Five

Madelyn

My heart dropped.

Wife?

Wife?

By definition, a wife was a life partner. Someone who belonged to him. Someone who bore his last name, I sucked in a deep breath, He has a wife.

The word seemed to echo inside my head as my chest tightened.

How could he...?

No.

He wouldn't do that.

He couldn't.

I just stared at him, waiting for him to laugh, to tell the player he was talking nonsense, to say something that would make this make sense, but all I could hear was the blood rushing in my ears as my fingers curled into my palms.

"Why the hell is she here, we're supposed to see at the hotel anyways..." Damon started, confirming what I refuse to call my biggest nightmare, and before I could even process it, the words were already out my mouth

"Let me go." I said cutting him off

"Maddie, let me explain..."

"Shut up."

I clenched my fists to stop my hands from shaking and I hated how blurry my vision was getting.

"And let me go or I'll scream," I said, keeping my voice firm even though my voice already sounded foreign to me.

"Maddie, it's not what you think..."

I didn't let him finish.

I drove my knee straight into his balls and a groan ripped out of him as he doubled over, clutching his limp dick.

“Fuckkk…hmmm”

"Next time I say let me go, you're expected to pay attention and do as you're fucking told."

He tried to grab my arm, but I pulled away before he could touch me and headed straight for the door.

The player practically threw himself against the wall to let me pass, and the minute I pulled the door open, my entire body just froze.

"Baby, please..." Damon started but his voice completely faded away,when my eyes landed on the woman in the doorway carrying takeout .

She was wearing a black Celine mini dress and red-bottom heels, her black hair falling neatly over her shoulders, but none of that was what made my chest tighten…it was her wedding ring , it took me a minute for my eyes to return to her face

The minute she was done sizing me up her eyes went wide for a minute like she recognised me and her smile cracked.

Only for a second.

Then it returned brighter than the first, I've received a dozen fake smiles in my life to know one when I see it .

"Hi." she said as her gaze slipped past me and landed on Damon and I didn't miss the not so subtle Russian accent too

"Hi, honey. I brought you lunch, I know it was supposed be at the hotel but I missed you and couldn't wait"

Honey.

The word hit me like a punch to the chest.

Damon stepped up beside me, and suddenly the room felt too small.

“It would be okay if you called first and we'll talk about the last part….”

There was no way I was standing here while they talked about their marriage.

No fucking way.

"I have work to do," I said, even though my voice came out shaky.

Her expression didn't change as she simply stepped out of my way.

I walked past her on autopilot, because the only thing running through my head was:

He got married.

He got married.

He got married.

The words wouldn't stop.

I wasn't even sure how I got back to my office.

"What's going on? You look like you've seen a ghost or heard really horrible news."

Barbara's voice pulled me back to reality the minute I walked inside.

I sucked in a deep breath, trying to slow my racing heart because there was no way I was about to fall apart over an asshole who abandoned me seven years ago and then showed up trying to turn me into a mistress.

"He got married, Babs." My laugh sounded hollow even to my own ears. "He's a married man."

Barbara's mouth dropped open before she quickly covered it with her hand.

"He was going to make you a mistress?"

I nodded, rolling my eyes even though the movement felt forced.

"Damn." She pulled away from her table and her eyes softened before she added "If you want to cry, you know you can, right?"

I folded my arms across my chest and shook my head.

After Damon left, I'd cried so much I thought I'd never stop. Some days I could barely get out of bed. Eventually, I'd needed therapy just to put myself back together.

I didn't have any tears left to waste on him.

At least that's what I told myself.

"I'll be alright," I said, even though my chest still felt tight. "But yeah, he's an ass.”

I headed over to my desk, shaking my head like that would somehow make me forget that my head coach was married.

It didn't.

"Did HR get back to me with the list of players, employees and salaries?" I asked, deciding work was a much safer topic than the train wreck my personal life had suddenly become.

"Yeah, it's in your email." Barbara followed me over. "And bear in mind, if you do this..." She pointed at my system. "As in fire anyone. If you think they hate you now, you have no idea what's coming. Even the players are still on the fence."

She held up her phone and my eyes immediately narrowed.

I'm not even going to ask how she has access to the players' group chat because I already knew I wouldn't like the answer.

But sure enough, there was a poll asking if they should welcome me and ‘No’ was currently winning by sixty percent.

Well…that's comforting

A notification suddenly appeared across the top of the screen.

‘Vipers Company’

My head snapped up.

"We have a company group chat?"

Barbara pulled the phone back so fast you'd think she was protecting state secrets.

"No."

"Leaveee," I said, squinting my eyes at her.

The minute she disappeared, I clicked on the folder and of course the first name staring back at me was Damon Torrence.

I heaved a sigh and leaned back in my seat just as my phone started ringing, and it was almost as if the universe just wanted to keep mocking me because one look at the screen confirmed it …Damon.

I leaned back in my seat, staring at the phone as something suddenly clicked.

Somewhere along the way, I'd put my dating life on hold because of what Damon did to me. At first it made sense. My heart was broken, I was trying to put myself back together, and then I had to go b6school, work, my company and a hundred other excuses, but looking back on it now, maybe they were exactly that.

Excuses.

Because while I'd been standing still, he'd been moving on with his life.

He got married, probably he’ll have kids soon .

While I'd been here avoiding relationships, avoiding dates and pretending I didn't care, he'd been off living his best life.

The thought stung more than I wanted to admit.

There was no logical reason I couldn't do the same.

If I didn't, then I'd just keep giving him power over me, and I was done with that.

Absolutely done.

"Hey, Babs.”

"Yeah?" she asked, peeking her head back inside.

"About that party you mentioned last week..." I took a deep breath before I could change my mind. "I'll be there.”