登入Chapter Seventy Five Jaxon’s POVBy the time I arrived home, the sky had already darkened.The drive back from the arena had passed in complete silence, yet my mind had been louder than ever. Every road I drove along, every traffic light I stopped at, and every passing minute only brought me back to the same question.Why? Why would Stella leave hockey?No matter how many times I asked myself that question, I could not find an answer that made sense.Stella had fought too hard to earn her place on that team. She had trained when everyone else had gone home. She had pushed herself through pain without complaining. She had finally begun believing in herself, and Coach had rewarded that determination by giving her a bigger role in the championship.Someone like Stella would never walk away from that dream without a reason.I loosened my tie as I stepped into the living room, but before I could climb the stairs, Amber’s cheerful voice stopped me.“You’re finally home.”I turned to find h
CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE – She Really LeftJaxon’s POVThe drive to the arena felt strangely longer than usual.I couldn’t explain why, but ever since the security footage exposed Chase’s involvement in tampering with Stella’s skates, my thoughts had refused to leave her alone. No matter how many times I replayed the footage in my mind, I always reached the same conclusion. Chase had done it. That much was undeniable. The only question that remained was who had instructed him to do it.Stella believed she already knew the answer.She believed Amber was behind everything.I still wasn’t ready to accuse anyone without undeniable proof, but for the first time, I wasn’t dismissing Stella’s words either. The investigation had already shown me that I had been wrong before, and I had no intention of making the same mistake again.As I parked outside the arena, I found myself making a quiet decision.After training, I would speak to Stella.Not to argue.Not to defend myself.Not even to ask her
CHAPTER SEVENTY Three – The Decision I Never WantedStella’s POVI didn’t say another word after leaving the field.I didn’t turn around.I didn’t give Amber the satisfaction of seeing the pain on my face.I didn’t let my father see how much his words had affected me.I simply picked up my bag and walked away.Every step felt heavier than the one before.The field behind me slowly disappeared from my sight, but the feeling in my chest remained.It felt like someone had taken something from me.Not just a place.Not just a team.Something much bigger.For years, hockey had been the one thing that belonged only to me.My family had controlled almost every part of my life.They decided what I should do.Who I should listen to.Where I should go.How I should behave.But hockey had been different.I found it myself.I worked for it myself.No one had given me a chance because they felt sorry for me.No one had handed me a position because of my family name.Every goal.Every improvement.
CHAPTER Seventy Two – The Distance Between UsStella’s POVI thought I would feel better after seeing the footage.I thought finally seeing proof that someone had been trying to hurt me would make everything easier.Instead, it only made everything heavier.Because now I knew.The broken skate lace wasn’t an accident.Someone had walked into that room.Someone had touched my things.Someone had wanted me to fall.But the worst part wasn’t even that.The worst part was the look on Jaxon’s face when I accused Amber.For a moment, I thought he would finally say it.I thought he would finally admit that maybe I was right.Maybe he would finally see what I had been trying to tell him for so long.But he didn’t.He hesitated.Again.And that hesitation hurt more than I wanted to admit.I knew he was trying to be fair.I knew he wanted proof.But a small part of me couldn’t stop thinking about how many times I had needed him to believe me before.How many times I had stood alone while everyo
CHAPTER Seventy One – The Truth Behind the SkatesJaxon’s POVI had spent the entire night thinking about the broken skate.At first, I tried to convince myself that it was just another unfortunate accident.That was what everyone had been saying.An accident.A misunderstanding.A coincidence.But I had started to realize something.There had been too many coincidences surrounding Stella.Too many times she had been hurt, and everyone had found a reason to explain it away.And every time…I had believed them.I sat in my office, staring at the picture of the damaged skate on my phone.The broken lace.The clean cut.The timing.Everything about it bothered me.If someone wanted to hurt Stella, they wouldn’t do it openly.They would make it look like a mistake.Like something no one could blame them for.My fingers tightened around my phone.I needed answers.Not assumptions.Not guesses.The truth.I picked up my phone and dialed the security manager.The call connected quickly.“Cap
CHAPTER Sevnety – The Truth On The ScreenJaxon’s POVI had spent years trusting my instincts.On the ice, they had saved me countless times.A split-second decision.A small movement from an opponent.A change in direction that others missed.I trusted myself to recognize danger before it arrived.But when it came to Stella…I had ignored every instinct I had.I had believed the wrong people.I had accepted explanations without questioning them.And now, standing in the empty arena hallway, staring at the broken skate lace inside the evidence bag, I knew one thing.This was no longer something I could ignore.The lace had been cut, not damaged, not worn out, cut.Someone had wanted Stella to fall.Someone had wanted her to doubt herself.And the thought that someone was deliberately trying to hurt her made something inside me tighten.I turned toward the security office.“Get me the CCTV footage from yesterday’s training session.”The security manager looked surprised.“Captain, we







