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ETHAN'S RAGE (Part 2)

Xander's PovHe was already halfway down the hallway when I snapped out of it.“Ethan!” I shouted, chasing after him. “Don’t walk away like this!”He didn’t slow down. He just kept moving—fast, angry, like he needed to get as far away from me as possible.By the time I caught up, he was at the elevator, jabbing the button like he wanted to break it.“Ethan, please...”He spun around so fast I almost ran into him. “What? You think you can fix this with words? You think there’s something you can say that’ll make me forget what you did?”“I’m not asking you to forget. I just want you to hear me out.”He laughed without humor. “I’ve heard enough, Xander. I’ve seen enough.”The elevator doors slid open, but he didn’t step in. Instead, he turned back toward me, eyes sharp and cold.“You know what’s messed up?” he said, voice low. “I used to think you were the kind of man I wanted to be. Strong. Loyal. Unshakable. But now? You’re just a coward hiding behind excuses.”I felt my chest tighten.

CASSANDRA'S SPIN ( Part 1 )

Olivia's Pov My phone wouldn’t stop ringing.By the time I rolled over to grab it, the screen was filled with missed calls, text alerts, and breaking-news notifications. My stomach twisted before I even saw what they were about.Then I did.The first video that loaded made my entire body go cold.Xander and Ethan.At his building.Yelling.Shoving.Then....Ethan’s fist connecting with Xander’s jaw.The clip replayed automatically, over and over, like it wanted to carve the shame into my skin.And beneath it, bold red headlines screamed across every outlet: “Phantoms Captain in Physical Altercation with Teammate After Affair Allegations.”“Sources Confirm Woman in Question Is Team Therapist and Player’s Mother.”“A Family Betrayed: Scandal Rocks the Phantoms.”My throat burned.The comment sections were worse.Thousands of strangers typing my name like it was a curse word.She’s disgusting.What kind of mother does that?Cougar therapist preying on younger men, that's so gross.Fire

CASSANDRA'S SPIN (Part 2)

Olivia's PovThe next morning, I woke up to the sound of voices outside my window.At first, I thought I was dreaming, but then the words became clear.“Dr. Carter! Can we get a statement?”“Olivia, are you still seeing Captain Hayes?”“Do you regret sleeping with your son’s best friend?”I pulled the curtains just enough to peek out.A crowd. Cameras. A van with a news logo parked across the street.They’d been waiting for me.My heart dropped to my stomach.I stepped back from the window, pressing a hand to my mouth. I could hear camera shutters clicking even from up here. Someone must’ve seen the movement through the blinds.The whole world had become a fishbowl, and I was trapped inside it.My phone started buzzing again, more messages, more missed calls.One stood out. From Sophie, the team’s PR manager. Sophie: Liv, we need to talk. Call me.My hands trembled as I dialed her number.She answered immediately, her voice clipped and tired. “Olivia. God, I was hoping you’d call.”“

ALONE AND CORNERED

Olivia's Pov I hadn’t stepped outside in three days.Every time I even touched the curtains, camera flashes exploded from the street below. Reporters had camped out across the road, their lenses aimed straight at my window. They waited for movement like vultures circling a dying thing.The apartment smelled like cold coffee and fear. Every surface was littered with unopened envelopes—the hate mail that started arriving after my address leaked online.Most were anonymous. Some had return names I didn’t recognize. I stopped reading after the first few.You’re disgusting.People like you shouldn’t be allowed near kids.Rot in hell, home-wrecking whore.I shoved the stack into a drawer I couldn’t bear to open again.My phone buzzed constantly, a mix of calls from unknown numbers, notifications, and messages that made my stomach twist. I’d turned off every app, but somehow the noise always found a way through.I sat on the couch, knees pulled to my chest, staring at the dark TV screen tha

THE ENEMY AT THE DOOR

Olivia's Pov The shouting outside hadn’t stopped all day.Every few minutes, another voice joined the mix—reporters, neighbors, maybe just people passing by who wanted to see the scandal for themselves.I sat at the kitchen table, hands wrapped around the mug of cold tea. The steam was gone, but I kept holding it because it gave me something to do, something to feel besides shame.Maya paced near the window, careful not to get too close to the glass. “They’ve crossed a line,” she muttered. “You should call the police.”“And tell them what?” I said quietly. “That people are mean?”She turned to me. “That people are harassing you. That’s a crime, Liv.”“I’m already the villain in every headline,” I said. “If I call the police, it’ll just be another story. ‘Cougar Therapist Calls Cops on Reporters.’”Maya cursed under her breath. “This isn’t living. You can’t just rot in here.”“I don’t have a choice,” I whispered. “They took that from me.”She knelt beside me, her tone softening. “Then

