All Chapters of SCORED HER HEART, NOT THE PUCK.: Chapter 81 - Chapter 90

MADISON'S POV:"But sources said you two were dating. Rumors suggested you were engaged and about to be married yourselves.""You thought." His voice was flat, dead. "And those are rumors. Did I confirm anything?""But the photos—the public appearances—""I'm a public figure. I take photos with lots of people." He waved them off, impatient.The reporters murmured.One tried again, “So what was the real nature of your relationship with her?”Thane exhaled slowly, gaze fixed on the cameras. “Strictly professional. She was my nurse. Nothing more.”Something in me died."That's not why I called this press conference."My hands gripped the bars, knuckles white. He straightened his jacket, and said, “Now, if you’re done, I’d like to officially introduce the world to my true love.” Thane stepped aside, gesturing to someone off-camera. "Someone who's been by my side through everything. Someone who actually matters."Harper West stepped into frame, glittering in silver, her arm sliding throug

THANE'S POV:I was already pushing through nurses, fighting to get details of the room number, hand reaching for a door handle before I realized something had broken inside me the moment Mom's call came through."Madison's been poisoned in her cell. She's at County General. Critical condition."Even as she'd passed the information, she'd raged at me. Blamed me for everything happening. Said I'd put Madison in danger with that press conference, painted a target on her back.I'd left practice mid-drill. Didn't change, didn't explain, just ran to my car and drove straight here.But now, standing outside her hospital room, I couldn't move forward.What was I even going to say? How was I going to face her if I walked through that door?A voice exploded from inside the room, loud, furious, and demanding."How was everyone so careless that Madison had two deadly attacks in one night? STRANGLED and POISONED?"Maverick. Of course."Look at my wife!" The word stabbed through me. "She almost die

THANE'S POV:The amber liquid burned its way down my throat. Fourth glass, maybe fifth. I’d lost count hours ago. The whiskey bottle on the counter had become my only reliable companion lately. I adjusted my cufflinks, straightened my jacket, and stared at my reflection in the mirror. Same tired eyes staring back that forgot how to feel anything. But tonight, I wasn’t heading to another charity dinner or press interview.I was going to my mother’s house to give her a piece of my mind for siding with Madison.The television murmured in the background, some political summit I had zero interest in. My hand reached for the remote when a voice from the TV caught me mid-motion. Rich, confident, and foreign. I looked up.Two figures stood on a red carpet lined with flags: a man and a woman who exuded quiet power. The man was fit, had espresso brown curls cropped close to his head. Defined cheekbones, intense eyes. His suit was perfectly tailored, not flashy, just expensive in the way old mo

MADISON'S POV:The universe must have been wearing my side of the ring that morning.Before I had even lifted a finger, things collapsed on the people who had tried to make my life their playground. Yesterday night, Jaxon Ford was arrested. This morning, the dominoes kept falling.I stood in Regency Hospital's main lobby, dressed in a charcoal power dress, tailored so the seams looked like currency. Maverick's doing. Dark sunglasses perched on my nose despite being indoors. Red-bottom heels that made satisfying clicks against the floors. Hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail that showed off the diamond earrings catching lobby lights.I looked like money. Like power. Like someone who'd survived hell and come back stronger.Maverick stood beside me, one hand resting protectively on the small of my back.The lobby was packed. Patients in chairs reading magazines, staff members on break clustered near the massive flat-screen TV mounted on the wall.Ellie walked down the corridor flanked by

MADISON'S POV"Fuck." The word shocked me more than Maverick's split lip. He never swore. Never lost his composure enough for profanity."I can't believe that son of a bitch tackled me into a fight." He touched his jaw gingerly, wincing."I'm sorry." "There's no need to be sorry," he muttered, wincing as I pressed a cold pack of ice over the swelling on his cheek. "This is my fault. He came because of me—""Don't." His hand covered mine on the ice pack. "Don't apologize for his choices."Scratchy, usually aloof and independent, had curled up in Maverick's lap. He licked his hand in long, deliberate strokes, comforting him in that way animals do when they sense pain.It made my chest ache. Even my cat loved him."Let me see." I tried to take the ice pack back to examine the damage properly.“I’ll hold it,” he said softly, taking the ice pack from my hand. He began rattling off his injuries. "Possible orbital fracture, though unlikely given the force. Periorbital hematoma, definitely