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Chapter Nine: Controlled Burn

Author: Kai
last update publish date: 2026-06-21 04:10:07

POV: Ray

I had a reason for being there. That was what I told myself walking across campus in the cold, jacket zipped, breath fogging in the evening air. Hartwell had sent a message that afternoon asking for a check-in before the week got busy. The skating rink was on the way. Checking in on Riley's whereabouts was literally the job. I was being professional.

I was lying to myself and I knew it.

The thing Liam said in the weight room hadn't left me. I'd carried it through dinner, through a team
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