Let Her Go

CHAPTER SIX – Let Her Go

Stella’s POV

“Let her go.”

Jaxon’s voice was calm, yet the words settled over the arena with a quiet authority that made the air feel heavier.

For a brief moment, nobody moved.

Even Chase remained where he was, his eyes fixed on Jaxon.

Then a slow smile spread across his face. “You are talking to me?” he asked, letting out a short laugh.

Jaxon did not answer immediately.

He simply stood beside me, his expression unreadable, his hockey stick resting loosely in one hand as though he had not spoken at all.

Chase looked from Jaxon to me before shaking his head. “This is between Stella and me.”

His voice became firmer. “She’s my girlfriend.”

Before Jaxon could respond, I heard my own voice. “No.”

Both men looked at me.

I took a slow breath before speaking again. “I’m not your girlfriend anymore.”

The words were difficult to say, but once they left my mouth, something inside me felt lighter.

Chase stared at me in disbelief.

For a second, he looked as though he had heard the wrong person speaking. “What did you just say?”

I held his gaze. “I said I’m not your girlfriend anymore.”

His expression slowly hardened. “So that’s what this is?” he asked. “You embarrass me once, then suddenly you’re acting brave because he’s standing beside you?”

I felt the familiar pain in my chest, but this time I refused to let it control me. “I didn’t embarrass you.”

I looked at him quietly. “You embarrassed yourself.”

His jaw tightened. “You really think this is going to last?” he asked, glancing toward Jaxon. “You think a man like him is interested in someone like you?”

Before I could answer, another voice interrupted us. “Oh, this is interesting.”

I turned toward the entrance.

Ava walked into the arena with an amused smile on her face.

She stopped beside Chase as though she had every right to stand there.

Her eyes swept over me before she laughed softly. “I leave for a few minutes, and you’ve already found someone else.”

She folded her arms. “I guess you move on faster than I expected.”

I said nothing.

There was nothing left to explain. Ava looked toward Jaxon.

“I hope you know she’s very emotional.”

She smiled sweetly. “And she cries over everything.”

She turned back to me. “But maybe that’s why you found someone willing to feel sorry for you.”

I lowered my eyes for a moment.

Her words still hurt.

Not because I believed them anymore, but because they reminded me of how long I had allowed people to speak to me that way.

Jaxon’s voice broke the silence. “That’s enough.”

It was not loud. He did not shout.

He simply looked at Ava. “Leave.”

The smile on Ava’s face disappeared.

She frowned. “Excuse me?”

“I won’t repeat myself.” His tone remained calm.“There is nothing left for either of you to do here.”

For the first time since she arrived, Ava looked uncomfortable.

She turned toward Chase, expecting him to say something.

Instead, Chase kept staring at Jaxon. “You really want to interfere?”

Jaxon met his eyes without hesitation. “I don’t interfere.” He paused briefly. “I stop people when they refuse to respect someone else’s answer.”

The arena became quiet again.

Chase looked at me. “Is this really what you want?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“You don’t even want to hear what I came to say?”

I shook my head. “I listened to you for years.”

My voice stayed steady. “I believed every promise you made.”

I swallowed slowly. “I don’t have anything left to hear.”

A shadow crossed his face.

For the first time since I met him, Chase looked uncertain.

He took one step toward me before stopping. “You’re making a mistake.”

I smiled sadly. “No.”

I looked directly into his eyes. “The mistake was believing you loved me.”

The words seemed to hit him harder than I expected.

He opened his mouth but could not answer.

Ava quickly slipped her hand through his arm. “Forget her.”

She looked at me with a smirk. “She’ll come crawling back when she realizes nobody wants her.”

Jaxon remained completely still, his  eyes never left them. “You should leave now.”

There was no anger in his voice, just certainty.

For reasons I could not explain, that certainty carried more weight than shouting ever could.

Chase looked at me one last time.

Something dark flashed across his face. “You’ll regret this.”

His voice was quiet. “When he gets tired of pretending to care, don’t come looking for me.”

I did not answer.

There was nothing left to say.

After a long moment, he turned away.

Ava followed beside him.

Neither of them looked back.

The sound of the arena doors closing echoed through the empty rink.

Silence settled around us.

I let out a slow breath I did not realize I had been holding.

Only then did I notice that my hands were trembling.

Without saying anything, Jaxon bent down and picked up my hockey stick.

I had dropped it without realizing it.

He walked over and held it out to me.

“You forgot this.”

I looked at him before taking it. “Thank you.”

He gave a small nod.

Then he looked toward the empty ice. “So…”

He gently pushed a puck toward me with his own stick. “Where were we?”

I stared at him for a second before a small laugh escaped my lips. “You really want to continue practicing?”

He raised one eyebrow.“I thought you came here to skate.”

“I did.”

“Then skate.”

I smiled.For the first time that day, the weight inside my chest did not feel impossible to carry.

I adjusted my grip on the stick and pushed the puck forward.

Jaxon followed beside me.

Neither of us noticed the figure standing high in the dark viewing section above the rink.

A camera was raised quietly.

The lens focused on us as we skated together.

A finger pressed the shutter.

Click.

Another photograph.

Click.

Then another.

Click.

The stranger lowered the camera and smiled while looking at the pictures on the screen.

“Tomorrow,” the voice whispered.

“Everyone will know who the Hockey King has been spending his time with.”

The footsteps faded into the darkness.

Neither Jaxon nor I realized our lives had just become tomorrow’s biggest story.