本棚
検索
ホーム / Romance / OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER / THE PHOTOGRAPH

共有

THE PHOTOGRAPH

作者: ABY
last update 最終更新日: 2025-10-08 01:09:09

Olivia’s POV

Morning came too bright.

The rain had cleared, leaving the world sharp and exposed—the kind of sunlight that didn’t forgive.

I stood in the kitchen staring at a mug of coffee I hadn’t touched. My hands were steady, but inside, everything trembled.

Ethan’s door opened down the hall. His footsteps were heavier than usual.

He entered in his team jacket, hood up, eyes shadowed.

“Morning,” I said.

“Yeah.” He poured cereal, no smile, no glance.

The silence between us had changed shape overnight.

It wasn’t anger yet, but it was getting there, something thick and brittle waiting to crack.

“You have practice?” I asked, trying for normal.

“Film review first.” He ate fast, eyes on the bowl. “Coach wants everyone early.”

I nodded. “You okay?”

“Fine.”

That word again. It hurt in my chest. “Ethan....”

He pushed his chair back. “I’m gonna be late.”

“Wait....”

He paused at the door, backpack slung over one shoulder.

“Drive safe,” I said quietly.

He hesitated like he wanted to say somethi
この本を無料で読み続ける
コードをスキャンしてアプリをダウンロード
ロックされたチャプター
前のチャプター 次のチャプター

最新チャプター

  • OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER    THE FAMILY DINNER (PART TWO)

    Olivia’s POVDinner went slower after that, not awkward just a group of people wanting peace after such a long time of not having it. Maya started talking about some ridiculous cooking class she took over the summer.“They made us meditate before we even touched the ingredients,” she said, gesturing with her fork. “Apparently, food tastes better when you ‘channel intention.’ I almost left when the instructor started humming over a bowl of rice.”Ethan chuckled. “Did it work?”“Only if the intention was chaos,” Maya said. “Half the class burned their onions. I channeled survival.”That earned a genuine laugh from both men. Even Xander smiled, his first real one of the night.It was nice, the kind of ordinary moment that had been missing for too long.Maya leaned back, watching us all. “You see? Peace is possible. I should win an award for this dinner.”“You’ll get a plaque,” Ethan said dryly.“With your signature?”He smirked. “Don’t push it.”Xander shook his head. “I’ll back her nom

  • OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER    THE FAMILY DINNER ( PART ONE)

    Olivia’s POVMaya’s house smelled like something warm and buttery when I arrived, the kind of smell that reminded you you’d be fed and forgiven, no matter what.She opened the door before I could even knock twice.“Finally!” she said, pulling me into a hug that squeezed the air out of me. “I was starting to think you’d changed your mind.”“I almost did,” I admitted with a shaky laugh. “I don’t know why I’m nervous. It’s just dinner.”“It’s not just dinner.” She grinned knowingly. “It’s the first time you, Ethan, and Xander are sitting at the same table since... you know.”I gave her a look. “You really know how to calm me down.”Maya laughed, linking her arm through mine as she led me in. “Relax. You’re not walking into a war zone. You’re walking into my dining room, where I control the menu and the mood. And the mood tonight is peace, got it?”Her house felt the same as always — soft light, mismatched furniture that somehow worked, a shelf full of plants she claimed were all “rescued

  • OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER    CLOSURE

    Olivia's Pov When we reached the end of the corridor, I turned toward the exit, ready to leave, but his voice came quietly behind me.“Mom,” he said, and it stopped me cold.I turned. Although he has forgiven me, it still sounded strange as he speaks to me calmly. He took a few steps closer, hands in his pockets, shoulders slightly slouched. “You were nervous walking in here, weren’t you?”I exhaled softly. “Terrified.”A small, knowing smirk touched his lips. “Yeah. I saw your hand shaking when you started talking.”“I figured,” I said with a faint laugh. “You always notice everything.”He shrugged, but there was warmth behind it. “You did good, Mom. They needed to hear you say it. I think some of them forgot what you meant to this team.”“Maybe,” I said. “But I think I needed it more than they did. To say it out loud. To stop hiding.”He nodded, leaning back against the wall beside me. “You’ve been carrying this for too long.”“I know.”For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. Our

  • OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER    FACING THE TEAM

    Olivia's Pov I paused just before the players’ hall, clutching the strap of my bag. I wasn’t here to beg. Not for my job. Not for sympathy. I was here because I needed to face them, the team I’d worked so hard to protect, and somehow ended up hurting the most.Coach Miller spotted me first. His brow lifted, eyes cautious but not unkind.“Olivia,” he said quietly, walking over. “You sure about this?”I nodded. “They deserve to hear by my own side of the story. I need to face the players who once trusted me.”He studied me for a long moment, then sighed. “Alright. They’re in the locker room. I’ll clear a few minutes for you.”As he turned to go, my heartbeat picked up. I’d spoken to reporters. Faced public humiliation. Walked through crowds of people who called me names I wouldn’t repeat. But somehow, this, walking into that locker room was the hardest thing of all.When I stepped inside, the noise stopped.Fifteen men in jerseys and sweatpants, all mid-conversation, froze like someone

  • OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER    A KIND OF RECONCILIATION

    Xander’s POVFor a long moment, we just stared at each other.No noise, no movement, only the faint tick of the clock on the wall and the quiet sound of both our breathing.Ethan looked like he wanted to say a hundred things and didn’t know where to start.I waited. I’d give him all the time in the world to flush out this bad blood between us. Finally, he spoke.“You know what hurts the most?” he asked. “It’s not what you did. It’s that you never told me. Not once. Even when I asked you several times if there was something going on in your life.”I swallowed. “Would it have changed anything?”“Yeah,” he said, sharp and certain. “It would’ve given me a choice. To walk away, to yell, to forgive, anything. But you took that from me. You decided for both of us. You both basically played me and left me in the dark.”He wasn’t yelling. He didn’t need to. His tone hit harder than any punch could.I leaned back, guilt twisting in my chest. “You’re right. I did.”He paced slowly across the ro

  • OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER    ETHAN AND XANDER'S STANDOFF

    Xander’s POVI went home after giving my statement to the police and making sure that Olivia was safe from harm in her home.The knock came just past noon.I wasn’t expecting anyone.The place was quiet, too quiet, only the soft hum of the heater and the city noise seeping through the blinds. I’d barely slept. My knuckles still ached from punching the wall last night, after everything that went down with Cassandra.When I opened the door, Ethan was standing there. I was shocked to see him on my doorstep. He looked tired, really tired, but there was something sharper in his eyes now. A kind of peace I hadn’t seen in months and he doesn't look angry at me like he usually does. “Can I come in?” he asked.I stepped aside. “You already are.”He walked past me, his gaze sweeping the room, he had being here multiple times, when he was my best friend and now as my supposed enemy. Neither of us said anything at first.It was strange, having him here, no reporters following him to see a figh

続きを読む

あなたも気に入るかもしれません

無料で面白い小説を探して読んでみましょう
GoodNovel アプリで人気小説に無料で！お好きな本をダウンロードして、いつでもどこでも読みましょう！
アプリで無料で本を読む
コードをスキャンしてアプリで読む
DMCA.com Protection Status