Chapter: SHADOW FROM THE PASTKyrian’s POV “Good boy,” Connie said, smiling with her eyes. “Boy!” I exclaimed. “I am a grown man.” She smiled even more pleasantly, “Do you realize you look really cute when you talk like that?” I glared at her, “Why would I want to be cute? It’s not as if I’m five years old.” “Cutey pie,” she teased me further. “Come to mummy.” I looked her in the eye and asked, “Did you move from calling me cute to flirting with me?” It was her turn to get defensive, “Why would I flirt with you? Don’t be absurd.” “But that’s what you are doing—” I insisted. “How would you explain ‘come to mummy’? I doubt you have a reasonable explanation. Just accept you were trying to flirt with me. It’s totally normal, it only shows that you are a healthy woman.” “No,” she insisted strongly. “It was a slip of the tongue.”“Sure, anything that makes you feel better,” I chuckled. A knock on the door stopped her conversation and Connie went to see who was at the door. I noticed her body language change the
Last Updated: 2026-07-31
Chapter: OLD HABITS DIE HARDConnie’s POV The moment I heard that Kyrian was awake, I discharged myself from the clinic just like he had done. I could argue that my condition was much better than his when he left and that I didn’t run into a heavy snow, the fact remains that I discharged myself. To think that I had done that just for Kyrian to treat me like this, I felt like I had played a losing game. I mean, I just saved him from sure death. I thought I had earned the right to talk to him and have him listen. But that wasn’t the case and I was clearly furious. I rushed into the restroom where I cried my eyes out. It was due to anger and a recollection of how I had pulled him out that snow. Even thinking about it was hard for me. I washed my face after I had finished crying and stepped out. I was shocked to find Kyrian standing right outside the restroom. “You shouldn’t be here,” I said instantly. “I know this is near the female restroom but I had to come. The nurse said that was where you went. I am not a
Last Updated: 2026-07-31
Chapter: BLUE, RED, AND WHITEKyrian’s POV For a long time, the only colors I saw were blue, red, and white. I saw what seemed like the clouds and the sky. They were all blue at first as if it was such a great day to go to the park with your lover. I saw the bubbles made by the children and I heard their laughter. The sky turned red suddenly, the clouds and the sun bloody red. I saw what I deemed to be demons chasing after me with fire on their heads and with long swords in their hands, the longest I have ever seen. Then it all went white or rather, blank. I saw nothing and everything and then I heard it, the beeping of the heart monitor. I clutched what I could and opened my eyes forcefully. I was gasping by the time I woke up and there was a nurse watching me. “Can you hear me?” She was asking. “How many fingers are this?” I was too stunned to reply. She waited for a bit and then she walked away. By the time she came back, she was with someone dressed as a doctor and a man who was clearly a security guard fr
Last Updated: 2026-07-31
Chapter: ONE HOUSECallum Vress’s POV “How do you know that?” Connie asked. She wasn't trying to hide the anger squirming inside her and that was my goal from the onset. I derived pleasure from rilling her up. “Oh yes, how could I have known?” I played along with her. “Are you spying on us?” She asked, staring at me viciously. Then she added, “I know you have cameras everywhere but it is illegal to have them in our rooms. If you have been spying on us there by any chance, I will make sure–” “You don't have the power to do anything, Connie,” I cut in readily. “By the way, I am not acknowledging putting spy cameras in your rooms. I wouldn't do that, would I?” I started to laugh hysterically while Connie’s breathing got heavier. If she had her chance, she would probably tear me into pieces. I had done enough for today though, I shouldn't push her past that. “Get some rest, Connie. I will see you next time,” I touched her briefly on the shoulder. She flinched instantly, breathing harder than ever. Hor
Last Updated: 2026-07-31
Chapter: OUT OF SIGHT, STILL IN MINDConnie's POVI was driven back to the show house and from the tense mood that existed upon my entry, I knew they had all gotten the news. Everyone was in the living room and they stood up the moment I arrived. God forbid, it was as if someone had died. The cameras were on so I figured the viewers must already know. Hori came to me and hugged me tightly, patting me on the back. I held onto her too, fighting the tears. “Are you okay?” Hori asked. “I was so scared,” That was all I could say. “I thought he was going to die. Even now, he is unconscious. He might still die.” “He won't,” Hori reassured me. “He is in one of the best hospitals in the country right now and he will be treated well. He will be back here before you know it.” “Are you sure?” I asked, disengaging from the hug. “I am,” Hori replied. She looked at me intently and brushed my hair. “You look like you've gone through a lot. Let's get you to the clinic for a checkup.” “No, I'm fine,” I muttered. “A checkup won't h
Last Updated: 2026-07-31
Chapter: FROZENConnie's POV Harlow didn't believe me at first but she had no choice but to come with me. She thought I was crazy and that the best thing to do was to let me have my way so I could finally come back with them to the house. I led the way, of course, and was followed by Harlow and two security guards. She had sent the third back to the house to bring a car. “I must be crazy for coming with you here,” Harlow muttered. “Why would he come to train when he isn't even recovered yet and in this heavy snow?” I didn't reply. I started to look around and there he was, collapsed on the ice rink. I felt as if my legs had given out yet I still ran to him. It was Kyrian definitely but he was all covered by the snow. The security guards got there next and they worked on pulling him out. He was cold as ice himself and he didn't look like he was breathing. I started to cry and Harlow held me still while one of the security guards carried Kyrian on his back. We ran out and the guard who left to brin
Last Updated: 2026-07-30
