บททั้งหมดของ OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER : บทที่ 101 - บทที่ 110

Olivia's Pov I paused just before the players’ hall, clutching the strap of my bag. I wasn’t here to beg. Not for my job. Not for sympathy. I was here because I needed to face them, the team I’d worked so hard to protect, and somehow ended up hurting the most.Coach Miller spotted me first. His brow lifted, eyes cautious but not unkind.“Olivia,” he said quietly, walking over. “You sure about this?”I nodded. “They deserve to hear by my own side of the story. I need to face the players who once trusted me.”He studied me for a long moment, then sighed. “Alright. They’re in the locker room. I’ll clear a few minutes for you.”As he turned to go, my heartbeat picked up. I’d spoken to reporters. Faced public humiliation. Walked through crowds of people who called me names I wouldn’t repeat. But somehow, this, walking into that locker room was the hardest thing of all.When I stepped inside, the noise stopped.Fifteen men in jerseys and sweatpants, all mid-conversation, froze like someone

Olivia’s POVMaya’s house smelled like something warm and buttery when I arrived, the kind of smell that reminded you you’d be fed and forgiven, no matter what.She opened the door before I could even knock twice.“Finally!” she said, pulling me into a hug that squeezed the air out of me. “I was starting to think you’d changed your mind.”“I almost did,” I admitted with a shaky laugh. “I don’t know why I’m nervous. It’s just dinner.”“It’s not just dinner.” She grinned knowingly. “It’s the first time you, Ethan, and Xander are sitting at the same table since... you know.”I gave her a look. “You really know how to calm me down.”Maya laughed, linking her arm through mine as she led me in. “Relax. You’re not walking into a war zone. You’re walking into my dining room, where I control the menu and the mood. And the mood tonight is peace, got it?”Her house felt the same as always — soft light, mismatched furniture that somehow worked, a shelf full of plants she claimed were all “rescued

Xander's PovI told myself I was only getting air. The truth was, I didn’t know what to do with the calm that had finally come after months of noise.Cassandra was behind bars, the reporters had moved on, Ethan had stopped looking at me like I’d ruined his life. Olivia smiled again—small, careful smiles but they were real.That should have been enough.Then I saw it.A jewelry store wedged between a café and a tailor, the kind of place you rarely notice. A single ring in the window caught the streetlight and threw it back at me.I don’t even remember turning the wheel, only the bell that jingled when I stepped inside.The shop was warm, smelled faintly of wood polish and something floral. An older man looked up from behind the counter.“Afternoon,” he said. “Looking for anything special?”I almost said no. Then I heard myself answer, “Yeah. I think I am.”He smiled like he’d heard that a thousand times and gestured to the glass case. “Take your time.”Rows of rings blinked under the

Olivia’s POVI barely slept the night before my testimony.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Cassandra’s face and it wasn't a good sight. The fake witness’s trembling voice. The headlines that followed:“Former Therapist Accused of Multiple Affairs.”“Cassandra Hale Returns to Courtroom Glory.”I’d turned my phone off after that. There’s only so much poison a person can swallow in a day.By morning, the sky over Chicago was gray, heavy, like even the weather wanted to stay quiet. Maya showed up at my door before I could call her.“You’re eating,” she said, pushing a granola bar into my hand before I could protest.“I’m not hungry.”“Don’t care. Eat. You’ll need it.”I took a bite mostly because arguing felt impossible. She stood there, arms crossed, watching until I swallowed.“You ready for today?” she asked softly.“No,” I said honestly. “But I’m going anyway.”She gave a small smile. “That’s the difference between you and her.”The courthouse was packed again, cameras flashing, re

Olivia's Pov Xander was already waiting by the car the next day, his tie loose, eyes shadowed. We hadn’t said much since yesterday, since Cassandra dropped her “evidence.”Those forged bank statements that had come from God knows where. Everyone saw them. Everyone saw the numbers, fake payments from Xander’s account to mine, labeled as “consultations” and “personal services.”It didn’t matter that they weren’t real. The jury’s faces told the story: they were disgusted.Now we were walking into the courthouse to watch Cassandra twist the knife even deeper, at this point I wished she killed me with that knife.I pulled my coat tighter around me. “Do you think Grace found anything to fight this with?”Xander exhaled. “She’s trying, Liv. But unless she can prove the documents were doctored, it’s our word against Cassandra’s.”Our word. Against hers.And hers had always been louder.We didn’t speak again until we reached the courtroom. The press were already waiting at the courthouse.“