All Chapters of OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Xander’s POVThe locker room was too bright.Too loud.Every word, every clang of a stick against the bench, grated on my nerves.I sat in front of my stall, lacing my skates tighter than I needed to, pretending that the pressure biting into my ankles could drown out the noise in my head.Olivia’s face wouldn’t leave me alone, the way she’d looked when I left her apartment before dawn, hair messy, eyes hollow, whispering that single word: go. First I sat at her driveway in my car for a very long time. Then I’d gone.And then I’d driven straight here, parked in the dark lot, and sat staring at the steering wheel until sunrise.“Yo, Cap.”Trevor, one of the defensemen, clapped a hand on my shoulder. “You good? You’ve been quiet since warm-up.”“Fine,” I said automatically. The word came out sharper than I meant.He raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, man. Just making sure.”Fine.Everyone kept asking that.Olivia had said it last night, Ethan this morning, now Trevor.I was starti

Olivia’s POV By the time the sun rose, my phone had become a weapon aimed at my own chest. Every ping felt like another blow. News alerts. Mentions. Messages I couldn’t bring myself to open. Ethan..Oh my God Ethan, I wonder what he would be thinking. Captain Hayes Scandal? Anonymous Source Hints at Affair. No names printed yet but the pieces were close enough that anyone who paid attention could fit them together. I pulled the blinds closed and sat on the edge of the couch, staring at the floor where yesterday’s shattered mug still waited to be cleaned up. My body moved like it belonged to someone else. The phone buzzed again, this time with a name that made my stomach drop. Dr. Lane – Director of Medical Staff I stared at the screen until the call nearly went to voicemail, then forced myself to answer. “Olivia Carter,” I said, though my voice sounded faint. “Olivia,” Dr. Lane said quickly. Her tone was polite, but clipped. “We need you to come in this morning.” “Is ev

Olivia’s POVThe house was too quiet.Not peaceful quiet—accusing quiet. The kind that crawls under your skin and keeps whispering, You’re lying to everyone.Ethan and I had always filled the silence easily, music, cooking shows, dumb jokes. Tonight the air sat between us like a wall. Every sound was sharp: the tick of the kitchen clock, the scrape of his fork against the plate, my own heartbeat tripping in my ears.“Good dinner,” he said finally, eyes on his food.“Thanks.” My voice sounded thin, foreign.He glanced up once, then back down. “Practice ran late. Coach says we need to tighten defense.”I nodded, forcing a smile. “That’s good.”“Yeah.” He chewed another bite, swallowed. “He also asked if you were okay.”That caught me off guard. “Why would he ask that?”He shrugged, pretending nonchalance. “Said you looked… tense. You and Xander both.”My grip tightened on my glass. “Long day. Therapy wing’s a mess with the playoff injuries.”“Right.” He kept eating, but I felt the quest

Olivia’s POVMorning came too bright.The rain had cleared, leaving the world sharp and exposed—the kind of sunlight that didn’t forgive.I stood in the kitchen staring at a mug of coffee I hadn’t touched. My hands were steady, but inside, everything trembled.Ethan’s door opened down the hall. His footsteps were heavier than usual.He entered in his team jacket, hood up, eyes shadowed.“Morning,” I said.“Yeah.” He poured cereal, no smile, no glance.The silence between us had changed shape overnight.It wasn’t anger yet, but it was getting there, something thick and brittle waiting to crack.“You have practice?” I asked, trying for normal.“Film review first.” He ate fast, eyes on the bowl. “Coach wants everyone early.”I nodded. “You okay?”“Fine.”That word again. It hurt in my chest. “Ethan....”He pushed his chair back. “I’m gonna be late.”“Wait....”He paused at the door, backpack slung over one shoulder.“Drive safe,” I said quietly.He hesitated like he wanted to say somethi

Xander's PovThe first thing I saw that morning was my own face on the screen.It was everywhere—on sports blogs, gossip pages, even the news.“Phantoms Captain Caught in Scandal: Affair With Team Therapist—Sources Say She’s His Teammate’s Mother.”My chest went tight. The photo attached was brutal, me and Olivia, standing too close outside her apartment. Her face half-turned, my hand on her arm. It looked bad. It looked true.My phone buzzed nonstop. Calls from Coach, from Sophie in PR, from numbers I didn’t even recognize.I didn’t answer any of them.My whole body felt like it was buzzing, like I’d been dropped into ice water.“Shit…” I muttered, dragging my hand through my hair. My reflection in the window looked like someone I didn’t even know—pale, tense, terrified.I texted Olivia.Xander: You’ve seen it?No reply.I paced the living room. My penthouse felt too clean, too perfect, like the kind of place a liar would live. The air was heavy, suffocating.When my phone rang again