로그인Sophia’s words caused the sound of paddling in the water to grow even quieter. A few teammates had already stopped and were looking in their direction.She stood beside lane 3 with her cap in one hand. A red mark crossed her forehead where the edge had pressed into her skin. Until that moment, Romy had not realized Sophia had stopped swimming.Miller turned. "Do you have a problem with your program?""I have a problem with pretending this is only a program." Sophia pointed toward Liam without looking at him. "She gets the captain beside her lane, counting for her, holding her towel, telling her exactly what she needs to hear. Then she drops 0.36 and everyone behaves as if we watched a record."Liam set the stopwatch on the bench. "Miller assigned me to this station."Sophia finally looked at him. "Did he come looking for you, or did you volunteer as soon as Romy returned?"Liam did not answer quickly enough.Several swimmers glanced at one another.Sophia gave a short, bitter laugh. "
By 8:20, the women's sprint group had separated into individual programs.Miller moved between the lanes, dividing his attention among Anny, Sophia, Maya, and Romy. He stopped Anny after an opening fifty, changed Maya's recovery, and sent Sophia back to repeat a turn. Romy received no more attention from him than the others.Liam was different.He completed his own session and came to Romy's lane with a stopwatch, a resistance cord, and the careful expression of a man determined to prove he could stand near her without creating another story.He kept nearly an arm's length between them while he explained Miller's short rhythm exercise.Romy watched him for several seconds. "Are you going to speak like that all morning?"Liam glanced at her. "Like what?""Like an association official reading a safety notice."The corner of his mouth moved. "I am trying to be professional.""You have counted my strokes since I was fourteen. If you suddenly need a formal voice to do it, you are going to
At 6:12 on Wednesday morning, Romy entered the team dining room after almost seven hours of uninterrupted sleep.For the first time since she returned to the national squad, neither Liam nor Devon had found a reason to knock on her door in the evening. The quiet had allowed her to review Tuesday's 1:02.54, close the training log, and sleep without carrying the last fifteen meters into her dreams.Anny was already at the long table, spreading peanut butter across a piece of toast with enough force to tear it.Romy set down her tray beside her. "Still angry?""I prefer focused." Anny inspected the hole in the toast and reached for another slice. "Angry makes people think they deserve an apology."Liam approached from the other side of the table with coffee in one hand and a bowl of porridge in the other. He slowed beside the empty chair across from Anny."Is anyone sitting here?" he asked.Anny kept her attention on the new piece of toast. "There are twelve empty chairs, Captain. You do
"Move." There was already a clear note of annoyance in her voice.Caroline tried to push him away and stepped toward the lift. Yanxi remained in front of her, his arms held rigidly at his sides so he would not grab her again."Not until you answer."Caroline lifted her chin. "If it is yours, what changes? If it is not, what changes? It is my pregnancy and my decision. It has nothing to do with you."Anger tightened Yanxi's face. For once, he made no effort to soften it with charm. "If I am the father, it has a great deal to do with me. At the very least, you should know whose child you are carrying.""I do not need to know. The child cannot be born."The answer stopped him.Caroline saw the exact moment suspicion became certainty. His gaze moved over her face as though he were fitting together details she had believed safely separated."You already know," he said.She looked away.Yanxi gave a disbelieving laugh, but there was no humor in it. "You know it can only be mine. You are afr
By 10:43 on Tuesday night.The private bar on the second floor of Halcyon House was built for people who did not want to be photographed. Its windows faced an enclosed courtyard, the booths were separated by smoked glass.Caroline had chosen it because she could arrive in the same pale blue dress she had worn to the hotel and know that no one would post a photograph of her before morning.She had not expected the dress to feel like evidence of a humiliation.Devon had looked directly at her in front of the athletes, the association officials, and her own support squad and called what she had done professional misconduct. He had admitted that Romy was someone he wanted to protect. Then he had threatened to remove Caroline from the very events where she had spent years making herself indispensable.Each memory required another drink."You have been holding that glass for less than two minutes," Yanxi Ji said from the opposite side of the booth.He had loosened the collar of his black sh
The door closed behind Caroline. The tension broke just enough for several swimmers to laugh.Miller checked the clock again.“Twenty-eight minutes,” he said. “Eight more than promised. Dinner. Then bed.”Chairs moved. The team began filing into the corridor, still arguing quietly about the campaign.Anny left before the women’s sprint group.Liam picked up his folder and followed her.“Anny.”She kept walking.“Wait.”She stopped near the lift and turned. “If you want to check whether Romy is upset, she’s still inside.”“I came to ask about you.” The direct answer appeared to catch her off guard.Liam stopped several feet away.“You should have been given more than two seconds,” he said. “You are the strongest woman on the current team. I should have objected before you had to do it yourself.”Anny’s lips parted, but the anger returned before she answered. “You didn’t object. Because you were looking at Romy.”“I was angry about the way Caroline used our past.” Liam didn't get the re
Rebecca kept walking.Her wet footprints marked the tile behind her until the changing-room door swung open.Then Chloe’s voice broke through the poolside murmur.“Wait—that badge. Isn’t that the British national swimming team training emblem?”The atmosphere shifted at once.Rebecca stopped with h
Rebecca felt herself go rigid.Slowly, she turned back. “Coach Miller,” she said quietly.“It really is you.” Miller reached her in several long strides.The face that had stared down champions, sponsors, and entire committees without softening was now filled with disbelief. His gaze moved over her
She moved in close, lifted her face, and kissed him.It was awkward at first. Her lips brushed his with more courage than skill. She laid both hands on his chest. He felt warm and solid under her fingers. One hand slid up to his neck but she stopped short of pulling him in closer.Rebecca kept her
“You’ve been married three years!” Margaret said, her scorn cutting the atmosphere in the high-ceilinged drawing room. “Three years, and your excuse is that my son still hasn’t touched you?”With her head lowered, Rebecca Perry sat stiffly on the edge of the sofa, focusing on her hands folded tight







