All Chapters of OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER : Chapter 91 - Chapter 100

Xander’s POVThe whiskey burns on the way down.It’s not the first glass tonight. Or the second. Probably not even the third. The bartender stopped counting an hour ago, now he just refills when I lift my hand.The bar’s half-empty, a graveyard of neon lights and forgotten laughter. Music hums low from a corner speaker, some old song about love that didn’t survive the night.Fitting.I swirl the glass, watching the ice melt. My reflection stares back, hollow eyes, bruised pride, and the kind of exhaustion that no amount of sleep fixes. The kind that starts in your chest and eats its way out.“Another?” the bartender asks quietly.I nod. He pours without a word.When you’ve been publicly humiliated, betrayed by your own silence, and turned into the headline of every sports site in North America, the world stops looking you in the eye.Everyone knows. Everyone saw.The forbidden affair. The mother. The betrayal.I down another swallow, my throat raw. The liquid does nothing to blur the

Olivia’s POVI stood in the corridor outside Room 3B, hands locked together so tightly I couldn’t feel my fingers. A few reporters had managed to sneak in despite the private listing; their whispers floated down the hallway like ghosts.Xander paced a few steps away, tie loosened, jaw tight. He looked ready to punch something or someone but there was nothing here to fight except the truth no one wanted to believe.“Breathe,” he said finally, stopping in front of me. “You’ve got this.”I tried to smile, but it didn’t reach. “You don’t believe that.”He studied my face, then sighed. “No. But I need you to.”His honesty was both the worst and best thing about him.The door opened. “Ms. Carter,” the assistant called. “They’re ready for you.”I nodded, my knees shaking so badly I thought they might give out.Inside, the hearing room felt smaller than I imagined. A long mahogany table divided the space—the disciplinary board on one side, the legal representatives on the other. Cameras were

Olivia's Pov A soft knock pulled me out of my thoughts.My heart stumbled.For a moment, I didn’t move, afraid it was reporters or worse someone that wanted me dead. Then I crossed the room and opened the door.He stood there, rain-soaked, eyes tired, hands shoved into his pockets like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to be here.“Ethan.”He didn’t speak. He just looked at me, really looked at me and I felt my breath catch.My baby boy looked older and drained. “Can I come in?” he asked finally, his voice low, rough around the edges.“Of course.”He stepped inside, leaving a trail of rainwater on the floor. I closed the door behind him, suddenly unsure what to say.The last time we’d been in an enclosed space, he’d been shouting and destroying things. I’d been crying.Now he was here, my baby boy was now in my home and I didn't know how to feel about it. “I heard what happened,” I said carefully. “At the rink.”He exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. “News travels fast.”“

Olivia’s POVThe TV light flickered across the living room, I couldn't believe Ethan did that. My son defended his mother on National TV. I didn’t move.Couldn’t.Xander sat beside me on the couch, elbows resting on his knees, head bowed slightly. His jaw was tight, eyes fixed on the screen like he was afraid to blink. He came to see me this evening, because according to him , now that he knew my new place, he couldn't stay away. And with all sincerity I don't want him through. We've been through so much already we deserve this.“He did it,” I whispered.Xander nodded slowly. “Yeah. He really did.”The press conference was replaying now, clips cutting between Ethan’s face and the headlines already spinning online. Ethan Carter Defends His Mother. The Truth Behind Cassandra’s Lies.Each word hit me in waves — pride, disbelief, heartbreak.I didn’t realize I was shaking until Xander reached over and covered my hand with his. His touch was warm, grounding.“You should be proud,” he sai

Xander’s POVI went home after giving my statement to the police and making sure that Olivia was safe from harm in her home.The knock came just past noon.I wasn’t expecting anyone.The place was quiet, too quiet, only the soft hum of the heater and the city noise seeping through the blinds. I’d barely slept. My knuckles still ached from punching the wall last night, after everything that went down with Cassandra.When I opened the door, Ethan was standing there. I was shocked to see him on my doorstep. He looked tired, really tired, but there was something sharper in his eyes now. A kind of peace I hadn’t seen in months and he doesn't look angry at me like he usually does. “Can I come in?” he asked.I stepped aside. “You already are.”He walked past me, his gaze sweeping the room, he had being here multiple times, when he was my best friend and now as my supposed enemy. Neither of us said anything at first.It was strange, having him here, no reporters following him to see a figh