37.

Anthony’s POV

I sighed. “When I said no, when I refused again and again, he still insisted it had to be you. Only you.” I said.

I could still remember arguing with Isaac the night he told me his decision, me pacing his office like a caged animal, listing every reason why choosing her was reckless, unfair, impossible.

Not that she wasn’t good; she had talent, promise, and plenty of room for growth. But I didn’t want the baggage that came with her, the constant reminder of what we were and what we weren’t.

We already had a history, one I’d buried deep and sworn never to revisit, so the idea of skating side by side with Samantha again felt like walking back into a fire I’d only just escaped.

It was a no, a hard no, but with Isaac, no never seemed to matter.

She blinked at me, confusion flaring across her features.

“I didn’t twist his arm, Samantha,” I added quietly. “He’s not the kind of man you twist.”

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Her disbelief was written all over her f