All Chapters of The Stand-in wife : Married to my Hockey Ex: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

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

AvelinaThe morning air was crisp, still carrying that faint chill that clung to dawn. The driveway was alive with movement—bags being loaded into the black SUV, Mikhael checking his watch every other second, and Zayne standing there in his warm-up jacket, tall and calm like the storm from last night had never happened.I stood a few steps away, pretending my eyes weren’t following his every move. Across the way, Mr. and Mrs. Volkov were fussing, his mother straightening his collar as though he were still a boy, his father reminding him of details he probably already knew.“You’ll eat something before the game, won’t you?” Mrs. Volkov asked, smoothing her hand over his chest.“Yes, Mom,” Zayne said with a faint smile.“And don’t forget what I told you about your knee,” his father added firmly.“I won’t, Dad.”Mikhael groaned, loud enough for everyone to hear. “You two are embarrassing him. He’s not twelve anymore.”I caught the flicker of a grin tugging at Zayne’s mouth. He glanced at

Avelina “Did they ever reach out?” My voice trembled as I stared at Mama, the words spilling before I could hold them back. “After they abandoned me… did they ever come back? Even once? To check if I survived the epilepsy?”Hot tears streamed down my cheeks. I hated how small I sounded, how broken.Mama’s shoulders slumped. She shook her head slowly, eyes glistening. “No, child. They never did.”The world tilted. Something cracked inside me, sharp and raw. My chest burned like it couldn’t hold the weight pressing down on it.I tried to swallow, but the sobs ripped through me. “So that’s it? They just left me to die?” I choked out, my hands curling into fists against my knees. “Their own daughter—like I was nothing.”Mama reached for me, but I jerked away, the grief too loud in my head to let her soothe it. My whole body felt like glass, splintering with every beat of my heart.Before I knew it, I was on my feet, grabbing my car keys from the table.“Avelina!” Mama’s voice cracked as

Alina rushed toward Zayne the moment her eyes met his. “Zayne!” she cried out, her voice breaking with what sounded like relief and exhaustion. She threw her arms around his neck before anyone could react. He caught her instinctively, holding her close, his heart pounding hard against her trembling body. She pressed her face into his chest and pretended to sob, shaking just enough to make it believable. Her fingers clutched his shirt as she whispered, “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”Zayne’s arms tightened around her. “You’re okay now,” he murmured, running a hand down her back. “You’re safe.”The rest of the family stood frozen, trying to process what they were seeing. Zayne’s mother gasped first. “Oh my God, Alina!” she said, walking toward them with tears gathering in her eyes. “What happened? Why did you disappear like that? We were all so worried!”Zayne’s father stood behind her, his face drawn with both confusion and relief. Mikael came closer too, looking between his brother and the

Avelina’s vision blurred as another wave of dizziness hit her. She pressed her palms against her temples, trying to steady the pounding inside her head.“Are you okay?” Kyllian’s voice came sharp with alarm. He pushed his chair back and hurried to her side, one hand gripping her shoulder, the other reaching for her wrist as if to anchor her. “Hey, hey, easy. What’s wrong?”She could barely speak, her breath shallow. “I saw you,” she whispered. Her eyes were wide and glassy, her voice shaking as the words slipped out. “I saw you in my head.”Kyllian froze. “What do you mean you saw me?”“I—” she closed her eyes, trying to form the image before it faded. “I don’t know how to explain it. It was like a flash. I saw you… your face. I think… I think you were in my memory.”He let out a short, uneasy laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. “That can’t be right,” he said. “We’ve never met before the accident. Trust me, I’d remember meeting someone like you.”Her gaze lifted to him. “You’re sur