OFFSIDE HEARTS: His Dr. Anchor
"I don't care about your Number 9 jersey, Ethan. I signed a contract to save your career. I'm standing here because of the man hiding beneath it."
Ethan Cross has everything the world envies.
A record-breaking football career. Endless wealth. Global fame.
But after a violent outburst explodes across live television, the man once worshipped as football's golden king becomes the sport's biggest scandal overnight. Sponsors disappear. Fans turn against him. One more mistake could cost him everything he's spent his life building.
The club has one last solution. Dr. Maya Bennett.
Brilliant. Unshakable. Impossible to intimidate.
As one of the country's most respected sports psychologists, Maya has built her career on one simple rule: emotions are weaknesses waiting to be exploited. She refuses to be impressed by celebrity, power, or money.
Until she receives an offer she cannot refuse.
The club will fund the spinal surgery that could change her younger brother's life if she agrees to rehabilitate the most difficult player in professional football.
When another scandal threatens to end Ethan's career for good, the club forces them into an arrangement neither of them wants.
A fake relationship.
One public image to protect.
And one rule neither of them is allowed to break:
Don't fall in love.
But cameras only capture smiles.
They don't see the panic attacks hidden behind Ethan's perfect image.
They don't see Maya's own carefully buried scars.
As jealous teammates, ruthless executives, and relentless media pressure close in around them, Ethan and Maya realize that the biggest threat to their carefully planned fake relationship isn't the headlines; it's what they're beginning to feel for each other. A dangerous attraction is growing between two people who promised themselves it wasn't real.
Because sometimes the most dangerous thing an elite athlete can lose isn't the championship.
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Chapter: Chapter 41EthanThe boardroom has never felt this cold.Rain runs down the tall windows overlooking Westbridge Stadium, blurring the empty seats beneath a grey London sky. Twelve people sit around the polished table, each with a copy of the same disciplinary report in front of them.My name is printed across the first page.Marcus sits to my right with his laptop open. Coach occupies the chair on
Last Updated: 2026-09-19
Chapter: Chapter 40EthanThe return flight to London is quieter than the one that brought us to Zurich.The storm has passed.For now.Maya sits beside the window, watching the clouds drift beneath us. She hasn't spoken much since we left the hospital. Before boarding, she spent nearly twenty minutes beside Leo's bed, refusing to leave until the nurses practically promised they would call the moment anything changed.The image hasn't left my mind.Her fingers wrapped around her brother's hand. The relief in her eyes. The tears she tried so hard to hide.Marcus lowers himself into the seat across from us, tablet in
Last Updated: 2026-09-19
Chapter: Chapter 39MayaThe sound of the operating theatre doors opening pulls both of us to our feet.For one terrifying second, I can't make my legs move.Every possible outcome flashes through my mind at once.Ethan's hand finds mine. A silent reminder that I'm not standing here alone.The chief neurosurgeon steps into the corridor, removing his s
Last Updated: 2026-09-19
Chapter: Chapter 38Maya The flight to Zurich passes in complete silence.I sit beside the oval window of Ethan's private jet, watching the darkness beneath us swallow the scattered lights of Europe. My phone never leaves my hands.Every few minutes, I refresh the clinic portal.Emergency surgery in progress.The words never change.Across from me, Ethan doesn't interrupt the silence.He doesn't tell me everything will be all right because neither of us knows if it will.Instead, he quietly slides a bottle of water onto the table between us."You need to drink."I hadn't even realized how dry my throat had become.I take a small sip."Thank you."He nods once and looks back out of his own window.Nothing more.For the first time since Leo's phone call, I understand that silence can be comforting. Not every fear needs words.The car is already waiting when we land.Marcus has somehow arranged everything before we even step onto the runway.Within minutes, we're speeding through the sleeping streets of Zu
Last Updated: 2026-09-19
Chapter: Chapter 37Ethan The victory should feel bigger than this.Westbridge has just beaten Madrid Atletico 2–1 in their own stadium. My winning goal is already replaying across every sports network in Europe, the away supporters are still chanting somewhere beyond the hotel walls, and the team has taken over the private dining room downstairs to celebrate.Instead, the three of us are sitting in our suite in exhausted silence.Marcus occupies one end of the sofa, his jacket abandoned beside him while he scrolls through messages from sponsors, journalists and club officials. Every few seconds, another notification lights his screen.“Two million views on the goal already,” he says, sounding too tired to be impressed. “Madrid Atletico’s manager is blaming the referee, the board wants a statement before midnight, and Ryan has apparently convinced half the squad that champagne counts as post-match hydration.”I lean back in the armchair opposite him, a bottle of water resting between my hands. My legs a
Last Updated: 2026-09-19
Chapter: Chapter 36Ethan The night passes quietly. Maya and I keep to our separate rooms, and by morning the suite is already filling with the usual rhythm of match day: breakfast, recovery, meetings, and preparations for kickoff.Now, in the tunnel beneath Madrid Atlético’s stadium, the noise above us is deafening.More than seventy thousand supporters pound their feet against the stands, turning the concrete walls into a vibrating cage. Red-and-black flags cover the crowd beyond the tunnel entrance, and every chant promises Westbridge will leave Madrid with nothing.I roll my shoulders and stare ahead.Tonight is the first leg of the European League quarter-final.Ninety minutes.One away result.One chance to prove yesterday’s training session was an exception, not the beginning of my collapse.Coach moves along the line, checking every player before stopping in front of me.“You ready?”The question carries more weight than the words.I meet his eyes. “Yes.”He holds my gaze for a moment before nod
Last Updated: 2026-09-19
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