LOGINAlex’s POVI slipped quietly out of the arena doors, my heart hammering so hard against my ribs I could barely breathe. Every word I had said to her echoed in my head, sharp and cruel, tearing at me over and over again. Get away from me… it’s not mine… I don’t want you. Each one a knife I had driven straight into her heart with my own two hands. But I had to make her believe it. I had to make her hate me. Because if she loved me… they would use her against me forever.And then I saw her. Sitting on the cold ground just outside the building, hugging her knees, talking softly into her phone. And her hand… her hand resting gently over her stomach, stroking it slowly, protectively, as if guarding something precious and fragile from the whole world.My breath caught. It was true. It was really true. She was carrying my child. Our child.I stepped back into the shadows so she wouldn’t see me, my eyes burning. I couldn’t go to her. I couldn’t hold her. I couldn’t fall to my knees and beg
Emily’s POV“Marry me, Emily.”The words echoed in my ears, ringing over and over again like a bell I couldn’t silence. I stared at him, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst right out of my chest. Every instinct in my body screamed to hit him, to claw his face, to make him stop looking at me like I was something he had already won. But I knew exactly what would happen if I did. I knew exactly who he would hurt next.I shoved him away from me with all my strength and turned, running as fast as I could out of the arena, the cold air stinging my face, my boots slipping on the pavement. But Will was faster. He caught up to me in two long strides, grabbing my wrist and yanking me to a halt so hard I nearly fell.“Let go of me!” I shouted, yanking against his grip. “You are insane, Will! This is madness! You have used me from the very beginning! You twisted that contract until it was nothing but a chain around my neck! You tricked me into signing it just so you could own me!”
Emily’s POV “Why did you bring me here?” I stepped forward into the hockey arena, and the cold hit me instantly—sharp, biting, seeping straight through my coat to settle deep in my bones. We had flown here on Will’s private jet, sitting side by side in silence, and now I stood in a place I had never seen before, a place I never should have been. Every step felt heavier than the last, every breath felt like I was walking into something I couldn’t turn back from. “Follow me,” Will said, and he started walking ahead of me, his back straight and sure, as if he owned every inch of this ice and every person inside it. I walked behind him, my eyes scanning the huge room. Several players were out on the ice, laughing and joking, passing a puck back and forth. But then my breath caught. I knew those faces. I had painted them. All of them. The men in the portraits Will had asked me to do—the ones he said were important, powerful people. They were here. They were real. And they were looking
Alex’s POV “Over there! What is taking you so long just to wipe a few drops off the floor? Do you think you have all day to stand around daydreaming?” The coach’s voice cracked through the air like a whip, sharp and impatient, echoing off the cold walls of the arena hallway. I stood frozen where I was, holding the damp rag in my hand, my knuckles turning white from how tightly I gripped it. I had dreamed of this place for as long as I could remember—stepping onto this ice, wearing this uniform, hearing my name called out as one of the best players in the world. But this… this was nothing like my dream. This was not glory. This was not respect. This was being treated like dirt, like a servant, like something that didn’t matter at all. I didn’t come here to clean floors. I didn’t come here to be ordered around like a dog. I didn’t come here for this team, or this coach, or any of this. Every breath I took, every step I made, every stupid thing they told me to do—I did it all for her
Emily’s POV I stood frozen in front of my apartment door, my hand hovering over the handle, unable to bring myself to turn it. Every time I looked at that plain wooden surface, my mind flashed back to the camera I had found tucked behind my favorite painting—the tiny lens hidden so carefully, watching me sleep, watching me cry, watching every single thing I thought I was doing in private. I gripped my bag tighter, my stomach twisting with unease. How many more are there? I wondered. Is there one in here? In the living room? In the bedroom? Does he see me even when I lock the door? The hallway was quiet, but it didn’t feel empty. It felt like eyes were everywhere. “Just getting back, Em?” The voice came from right behind me—smooth, calm, and entirely too close—and I jumped so hard I nearly dropped my keys. My heart hammered wildly against my ribs as I spun around sharply, and there he was: Will. He stood just a few steps away, leaning casually against the wall as if he had been wa
Emily’s POVThe doctor pulled his stethoscope away and looked at me with gentle but serious eyes. “Your body is under too much strain, Emily. You are carrying a child, and right now, you are not giving either of you what you need. Too much stress, too little rest, too much fear. You must slow down. You must rest properly. Not just for yourself—but for the life growing inside you.”I nodded slowly, unable to find my voice, my hands resting lightly over my stomach as if protecting something fragile and secret. Every word he said settled heavy in my chest. I knew he was right. I felt it in every ache, every wave of dizziness, every moment my legs shook beneath me. But how could I rest? How could I slow down when Alex was still missing? When Will was still pulling every string? When every second felt like a second closer to something terrible happening?The doctor gave me one last quiet instruction, then stepped away to let Kael come forward. I watched him walk toward me, his steps slow a
Emily’s POVMy laughter died the second I pushed open the café door.There he was, Lucas, my boyfriend of thirteen months with another girl on his lap, kissing her like he was starving.His hands gripped her waist exactly the way they used to grip mine. Her long chestnut hair spilled over his shoul
Emily’s POV Alex was carrying me through the pulsing club lights like I weighed nothing.One strong arm wrapped under my knees, the other supporting my back. My cheek pressed against his bare chest, still warm from where I’d collapsed into him moments ago. The bass vibrated through his body into m
Emily’s POVMy legs felt loose and heavy at the same time as I stumbled back toward the bar. The music pulsed louder in my ears, each beat slamming against my skull. Kara’s warning from moments ago still rang in my head, but I pushed it away. “Another one,” I told the bartender, slapping my hand
Emily’s POVMy body moved on its own, hips swaying harder than I ever had before, arms raised like I could push the pain out through my fingertips. The bass thumped inside my chest, matching the angry beat of my pulse. Sweat clung to my skin. The black dress rode up my thighs with every sharp turn







