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Chapter 9
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2025-09-05 23:39:08
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The Stand-in wife : Married to my Hockey Ex Chapter 23
AvelinaI sat at the reception desk, drumming my fingers against my thigh, trying to look composed while my insides twisted into knots. The nurse behind the counter had said she needed to “make a call” before giving me information. That could only mean she was reaching out to Mama.A few minutes later, I saw her—Mama—stepping quickly out of the hallway, her eyes searching the reception. The moment they landed on me, her face changed. Her eyes widened in shock, then panic.Before I could even stand, she was at my side, clutching my arm tightly. “Avelina,” she whispered harshly, her voice trembling. “What are you doing here?”I blinked at her, startled by her tone. “Mama, what do you mean? I came to see Kyle. Where else would I be?”She didn’t answer. Instead, she grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the corner, away from the receptionist’s curious gaze. The nurse looked on, clearly confused, until Mama turned over her shoulder and said firmly, “Please, give us a minute.”The receptioni
The Stand-in wife : Married to my Hockey Ex Chapter 22
ZayneI sat at the edge of the hospital bed, my eyes fixed on Kyle. His small body looked swallowed up by the white sheets, his chest rising and falling unevenly beneath the tangle of wires attached to his skin. A heart monitor beeped steadily beside him, each sound a painful reminder that he wasn’t well. His tiny hand, warm but weak, rested in mine.“Hang in there, little man,” I whispered, my voice breaking as I pressed my lips to his knuckles. “You’re strong. You’ll get through this. I promise.”A doctor in a white coat, stethoscope hanging around his neck, stepped closer. He adjusted the IV line attached to Kyle’s wrist and nodded at one of the nurses. “Increase his fluids. We need to stabilize his temperature,” he instructed firmly.“Yes, doctor,” the nurse replied, adjusting the dial on the stand. Another nurse slipped a thermometer under Kyle’s arm, her eyes flicking to the screen as numbers blinked to life.The doctor placed the stethoscope against Kyle’s chest, listening inte
The Stand-in wife : Married to my Hockey Ex Chapter 21
AvelinaI tossed on the bed, staring at the ceiling. The room was too quiet without Zayne. Midnight had come and gone, yet he still wasn’t back. Where could he possibly have gone at this hour? A meeting? No, he would have said something. Business? Maybe. But something in my chest told me it was more than that.My mind spun with questions I couldn’t answer, and just when I was about to force myself to sleep, my phone buzzed sharply on the nightstand. The sound tore through the silence, and I jolted upright.I grabbed it quickly. Mama.My heart lurched. Why was she calling me at this time of the night? Dread slid down my spine as I swiped to answer.“Mama?” My voice was tight. “This one you’re calling at this hour—what is it? What happened?”Her voice trembled on the other end, panic clear through every word. “Avelina… it’s Kyle. He’s sick—very sick. Zayne was here earlier and—and your baby, he—he started seizing. They rushed him to the hospital.”The phone nearly slipped from my hand.
The Stand-in wife : Married to my Hockey Ex Chapter 20
ZayneThe drive home was quieter than the dinner had been. The laughter and warmth from the restaurant lingered like smoke after a fire, but neither of us seemed willing to fan it back to life. By the time I pulled into the driveway, the air inside the car was thick with unspoken words.Alina reached for the handle, eager to escape the silence, but my hand shot out, catching hers. Her skin was warm beneath my palm, sending a jolt up my arm.“Wait,” I said, my voice lower than I intended.She froze, half-turned toward the door. Slowly, her eyes lifted to mine. The dim glow from the dashboard softened her features, and for a heartbeat, all I saw was her. Just her.I leaned in, closing the space between us inch by inch. My breath mingled with hers, the air charged with something fragile, something dangerous. My lips hovered just a breath away from hers—And then she pulled back, quick and sharp. Her expression hardened as she slipped her hand free. Without a word, she opened the door and
The Stand-in wife : Married to my Hockey Ex Chapter 19
ZayneI adjusted the cuffs of my black suit and leaned against the banister at the top of the staircase, forcing myself to stay still. The tie felt a little too tight around my neck, but maybe that was just nerves. I hadn’t felt this kind of anticipation in years.Everything about tonight had to be right.I stood there, straightening my posture, trying to look the part—a gentleman waiting for his wife. My wife.And then I heard it. The faint sound of heels against polished wood.When I looked up, my breath caught.Alina was descending the staircase in the red gown I’d chosen for her. The way the fabric clung, the way it moved with her—it was everything I’d imagined and more. For a moment, I couldn’t reconcile the tomboyish woman who had looked at me with such distance in the past, with the vision walking down toward me now.My chest tightened, and I couldn’t take my eyes off her. She didn’t just look beautiful—she looked untouchable, like every man in the world should stop and stare b
The Stand-in wife : Married to my Hockey Ex Chapter 18
AvelinaLater that night, I sat in a corner booth of a quiet café, my fingers drumming against the table as I stared at the door. I had been waiting almost twenty minutes for mama, and Kyle. A latte cooled in front of me, untouched except for the steam that had already begun to fade. Every few seconds, I checked the time on my phone, wondering what could possibly be holding them up.Finally, impatience got the better of me. I picked up my phone and dialed her number.She answered on the third ring, her voice soft, almost apologetic. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry. We couldn’t make it. Someone came to the house earlier. Zayne sent him… just to help us, you know? It was kind of him, but if we leave now, the help will notice. And if he reports back to Zane—”I slammed my eyes shut, pressing my forehead against my hand. “Damn it.” The curse slipped out before I could stop myself. My stomach twisted as the reality sank in. Zayne’s shadow was already there, watching them. Watching her. Watching Kyl
