Sullivan doesn't want you, Emma. He said it himself. He can't forgive you. He thinks you're a liar and a cheat. But I'm still here. I'm the one who's standing by you." "Because you won't let me go!" "Because I love you!" The words exploded out of him. "I've loved you since high school. Since before Jake Sullivan ever existed. And I'm not going to let him take you away from me again." My blood ran cold. "Again? Liam, we were never together. We were just friends." "We should have been together. We were supposed to be together. But then you went off to college and forgot about me. And then you met him." Liam spat the last word like it was poison. "Jake Sullivan. Mr. Perfect. Mr. Hockey Star. And suddenly I didn't exist anymore." "Liam, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings back then, but—" "Hurt my feelings?" He laughed. It was an ugly sound. "Emma, you destroye

The DNA Test

Jake's POV The medical testing facility was sterile and cold. White walls, fluorescent lights, the smell of antiseptic that made everything feel wrong. This wasn't how I was supposed to meet my son. Not in a lab. Not with court orders and lawyers. Not like this. I arrived early. My lawyer, Mr. Costa, was already there with the facility coordinator, going over procedures. "The test is simple," the coordinator explained. "Cheek swabs from all three parties. Results in seventy-two hours. Very straightforward." Seventy-two hours. Three days until I had proof. Three days until everything changed. The door opened. Emma walked in, holding Alex's hand. My breath caught in my throat. There he was. My son. Eight years old. Wearing jeans and a hockey jersey—my old team's jersey. His dark hair was messy. His blue eyes were wide and curious. He looked exactly like me. "Mom, why are we at a doctor's office?" Alex asked, looking around. "Am I getting a shot? I hate shots." "No shots, ba

The Results

Emma's POV Seventy-two hours felt like seventy-two years. I couldn't sleep. Couldn't eat. Could barely function. Sarah moved into my apartment for those three days. She took over everything—cooking meals I didn't touch, making sure Alex got to school, handling the laundry and dishes while I sat on the couch staring at nothing. "You need to eat something," she said on the second day, putting a sandwich in front of me. I looked at it. My stomach turned. "I can't." "Emma, you're going to make yourself sick. Alex needs you strong." "Alex needs me, period. And in—" I checked my phone, "thirty-six hours, I might not be his mother anymore." "Don't say that. Jake can't just take him away." "Can't he? He has money, lawyers, a stable home. What do I have? A tiny apartment and a history of lying." I put my head in my hands. "I'm going to lose him, Sarah. I can feel it." Alex came home from school that afternoon full of energy, talking about his day. But he stopped when he saw me on the

The First Custody Conversation

Jake's POV Emma's apartment was smaller than I expected. Not dirty. Not neglected. Just... small. One bedroom that I could see had bunk beds through the open doorway. A tiny kitchen with barely enough room for two people. A living room with a worn couch and an old television. This was where my son had grown up. But what struck me most weren't the cramped quarters or the secondhand furniture. It was the photos. Everywhere. On every wall, every shelf, every surface. Alex as a newborn, wrapped in a blue blanket. Alex taking his first steps, reaching toward the camera with chubby hands. Alex's first day of school, wearing a backpack bigger than his torso. Alex at hockey practice, grinning with missing front teeth. Eight years of memories I wasn't part of. Emma stood near the door, arms wrapped around herself. "I know it's not much," she said defensively. "I know it's small. But it's clean. It's safe. Alex is happy here." I picked up a photo from the side table. Alex as a baby, ma

The Confrontation with Liam

Jake's POVI stood up from the couch. "Who are you?""I'm Emma's boyfriend." Liam stepped further into the apartment, closing the door behind him. "Who are you to barge into her home?""I'm the father of her child."The words hung in the air. Heavy. Final. Undeniable.Liam's face shifted. He had known—Emma must have told him—but hearing it confirmed out loud made something dark flash across his features."So the DNA test came back," Liam said. "Congratulations. You have a piece of paper that says you share biology. That doesn't make you a father.""Liam, this isn't a good time," Emma said quickly. She moved between us like she was trying to prevent a collision. "Jake and I need to discuss Alex. Privately.""Privately?" Liam's voice rose. "Emma, we're together. Your problems are my problems. I don't appreciate coming here and finding HIM in your apartment.""I didn't know he was coming," Emma said. Her voice was strained. Scared. "He just showed up—""After you've been ignoring my call

