All Chapters of Ex-Hockey Star Regret: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Brad’s POVI was lost, letting my emotions have the better side of me.It wasn’t supposed to go this way. I had told myself a hundred times that I’d keep things light, casual, and even careful. But the longer I sat beside her, watching the faint rise and fall of her chest, the more my resolve slipped.Something that started as just me thinking—the most I could do now was to talk to her about the past without necessarily letting her know she was the one in the picture. At least not directly. Maybe if I told the story in pieces, she’d start recalling on her own. I convinced myself that it would be safer and less of a shock for her.I leaned back against the bed, staring at the soft lines of her curves in the dim light. My chest tightened and it was like the truth pressed against my throat, begging to come out, and yet I kept it caged. I told myself she needed just a spark—a word to pull her memories back together—not me barging in with everything. But even as I thought it, I prayed hard.

Brad’s POVI just stepped out of Coach Austin’s office, and like the rules implied, he’d already handed me the jersey of my newly signed club—the Skyblazers.I had the jersey tucked inside like it was some top-secret stuff, having my suit jacket deliberately pulled forward to cover it. I even had my shades on, though it was barely ten in the morning. It wasn’t about the sun. It was about not wanting to be read, not wanting people to catch whatever expression was written on my face.But the second I pushed through the main exit, it was like I’d stepped into a trap. Paparazzi. Media. Students with phones angled high like they were about filming some kind of concert. They came rushing at me like a tide I couldn’t dodge.“Brad Jasper!” one of them yelled before I could even figure out how the hell they knew I was coming out of there. “Are you officially joining the Skyblazers?”Boom. First question was thrown and it's like they weren’t stopping there.“Mr. Jasper, is this true? Did you le

Brad’s POVRowan puffed his chest again when I didn't get to reply to him with his lips curling. “What’s the matter, Brad? You are scared to get your hands dirty without a stick in ‘em?”The crowd around us oohed, like we were in the middle of some street fight pay-per-view. But, I didn’t flinch. I didn’t give him the satisfaction. “Scared?” I let out a short laugh that wasn’t even close to amused. “You’re the one hiding behind a pack of cheerleaders.”Sophia gasped, hand flying to her chest like she’d been personally attacked. “Excuse me?” she shrieked, stepping forward in her heels. “At least I don’t chase after scraps in secondhand clothes.”Nicole’s face went white. She hugged herself tighter, her lips parting like she wanted to say something but couldn’t get the words out.That was it.I took a step closer to Rowan, my voice sharp enough to cut glass. “Say whatever you want about me, but you don’t get to touch her. Not with your words, not with anything. You hear me?”Rowan smirk

Nicole’s POVThat was it, and then, we got back to the parking space after I had changed into a more comfortable outfit. My hair was still a little damp from the quick rinse I managed, and I was holding onto the car key he’d pressed into my hand earlier. It sat like dead weight in my palm, as if I wasn’t sure whether to throw it back at him or clutch it like treasure. The thing is that, I really appreciate all he does for me but how long would it last?Brad leaned against his car casually. “We’ll go with my car to the place I want to take you,” he said, jangling his own set of keys. “I hope you’re cool with that.”I couldn’t help but laugh under my breath. “Your car? That means… the other one is mine?”The words slipped out half-jokingly, but deep down, I liked the sound of it. Mine. It gave me this weird little thrill of belonging, like I wasn’t floating on borrowed space anymore. Even though my brain screamed that it was ridiculous, my heart whispered something softer: finally, some

Nicole’s POVThe woman moved into the house like she owned every inch of air in it. The moment she stepped through the doorway I felt my skin tighten. She looked like she was in her late fifties—sharp features, hair done up, clothes that reeked luxury before she even spoke. Before Brad called her “Mum,” I’d already guessed she must be his mother. There was a way she carried herself that gave it away.She wasted no time at all. The first question she lobbed across the room was for Brad, but her eyes never quite left me. “Why haven’t you been taking your calls? Where did you keep your phone?” Her tone was clipped, and underneath it was the kind of annoyance that smelled like habit—she expected obedience and thought answers should be immediate.Brad answered, and I tried to hide how every word felt like a measurement. “Oh that! So sorry, I guess I forgot it at the team's hostel. I just got to know when I wanted to check something in my phone not quite long. Besides what are you doing her