chapter five

Chapter five

THREE MONTHS LATER

ADRIANs POV

It's been three months of partying, spontaneous matches, practice, literally doing everything possible to bury the dreadful memories of spring falls, because it wasn't worth holding onto, whatever happened there stayed there, that was the agreement, and this king doesn’t revisit mistakes; especially the ones that don’t benefit me.

Life moved exactly how it was supposed to after that; back to normal, and that was me staying where I belonged; on top. 

Everything else was background noise; including her. Sophie went back to wherever she came from; quiet, invisible, irrelevant… exactly how she  preferred it.

“ADRIAN! ADRIAN! ADRIAN!”

The stadium roared like it always did; loud, obsessive… just as I expected it to be. I exhaled slowly as the final whistle blew, rolling my shoulders as the adrenaline settled just enough to think clearly again.

Another win; another trophy in the bag. 

It wasn't just another victory; it was a statement; it was a king statement and around here, I was the king.

My teammates rushed me immediately, slamming into me, shouting over each other.

“THAT’S OUR CAPTAIN!”

“FINALS!”

“DID YOU SEE THAT PLAY?!”

I smirked slightly, letting the energy run its course as we went through our usual hype; hands hitting, voices rough, controlled chaos.

Victory always sounds the same.

“Alright, enough!”

The coach's voice cut through it, as we settled. He stepped forward, scanning all of us, then nodded.

“We’re moving to the finals.”

Silence for half a second, then the room exploded again. Noise everywhere. 

So much excitement… this was my world.

I didn’t react like them, cause i already knew where we were headed.

“Adrian… my captain.” I stepped forward. He nodded once.

“Good game. No, no, no…great game.”

“I know,” I said. A few guys laughed behind me.

The coach shook his head slightly, then reached into his folder.

“This came in for you.” He handed me an envelope.

I opened it without hesitation. Read it once, then again, cause i wasn’t able to believe my eyes

Princeton Football League, the scouts were attending the next game.

Another performance like today, and I’m stepping into the big leagues..Exactly where I’m supposed to be.

“ This is big coach,” it was hard containing  my excitement.

“No, that’s huge,” Coach said. “Befitting for the best of the best and if you are able to keep this up, you’re not just heading to finals….you’re heading out of here. I’m sure your father will be proud.”

My smile didn’t drop, but it stopped growing.

“Yes, he will. I promise I won't disappoint you coach,” I said.

He nodded.

“Double your effort. No distractions.”

No distractions, that part mattered more than the rest.

The team swarmed me again after that, but I was already ahead; next game, next move, next win.

That’s all that matters, everything else gets removed.

Eventually, the noise faded. The locker room emptied, then silence settled.

I walked to my locker, unlocking it, already running through plays in my head, when something slipped.

A soft sound, paper hitting the floor.

I frowned, looking down.

An envelope? And I was certain I didn't keep any in my locker.

I picked it up slowly. It had no name or address on it.

 It was just blank, that alone told me enough; this wasn’t random. I scanned the room briefly before I opened it,  inside was a document. My eyes scanned it once, then again, slower this time.

It was the freaking Marriage Registration Certificate.

For a second, the air in the room shifted. It was colder.

I didn’t react outwardly, that wasn’t something I did, then I saw the note.

Folded neatly behind it, tucked like it belonged there.

I pulled it out, unfolding it with steady hands, my eyes moving across the words.

Once,then again,and this time…I understood.

“You’re playing your role perfectly.”

A pause.

“But you don’t get to end a story I started.”

My jaw tightened slightly, that wasn’t a guess, that was information, and that meant they knew… everything; The agreement. The distance. The silence.

Then the last line,“Finals night… let’s see how well you perform when you’re not the one in control.”

 Heavy silence filled the locker room.

I looked around once again.

But this—This wasn’t random, it  was timing, it was pressure, and definitely deliberate.

Three months of silence…just to step back in now. Why?

I folded the paper once and then squeezed it.  Whoever this is; they didn’t just remind me, they challenged me., and I wasn't having it.

A small smirk pulled at the corner of my mouth.“Finals night?” I muttered.

Then my eyes dropped briefly to the name on the document.

Sophie. My gaze hardened, because now, it wasn’t just a distraction.

It was interference, and I don’t allow that.

I slipped the note  back into the envelope, shutting my locker quietly.

“Bad timing,” I said under my breath.

Because they picked the one moment that matters most. The finals, the scouts… my future.

My father is watching.. everything aligned, and now, someone wants to play.

I straightened, grabbing my bag, already adjusting, already calculating, already deciding how this ends.

Because whoever this i…They made one mistake.

They thought they could control the game. I stepped out of the locker room, expression back in place.

But this time—I wasn’t just playing to win.

I was playing to find them, and when I do…they don’t get a second move.