All Chapters of Ice In His Veins: Chapter 71 - Chapter 75

The days after the press conference were strange. Eli expected backlash. He expected hate mail, cruel comments, teammates looking at him differently. Instead, something unexpected happened, people were kind to him. Fans sent messages of support and encouragement. Other players reached out to share their own struggles. The league issued a statement praising Eli’s courage. His parents called not to disown him, but to ask if he was okay. His mother cried. His father was quiet. But neither of them hung up. “We did not know,” his mother said. “Why did you not tell us?” “I was scared,” Eli said. “Of us?” “Of losing you.” She was silent for a long time. Then she said, “You will never lose us. You are our son.” Eli cried after that call. He cried for a long time. Mack was not there but Eli wished he was there with him. ~~~ Game Two was four days later. The Thunderbirds were down 0-1 in the series. Lose this one, and they would go to Edmonton facing elimination. The p

The morning after Mack’s confession, Eli woke up angry. Not the explosive anger he had felt in the locker room years ago. This was cold, quiet, suffocating. Mack had lied to him aain. Not about being his brother but about Daniel, the investigation and evidence. Eli lay in bed, replaying every conversation, every moment of trust. Mack had known everything. He had let Eli spiral, let him panic, let him suffer, all while holding the proof that could have ended it sooner. Eli got up, dressed and walked past the couch where Mack was still sleeping. He just left without waking him up or leaving a note behind. At practice, Eli ignored Mack completely. He did not look at him, did not pass to him during drills or acknowledge him when Mack spoke. The other players and coach noticed, the tension was thick enough to cut. “Park, Hale,” Coach Marshall called out. “Stay after, we need to talk.” When the rest of the team filed off the ice, the two of them stood at center ice, facing ea