ANMELDENEmma
Riley doesn’t let the matter go after our conversation. The following morning, she shows up at my apartment with her laptop tucked under one arm and a determined expression on her face.
“I spent half the night looking through those articles,” she announces, placing her laptop on the coffee table.
I glance up from the manuscript open on my screen. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Clearly, someone has to.” She
EmmaRiley doesn’t let the matter go after our conversation. The following morning, she shows up at my apartment with her laptop tucked under one arm and a determined expression on her face.“I spent half the night looking through those articles,” she announces, placing her laptop on the coffee table.I glance up from the manuscript open on my screen. “You didn’t have to do that.”“Clearly, someone has to.” She pulls out a chair and turns her laptop toward me. “I compared the original reports with the newer ones. There’s something strange about how the information is being released.”I close my manuscript, though I doubt I’ll be able to concentrate on it now. “What did you find?”“Some of the details are things you could have known because you lived with Luca. His routines, his arguments with his father, the pressure he was under before important
EmmaThe headlines are getting harder to ignore.At first, I try to convince myself that the media will eventually lose interest. Luca and I are no longer together, and surely there are more important things happening in the world than dissecting a relationship that ended weeks ago.But every morning brings another article, another rumour, and another stranger claiming to know exactly why I left him.Some call me a gold digger, while others believe I used Luca’s name to get closer to the publishing world before selling his private information.A few even suggest that our relationship was nothing more than a carefully planned arrangement on my part.I close the article on my laptop, unable to read another word.I didn’t expect people to understand why I left Luca.I knew they would make assumptions, and I was prepared to live with that. But being accused of betraying someone I once loved more than a
LucaI think my father’s warning is nothing more than another attempt to make me suspicious of everyone around me. The media has always been interested in my personal life, and Emma and I are hardly the first couple to break up under public attention.I expect a few articles, some rumours, and perhaps a couple of questions at the rink.I don’t expect to wake up the next morning to find my name plastered across every sports website.My phone keeps vibrating on the nightstand. I reach for it with a groan, barely awake, and squint at the screen. There are dozens of notifications, most from sports reporters and people I haven’t spoken to in months. I open the first article, and my expression immediately hardens.LUCA HAYES: THE PRESSURE BEHIND THE PERFECT HOCKEY STARThe headline alone is enough to irritate me, but the article is worse. It talks about my recent breakup with Emma, the sudden end of our relationship, and the tension between
LucaI hate her.At least, that’s what I keep telling myself every time her face appears in my mind. It’s been weeks since Emma walked away from me, yet I still wake up expecting to find her beside me.Sometimes, I catch myself turning toward her side of the bed, only to find an empty space staring back at me. Other times, I hear a familiar laugh in a crowded room and turn around before remembering that she isn’t there.She’s gone. And she’s not coming back.I should be angry. I should be furious with the woman who stood in front of me, looked me straight in the eyes, and told me that everything between us had been a lie.I should hate her for making me believe I had finally found someone who wanted me for more than my name, my money, or my career.Instead, I spend every fucking day trying to understand how the same woman who once held me together could leave me feeling so complete
EmmaI hold Tyler's gaze for a few seconds before turning toward the conference rooms. I don't want him anywhere near my desk, and I certainly don't want my colleagues listening to whatever nonsense he has come here to say."Five minutes, Tyler. That's all you're getting." I walk ahead without waiting for his response, but I can feel him following me.Once we're inside an empty conference room, I turn around and fold my arms across my chest. "Start talking. Why the hell are you in Florida?"Tyler closes the door behind him, then slips his hands into his pockets as he studies me. "Straight to the point. I see you haven't changed that much.""Don't test my patience.""You don't look like someone who's happy for him.""That's because I don't care about his engagement." The lie comes out more easily than I expect, even though my chest aches j
EmmaI sit on the couch, staring at the television as the breaking news flashes across the screen. My lips twitch bitterly at the headline, and I let out a humorless laugh.Luca is getting engaged… to someone else. How wonderful.Richard has his own way of dealing with things, and this is just another one of his tricks to keep himself in the limelight he craves.I know it's none of my business what he decides for his son, yet that doesn't stop the news from hurting. I was the one who walked away, the one who looked Luca in the eyes and told him I never loved him.I have no right to complain about the consequences of my own decision, but knowing that doesn't make this any easier.I sigh deeply, my jaw tightening as Luca's image appears on the screen. In the splitting image, is a girl I've never seen before, dressed elegantly with a bright smile on her fac







