#Chapter 3: The Eavesdropper

Aiden POV

Twenty Minutes Ago

My mind keeps replaying the moment I saw Ella kissing him while her hand keep rubbing his arm as if it belongs there. My chest tightens at the thought.

As if that weren't enough, some girl—barely more than a stranger—yanked me into a kiss, and of course the kiss cam caught it. The crowd roared and in that moment I wanted to disappear.

Now I'm supposed to be paying attention to the match, blending in with the crowd, but how can I?

I'm a billionaire, a quarterback for one of the biggest American football teams, and one of the main investors in Pacific Wave FC. People expect me to look like I have it all under control, not play kissing with some stranger.

Fans around me chant and clap, plastic cups slosh beer onto the sticky concrete under my shoes. I sit stiff in the cheap seats, collar cutting at my neck, trying to look like any other spectator.

But the guy two rows down keeps sneaking glances, like he half-recognizes me from a sports headline or a highlight reel. I sink lower in my seat, wishing to look normal

Nick, the club manager, sits beside me. We came here to scout—check out Dylan's debut, see if the kid's worth signing for next season, maybe spot a few other recruits. That's why we slipped into these cheap seats instead of the VIP box. The plan was to stay unnoticed, avoid the players' eyes, and keep a low profile.

"That girl could work in our favor,"  Nick says carefully, flipping through his clipboard. "If you're seen dating her, it might clean up your public image. People think you only go for blondes with trust funds. And that you don't respect players without money."

Taylor's face cuts through the noise in my head—dark hair tumbling in loose waves, skin with a sun kissed warmth that doesn't fade under stadium lights, eyes the color of strong coffee watching me like she already knew my secrets.

Even her mouth, the one I can still feel pressed to mine held something defiant in it. She looked nothing like the polished blondes I’ve been photographed beside. She looked real.

I glare at him. "I'm not even divorced yet. There's nothing to discuss."

He sighs, leaning back into his chair. "Deadline to sign the papers is this week. Ella's already moved on, Aiden.

"What's really stopping you?"

"What's stopping me?" I can't help but frown at the question. "I just don't want this."

Divorce feels like failure. Every woman I've ever dated was dazzling, the type who lit up magazine covers.

And still, I never gave them what they needed. Love.

My phone feels heavy in my hand as I type out the word: We need to talk. I saw the kiss cam.

Then I hit send before I can even stop myself.

Taylor POV

"You never loved me! The only thing you ever loved was football!"

Ella's voice rips through the hallway loud and raw, shattering the quiet like glass underfoot. Her voice trembles with fury and something sharper. It containspain– hurt so deep it almost burns the air around it.

Pressing flat against the cold wall, my spine aching from the sudden tension.

My heart begins to hammer so violently. I could hardly hear the voices coming from further down the hall. I clutch my jacket so tight that my knuckles begin to turn white.

I should not be here. I should not be eavesdropping. My mind is telling me to run away, but my feet won't listen while my eyes stay locked on them.

"But I…" Aiden's words remain trapped inside his mouth, as if they were a delicate creature that cannot free itself from a confining snare.

But before anything can escape, Ella cuts him off sharp, her voice trembling. "You never loved me, Aiden. Not even when I was in the hospital… after the miscarriage."

My stomach drop. A miscarriage.

I have never known anyone to go through something so devastating and so achingly personal. Ella stands before me with her chin held high and her shoulders straight, while her voice shakes.

Aiden's voice cuts through the silence, soft, almost desperate. "Ella…I--I didn't get the message in time. I'm so sorry. I should have been there sooner I--"

"I waited," she whispers, voice cracking into a shuddering sob. "Three days.

"Three days, Aiden. And you couldn't even come then. Couldn't even be there when I needed you most."

I can almost picture Ella in that hospital room with the faint hum of fluorescent lights overhead, the cold metal and the bed rails biting into her skin as she clutches the sheets. The antiseptic solution burning her nostrils while her eyes produce tears which she probably couldn't manage to wipe.

Even though I saw her practically kissing off my boyfriend's face on the Kiss Cam, a stubborn part of me can't help but feel it for her.

And then there's him.

Aiden.

He should have been there for Ella, holding her hands and whispering to her that everything would be okay. But he didn't.

He is handsome, sure, jaw sharp enough to cut glass, voice smooth, words practiced, but beneath it all—he's a douchebag.

The kind of guy who makes it impossible not to notice him while simultaneously making you hate everything about him.

"I let you down in every way—" His words break apart thick with regret, trembling around the edges like it might crack entirely. "I would do anything to change that. Anything."

"Let me down? You think that's the word for it?" she spits, each syllable heavy with pain.

"You think an apology can undo the nights I spent crying alone? You think I can forget that you… you didn't care enough?" Her voice breaks at the end, lacing with anger but also with a hint of something almost softer, almost like the tremor of heartbreak hiding beneath the anger.

Aiden's voice drops to a lower tone while he speaks with greater caution.

"Ella… please let's not go through with the divorce. Can we… just try again? I want us to work."

The silence that follows is like ice. I can feel Ella's hesitation before I hear it.

"I… I have someone now," she says finally, steadier than I expected. "Someone who actually cares. Someone who would not leave me waiting when I needed them most. Unlike… you."

"The boy you kissed today? He is way too young to take any responsibility." Aiden's words falter, a stutter of disbelief.

"I trust him," Ella exhales, the sound sharp, resolute. "I will go public about my relationship with him after the divorce, his name is Dylan, he is not someone like you who hides, who avoids responsibility, who—"

I roll my eyes before she can finish. Dylan? Please.

If she really believes that man will stand by her, she's in for a brutal wake-up call.

He only cares about her money. Every charm and every smile exist as part of a carefully planned strategy.

I initially came here to warn her…but now I'm not sure about that.

Ella probably also saw the kiss between Dylan and me. I guess she won't trust what I'm going to tell her now.

 Maybe another time.

I should have walk away the moment I hear divorce. Now I need to disappear before either of them becomes aware of my presence.

As I turn to leave, my foot nudges a metal trash can and a sharp clang rings out, startling me so violently.

I stumble back. Where did that trash can come from? My heart shoots up to my throat while my pulse creates a deafening sound in my ears.

"Oh shit," I whisper, my voice small, barely audible over the hammering of my own heart.

"Who's there?" Aiden's voice slicing through the silence, sharp and laced with irritation.