Chapter: Talking Hockey.Cheryl pov.The email arrived two days after the gala. The subject line seemed routine enough that I nearly deleted it before the domain registered a regional sports network that covered college programs during slow news cycles.We reviewed your work from the recent interview and want to discuss a feature and internship opportunity.I read the text four times before accepting it as real. I called Amara, who screamed loud enough that I pulled the phone away."Cheryl. Do you understand this? That is not a local blog. That is an actual sports network.""I know. I am unsure how to respond.""You say yes, immediately, and then you prepare." I heard her keyboard clacking through the speaker. "This is the objective you targeted. Do not let Celeste’s gala stunt occupy any headspace needed for this."I wanted simplicity, but experience taught me that a public loss for Celeste triggered the next counter move. The gala bought me vindication, Whitman’s defense echoed across campus, and the story
Last Updated: 2026-07-18
Chapter: Every Variable, UndoneCheryl's pov.The dress Amara selected was the finest garment I ever wore. Deep green, simple, it required no performance. I told myself that simplicity mattered more than whatever Celeste planned for the evening. Still, a long-established instinct braced for a trap from the moment the booster committee posted the seating chart. I sat three tables away from Carlson, wedged between two wealthy donors I never met."Cheryl Hart," the woman beside me said, squinting at my place card. "You are the analyst everyone discusses.""That is me.""Interesting." She exchanged a look with the man across from her, a silent communication indicating a conversation completed before my arrival. "And your background, the journalism program? Or did that develop informally?"I recognized the architecture of the question. It possessed the same deniable structure as the anonymous online comments from two weeks prior. It functioned not as a direct accusation, but as a challenge designed to force a defense
Last Updated: 2026-07-18
Chapter: Every Variable in the Room.Celeste's pov.The comments failed. Two weeks of calculated doubt online, and Cheryl still stood, still credited, still walking across the quad with Carlson’s hand resting against her spine. They moved through campus as if untouchable. Worse, Coach Whitman doubled down on her value, releasing a statement in the weekly athletics newsletter about how the hockey program prioritized Cheryl’s analytical contributions regardless of outside noise. The phrasing functioned as a direct shot aimed straight at my chest.I needed something larger than internet whispers. I needed a public unraveling, a demonstration of her inadequacy that nobody could attribute to jealous rumors or family drama.The boosters’ spring charity gala occupied the athletic department calendar for months. It remained the premiere event of the season, a black-tie fundraiser where heavy donors wrote checks with enough zeros to fund entire stadiums, and where every player's family arrived dressed to project status. I serv
Last Updated: 2026-07-18
Chapter: What Dylan KnowsCheryl’s pov.Dylan blocked me outside the film room three days after the comments started. He held a coffee in each hand, extending one before I recognized him."Peace offering," he said. "For the retreat."I took it. Refusing took more energy than a week of watching strangers debate my merits left me with. "You didn't make things weird. Celeste did. You just stood near it.""Fair." He fell into step beside me, distinct from the tension Carlson carried into every room. "I read the comments. Anyone who's watched you break down tape for two years knows you didn't need Carlson feeding you information. You were better than half the coaching staff before you two became a thing.""Thanks." I meant it, though I was tired of needing reassurance from people who weren't the source of the problem."Can I tell you something? Off the record, since you're a journalist now." He offered a half-smile, but his expression turned serious. He glanced down the hallway and lowered his voice. "Things are h
Last Updated: 2026-07-18
Chapter: Not Separately AnymoreThe first blow landed before I’d even finished my morning coffee.It was a comment on the IceEyes dashboard, wedged beneath my latest tactical breakdown:Wonder how much of this "analysis" is actually hers, or if her new boyfriend is just feeding her insider playbooks so she looks smart.The room seemed to tilt. I stared at the screen, my heart hammering against my ribs. I scrolled down. There were more. All posted within the last hour, all carrying the same deniable, toxic phrasing.The coach only gave her that retreat credit because Carlson put in a word. Obviously. Two years of anonymity, and suddenly she's "discovered" the exact week she starts sleeping with the captain? Sure. Not saying she's a fraud. Just saying the math doesn't add up.By the time I reached the athletics center, the whispers had already bypassed the internet. Two girls from the swim team gave me a long, calculating look by the water fountains, and an assistant track coach asked me, with a thin, polite smile
Last Updated: 2026-07-16
Chapter: Someone Else's LightThe phone buzzed against my nightstand at eleven. A single text from Brianna, accompanied by an image file.Thought you'd want to see this before it's everywhere.I stared at the screen for a long, quiet minute, waiting for the coldness to set in.It was a photo. Carlson Miller, hand in hand with my sister on the back porch of the retreat lodge. The lake was a dark mirror behind them, the golden hour bleeding over their shoulders. They were lit up in a way I’d never once managed to get out of him in three years of trying.I was used to rejection. It was a currency I knew how to handle. But being cast aside for Cheryl, quiet, limping, forgettable Cheryl, who had spent her entire life collecting dust in whatever shadow I happened to throw, was a humiliation I didn't have the vocabulary to survive.My fingers were steady as I dialed Megan. She picked up on the second ring."She's with him," I said. My voice was too quiet, too flat. "Officially. It’s disgusting.""I know. I saw," Me
Last Updated: 2026-07-16
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