The First Truth to Alex

Emma's POVTime stopped.Alex stood in the middle of my living room in his hockey pajamas, looking at Liam's hand wrapped around my arm. Looking at the red marks. Looking at me with concern that no eight-year-old should have to feel for their parent."Mama, why is Liam holding your arm like that?"I made my choice in that moment."Liam, let go of me." My voice was steady now. Clear. "And I need you to leave.""Emma—""Now. Please."Liam's eyes darted to Alex, then to Jake, then back to me. He released my arm slowly. "We need to talk about this. You can't just—""We'll talk later. But right now, I need you to leave. This is between me, Jake, and Alex.""Fine." Liam's voice was cold. Wounded. "But this isn't over, Emma. We're not over."He walked to the door, stopping to look back at me one more time. "You're making a mistake. When Jake breaks your heart again, don't come crying to me."The door slammed behind him.The silence that followed was deafening.Alex looked between me and Jak

The First Truth to Alex 2

Emma's POV "You can ask me anything," Jake replied."Where have you been living?""Here in Portugal. I moved here about six months ago for work.""So you've been close this whole time?"Jake nodded. "I have. I didn't know you were here, though. I didn't know about you until I met you at the school.""When you coached the hockey thing?""Yes. When I saw you, I thought... I thought you looked familiar. And then when I found out your mom's name was Emma Reed, I started to wonder if maybe...""If maybe I was yours," Alex finished."Exactly."Alex processed this for a moment. Then he asked the question I had been dreading."Will you live with us now?"Jake and I looked at each other. The question hung heavy in the air.We hadn't talked about that. We hadn't talked about anything beyond the initial custody discussion. We certainly hadn't talked about living arrangements."That's something your mom and I need to figure out," Jake said carefully. "Right now, we're trying to understand what's

Processing the Truth

Jake's POVI sat in my car outside Emma's apartment building for twenty minutes.I had left. Told Emma I'd give them space. Walked out that door and closed it behind me.But I couldn't drive away.My son was in there, hurting. Processing the biggest revelation of his eight-year-old life. And I had just walked away from him.What kind of father does that?I looked at my phone. The text I'd sent Emma sat there, unanswered.*"Let me know how he is tomorrow. I meant what I said. We'll figure this out."*Tomorrow. Like I could just wait until tomorrow to know if my son was okay.I got out of the car.I walked back to Emma's apartment and knocked. Softly. Not wanting to disturb Alex if he was still in his room.Emma opened the door. Her eyes were red and swollen. She looked surprised to see me."Jake? I thought you left.""I did. I got as far as my car and then..." I ran my hand through my hair. "I can't leave. Not like this. Not with him in there hurting and you falling apart and everythin

Liam's True Colors Emerge

Emma's POVOne week after Alex learned Jake was his father, life began to find a new rhythm.Jake came over every day after work. He helped Alex with homework. He played hockey in the parking lot with him. He stayed for dinner most nights, and we all sat around my tiny kitchen table like a real family.Alex was happier than I'd ever seen him.And I was... confused.Confused about my feelings for Jake. Confused about what we were becoming. Confused about the future.But one thing I wasn't confused about was Liam.I needed to end whatever fake relationship we'd had. Officially and completely.I texted him to meet me at the coffee shop near my apartment.He responded immediately.*"Finally. I've been waiting for you to reach out. I'll be there in twenty minutes."*I arrived early and chose a table near the window. Close to the exit. Just in case.Liam walked in exactly on time. He was smiling, but it didn't reach his eyes."Emma." He sat down across from me without asking. "It's been a w

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