جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 179

Chapter 169MaxI had to put the phone down for a second, pressed the back of my hand against my mouth and stared up at the ceiling, fighting the rising panic in my throat. I breathed deeply through my nose until the tightness in my chest loosened enough that I trusted myself to keep going.Then, with trembling fingers, I picked the phone back up.My mother's video appeared on my feed next. It was the shortest of them all. I wasn't surprised, she wasn't someone who performed emotion for an audience. I had learned that about her during the months we'd found each other. She felt things deeply but kept most of it private, expressing love through action rather than words.She was sitting at the kitchen table of our family home, her hands folded neatly in front of her. She looked tired, yet profoundly composed. I wondered who had helped her set up the camera, likely Maria or Adrian."I don't know how to do these things," she said quietly, gesturing slightly as if the concept of the vide

Chapter 171MaxThe days following the release of the videos felt like stepping out of a violent, swirling storm into a strange, lingering calm. We knew from the very beginning that the internet would be a battleground, and it certainly lived up to that reputation. There were always going to be bitter strangers with too much time on their hands, leaving their negativity and cruelty in the comment sections.But as the hours ticked by, the tide had undeniably turned. For every hateful message we received, there were ten more calling out the homophobia, quoting our fathers' words, and reminding everyone that we were just two human beings who loved each other.The university administration had quietly backed off. The threats to strip my scholarships and remove us from the team had evaporated overnight. They were likely terrified of the massive public relations nightmare that would follow if they went against the families of two prominent players, especially after the very public apolog

Chapter 173AceThe next morning I woke up with Max wrapped around me like he belonged there. His head was on my chest, one leg thrown over mine, and his arm tight around my waist. I didn’t move for a long time. I just lay there feeling his slow breathing and the warmth of his skin against mine. After all the hell we’d been through, this felt like peace.I kept thinking about those texts from Greg Harlan. Part of me was still scared they might disappear if I checked my phone again. But when I finally reached over and looked, they were still there. Real. I read them twice just to make sure.Max started to stir a little while later. He blinked up at me, eyes soft and sleepy, and gave me that small smile that always hits me hard.“Morning,” he mumbled, voice rough.“Morning, fiancé,” I said and kissed his forehead. “Sleep good?”“Best sleep I’ve had in weeks. You?”“Yeah. Same.” I ran my hand slowly up and down his back. “Feels different today. Like we can actually think about the futur

Chapter 175MaxThree Years LaterI stood in front of the full-length mirror, adjusting the lapels of my white tuxedo jacket. My hands weren't shaking, not because I wasn’t nervous, but because for the first time in my life, I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.Three years ago, a day like this felt like a mirage, something I could see in the distance but never quite touch. Back then, we were just trying to survive the next hour, the next headline, the next breath. Now, I wasn't just surviving. I was living.The mirror reflected a man I barely recognized from the boy who had first stepped onto that university campus. My shoulders were broader, my eyes clearer, and the heavy.I checked my reflection one last time. I looked like a groom. I looked like a Rivera... yes I still answered my adoptive parents name, it was for my late mother who loved me like her own... Most importantly, I looked like myself.A soft knock at the door broke my concentration. Adrian walked in,