All Chapters of SCORED HER HEART, NOT THE PUCK.: Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

MADISON'S POV:Maverick looked defeated. His shoulders sagged under invisible weight as he sighed.“So that’s it?” he murmured. “You’ve defeated me, huh?” He met my eyes. "If you insist on going, Scratchy and I are coming with you.""Maverick, you don't have to go that extra mile. I'll be—"He cut in before I could finish. “It’s either we come with you, or you’re not going at all.”The ultimatum hung between us, firm and uncompromising."Fine," I mumbled.“Good,” he said, standing up. "I'm going to change and pack light. Just overnight essentials." He handed Scratchy back to me.The little furball protested immediately, meowing, twisting in my arms, looking over Maverick’s shoulder like a betrayed child. He even tried to squirm back toward Maverick."Traitor," I sneered at Scratchy. "Are you seriously making it obvious you prefer him to me?"Scratchy just purred, unrepentant.Maverick chuckled lowly, walking off toward his room.***Standing outside my apartment door felt surreal. Lik

THANE'S POV:The intimacy of the gesture, the way Mom leaned into him slightly, when had that happened?There was also Jules and my lawyer.The camera panned across the courtroom. Judge Martinelli presided, known for being tough but fair. The jury sat attentive, twelve faces watching the proceedings with rapt attention.Then the camera moved to the defense table.Jaxon Ford and some sturdy, dangerous-looking man I didn't recognize sat there in an orange prison jumpsuit, looking diminished and angry. Beside them, Dr. Helen Hall and Ellie McCarthy sat still, both looking haggard in their prison uniforms."The defendants will rise," Judge Martinelli commanded.They stood in a line of orange, a lineup of destroyed lives."In the matter of the State of Colorado versus Ellie McCarthy, this court finds the defendant guilty of conspiracy to commit assault, drugging with intent to cause harm, and evidence tampering." Judge Martinelli's voice was emotionless. "You are hereby sentenced to twelve

THANE'S POV: Four months disappeared like smoke through fingers.I kept trying everything to get her back but all effort was futile. Before leaving for the Netherlands, I'd done something desperate by speaking directly to her during a national TV conference."Madison, if you're watching, I'm leaving for the Netherlands tomorrow. I don't know what that means for me. But, I'll be back. I'll always come back for you."The reporters had eaten it up. My teammates rolled their eyes. But I'd meant every word.The Netherlands blurred past. Training, exploring Amsterdam's canals, team dinners at restaurants I couldn't remember the names of. Nothing stuck. Nothing mattered.We'd barely scraped through qualifications. Each game I played like someone treading water, functional but drowning. My teammates carried me through on their backs, covering my mistakes, compensating for my absence.Today was the final.The Olympic Final.The moment every player dreams of and I could barely breathe.Now, st

MADISON'S POV:The Netherlands was breathtaking. Rolling green countryside dotted with windmills, canals reflecting sky like liquid mirrors, tulip fields stretching toward horizons that seemed impossibly far away. The air soft and forgiving like the country itself understood we needed time to mend. Thane and I had made the quiet decision to stay here for a while after his victory. No headlines, no flashing cameras, no curious stares. Just us two bruised hearts finding their rhythm again. Two months now, rebuilding what we'd shattered.Couples therapy became our weekly ritual. It wasn’t easy at first. Some days, the truth scraped like glass. Dr. Cinnamon, a patient woman with kind eyes who made us talk until there were no secrets left. We'd laid everything bare, his jealousy, my walls, the lies that had seemed necessary at the time but had poisoned everything."No more secrets," Thane had promised, his hand tight around mine during our first session. "Even if it hurts. Especially if i

THANE'S POV:I'd never felt better in my life.Peak physical condition. Mind clear. Heart full. All because of her. I was glowing. Whole.Madison had transformed everything. The apartment in the Netherlands had become home base while we planned the real thing, a wedding in New York. Three months away now. Invitations ordered, venue booked, menu tasted and approved.New York made sense. The Sentinels were relocating for the fresh season, and Madison wanted to be where I played. "I'm not missing another game," she'd said. "Not ever again."But first, I had to give her the perfect wedding gift.Joe had pulled every string, called in every favor, utilized resources I didn't want to think too hard about. The file sat encrypted on my phone, two hundred pages of information about Ambassador and Mrs. Alade. Their foundation. Their humanitarian work. Their conspicuous lack of children in any public record.And one small notation buried deep: a birth announcement twenty-five years ago. A daught