All Chapters of Trashing My Ex with the Ice King: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

MARY'S POVFor the past month, I’d clung to a single, fragile lifeline: Henry would never abandon me.Not after nineteen years together. Not with the weight of his engagement ring still sitting on my finger. Not when the rest of my life had already shattered into pieces.I had scraped together the last of my cash to get to the Kingsley ice arena tonight. I just needed to see him. I needed him to wrap his arms around me, bury his face in my hair, and promise that we would survive this.Instead, the icy air seized in my lungs.My steps faltered behind the scratched plexiglass. Just a few feet away, Henry was pressed against the boards. His hands were tangled in another girl’s hair, kissing her with a frantic, consuming hunger that made my stomach turn over.When the girl finally pulled back, the harsh arena lights caught her profile.Scarlett Harrington.The breath I didn't realize I was holding left me in a hollow rush. Of all the people in Kingsley, it had to be her. The daughter of th

Mary's POVTime blurred. The only constant was the steady beep of the hospital monitors and the sight of my mother lying motionless on the bed. I sat there half-asleep, resting my cheek against her cold hand—my only escape from the nightmare my life had become.Footsteps approached, and a gentle hand touched my shoulder. "You haven't been to class in three days. You can't keep doing this."I slowly lifted my head. "I'm dropping out. I'm never going back there."Elena sighed deeply. "I know it hurts, but—""How can I go back when just seeing Henry makes me want to die, Elena?"She studied me for a long moment before reaching into her purse. "Fine. Then take this." She placed a thick white envelope into my lap. "You can enroll in a different college. Start over somewhere else."My eyes widened, blurring with fresh tears, not out of joy, but pure shock. "Where did you get this kind of money?""You won't believe it, but I just got a new job.""A job?""Mr. Ryder Vance."My heart dropped a

Ryder's POVThe chime of the elevator shattered the silence of my penthouse. I didn't move from where I leaned against the marble pillar, letting the damn smirk I'd been holding back since last night finally etch itself clearly onto my lips.I could barely focus on anything all day. I even had Dante monitor her movements in secret—making sure the girl actually went to the hospital this morning, went back to Elena's apartment to pack her things, and didn't try to bolt from our deal. And now, she had finally arrived.The elevator doors slid open, and there she was.The haughty girl who, for years, swore she hated my guts, was now stepping into my territory. Handing herself over into my grasp. It took a little dirty manipulation and a threat regarding her mother's hospital bills, sure, but seeing her finally swallow her ego whole and submit to my terms? Fuck, the rush was far more intoxicating than winning any hockey championship. I finally got her.Her steps were hesitant as she dragged

HENRY’S POVThat bastard's words rang in my ears on a loop, drowning out the frantic whispers of the students in the corridor.Mary Collins is mine now.My hands clenched into tight fists at my side. Nineteen years. For nineteen years, I was the only man allowed to hold Mary’s hand. I played the perfect prince, painstakingly suppressing all my desires because Richard Collins, her father, was a control freak who watched his daughter's every move. Let alone sleep with her, I had to force myself to keep a respectful distance like a perfect gentleman. Fuck.And now, Ryder Vance suddenly swoops in, wrapping his arm intimately around Mary's waist as if she were his to ruin?My blood boiled as I stared at Ryder's broad back walking away with Mary. My hatred for that prick wasn't new. We went to the same high school, and his presence had always been a massive threat. Then he moved to Canada, became the national hockey captain there, and now his father dragged him back to Chicago. The return o

MARY'S POVMy body temperature spiked as Ryder climbed the bleacher stairs and towered over me. He leaned down, resting his muscular arms on the back of my seat, caging me entirely beneath his imposing frame."Are you sure about that 'no kissing' rule?" he whispered.My breath hitched as his large, tattooed hand came up to boldly cup the side of my face. The intimate touch triggered a chorus of hysterical squeals from the college girls in the upper stands."If you want Henry to truly break, and if you want this entire campus to bow to you..." Ryder tilted his head, his thumb gently brushing my jawline. "...you need to cancel that rule right now."I swallowed hard. My heart was beating erratically. In front of hundreds of people, and under Henry's scrutinizing gaze, rejecting him would ruin our charade. But my pride was simply too high to surrender that easily."You think I'm going to give in that easily?" I challenged softly, forcing an elegant smile to mask my rising panic. "You're go