Chapter 5

Violet:

"Get out," I said again, my voice shaking. "Get out, Marcus. Now."

"Not until you tell me the truth." Marcus stepped closer, ignoring the stares, ignoring Liam's warning posture. "Did you sleep with him? Is that why you're so eager to throw away three years? Because you found someone better?"

I laughed. It came out broken and bitter, scraping up my throat like broken glass. "Throw away three years? You're the one who threw them away. You and Chloe."

Marcus flinched like I'd slapped him. "That was one mistake. One. And you're already spreading your legs for..."

"Finish that sentence." Liam's voice cut through the air like a blade. "Finish it, and I'll make sure you regret it."

Marcus's eyes darted to Liam, and something flickered in them. Fear. Recognition. The captain of the hockey team wasn't someone you picked a fight with. But Marcus was too angry, too desperate, too stupid to back down.

"She's my girlfriend," Marcus spat. "We're working through our problems. You don't get to just..."

"Ex-girlfriend." I stepped out from behind Liam, my hands shaking but my voice steady. "We're not working through anything. There's nothing to work through. You cheated on me. With my best friend. We're done."

The words hung in the air between us. Marcus's face crumpled. For a moment, I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

"This isn't over," Marcus said, his voice cracking. He pointed at me, his finger trembling. "You're going to regret this. Both of you."

He turned and stormed out of the café, the door slamming behind him.

The silence that followed was suffocating. I felt the weight of every customer's gaze, heard the whispers starting up like a low hum. Jess was already pulling out her phone, probably texting half the campus. Amara was watching me with a mixture of fury and concern.

"We need to talk," Liam said softly. "Outside. Now."

I nodded, not trusting my voice. I followed him out the back entrance.

Liam turned to face me, his expression unreadable. He pulled out his phone, tapped the screen a few times, and handed it to me.

"What is this?" I asked, my fingers numb.

"Look."

I looked down at the screen. It was a sports blog...one of those gossip sites that covered the hockey team like they were celebrities. The headline made my stomach drop.

"Captain Carter's New Girlfriend: Puck Bunny or Something More?"

Below it was a photo. Me and Liam. Leaving the bar last night. I was leaning against him, my dress askew, my hair a mess. He had his arm around me, his face close to mine. The photo was grainy, taken from a distance, but there was no mistaking who it was.

I scrolled down. The article was a hatchet job. It called me a "mystery woman," speculated about my "questionable reputation," and quoted anonymous sources who said I was "just another puck bunny trying to land a hockey player."

The words blurred in front of my eyes. Puck bunny. The same label I'd always hated, the same label I'd avoided my entire college career. And now it was attached to my name for the whole world to see.

"I'm so sorry," Liam said, his voice rough. "I didn't know they'd taken photos. I didn't know anyone was watching. If I'd known, I never would have..."

"You don't have to apologize." My voice was hollow. "It's not your fault. I'm the one who went to that bar. I'm the one who drank too much. I'm the one who..." I couldn't finish the sentence. The shame was too heavy.

Liam stepped closer, his hand reaching out to touch my arm. I flinched, and he dropped it immediately.

"Violet," he said, and there was something raw in his voice. "Look at me."

I did. His eyes were dark and intense, burning with an emotion I couldn't name.

"I know we don't know each other," he said. "I know last night was crazy. But I've seen the way people are talking about you already. And it's only going to get worse. The press, the gossip sites, the fans...they're going to tear you apart if you're just 'the girl from the bar.'"

I swallowed hard. "What are you saying?"

Liam took a breath. "I'm saying I have a solution. A crazy one. But I think it could work."

"Liam..."

"Just hear me out." He held up his hands, pleading. "I'm the captain of the team. I have some control over the narrative. If we're dating...publicly, officially...it changes everything. You're not a puck bunny. You're my girlfriend. People respect that."

I stared at him, my brain struggling to process his words. "You want to fake date me?"

"I want to protect you." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And I want to protect myself too. The team is in the middle of a playoff run. If I'm caught up in a scandal, it could affect everyone. The coach would bench me. The sponsors would pull out. I could lose everything."

"What about your reputation?" I asked.  "What happens when we fake date and people find out it's fake?"

"They won't find out." Liam's jaw tightened. "We won't let them. We'll make it look real. We'll be convincing. I know how to play a part."

I searched his eyes for any sign of deception. Any hint that this was just another game. But all I saw was sincerity.

"I can't promise I'll be good at this," I said. "I'm not an actress. I don't know how to pretend to be in love."

"Neither do I," Liam admitted. "But I'm a quick learner. And so are you. We can figure it out together."

The silence stretched between us. I thought about Marcus. Chloe. The hotel room. The blog post. The shame and the anger and the desperate need to prove I was more than just someone's victim.

"Okay," I said finally. "Okay. I'll do it."

Liam's face split into a grin, bright and genuine. "Really?"

"Really." I felt a strange sense of calm settle over me. "But we're doing this my way. I'm not just some accessory to make you look good. I'm a partner in this. We set the rules together."

"Fine." He extended his hand. "Partners?"

I shook it. His palm was warm and rough against mine. "Partners."

But even as I said the word, a voice in the back of my head whispered a warning.

He's a hockey player. He's the captain. He's exactly the kind of person you swore you'd never trust again.

I ignored the voice. For now, I had a plan. And for the first time since I'd opened that bedroom door, I felt like I was in control.

"One more thing," I said, pulling my hand away. "We need to be clear about one thing."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"This is a business arrangement. Nothing more. I'm not falling for you. And you're not falling for me. Understood?"