XANDER'S PUBLIC MASK

Olivia's Pov Morning light crept through the blinds like it didn’t know what had happened here last night.Cassandra’s perfume still lingered in the hallway, faint but sour.Maya had fallen asleep on the couch, a blanket half-slipped to the floor. She looked worn out but steady, the only thing that hadn’t fallen apart.I sat at the kitchen table, hands wrapped around a cup of tea that had gone cold hours ago. My stomach was too tight to drink it.The world outside was still. No reporters yet. No cameras. Just the hum of the city waking up.Then my phone buzzed with a new headline.“Team Captain Hayes and Cassandra Blake Set for Public Appearance Tonight to Address Scandal.”My chest tightened.They were putting him on display again.Maya stirred. “What is it?”“They’re doing a press event,” I said softly. “Him and Cassandra. Tonight.”Her brow furrowed. “Of course they are. Damage control.”I scrolled through the article. The team PR statement was polished, rehearsed: ‘Captain Hayes

ETHAN'S SILENCE

Olivia's Pov The next morning, I woke up to the same silence that had filled my life for weeks.No calls.No messages.Nothing from Ethan.I stared at my phone until the screen dimmed. I’d texted him every day, each message shorter than the last because there were only so many ways to say I’m sorry without sounding desperate.Me: Ethan, please call me.Me: I just want to hear your voice.Me: I love you.All three messages sat there unread.Maya was still asleep on the couch. She’d stayed again, insisting I shouldn’t be alone. I watched her chest rise and fall, calm and steady, and for a second I almost hated how peaceful she looked.I moved quietly to the kitchen and started making coffee. The smell filled the air, but it didn’t comfort me. Every sound felt too loud—the spoon against the mug, the hum of the fridge, the cars outside.The door buzzer rang once, sharp and sudden.I jumped.It wasn’t reporters this time, it was the building’s receptionist. “Dr. Carter? There’s a package

XANDER'S DESPERATION

Xander's PovSleep didn’t come that night.Every time I closed my eyes, all I could see was Olivia’s face on the news — frozen mid-frame, her eyes wide and raw as headlines tore her apart.The team’s PR manager had called three times. “Keep your head down,” he’d said. “Stay quiet, let Cassandra handle it.”But I couldn’t. Silence felt like betrayal.By dawn, I was pacing my apartment, replaying her voice messages I was too afraid to answer.I couldn’t stand the thought of her alone in that apartment, hearing the world hate her for something we both did.I grabbed my keys and left before I could change my mind.Rain came down in sheets, blurring the road ahead. I barely saw the red lights until I was halfway through them. I didn’t care. Every second I wasn’t there felt wrong.By the time I pulled up outside her building, my hands were shaking. Reporters weren't there again. Thank God for small favours.The elevator ride up felt endless. Every ding was another chance to turn back. I did

THE LINES CROSSED AGAIN

Xander's PovThe silence stretched until I thought it would snap.Outside, the rain slowed to a whisper against the glass. Inside, every heartbeat felt too loud.Olivia stood just a breath away, her hand still on the wall like she needed it to stay upright.“You shouldn’t have come,” she repeated again.“I know.”“Then why are you still here?”“Because walking away from you hurts worse than anything they could do to me.”Her eyes flicked up, and for a second we were back at the start — that first night she smiled at me across her office desk, before everything turned complicated. Back when we still believed we could control it.She gave a shaky laugh. “You always did say the wrong things at the worst time.”“Yeah,” I said softly. “But I mean them.”Her eyes filled again. “Stop.”“Why?”“Because if you don’t, I’ll break.”“Then break with me.”Something in her expression cracked, a flash of pain, love, and exhaustion all at once. I reached for her hand before I could think better of it

CASSANDRA'S TRIUMPH

Xander's PovMy phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.It was the kind of sound you wake up to when you already know the day is going to be bad. I reached for it, half-asleep, and the first thing I saw was Cassandra’s name plastered across every feed.“Breaking: Star Player Xander Cole and Fiancée Cassandra Vale Share Their Love Story.”There were pictures—professionally shot, glossy, staged in some studio I’d never set foot in. Cassandra wore a white dress and a look of pure devotion. My arm was around her waist in every frame.Except I’d never taken those photos.I sat up fast. The room tilted.Another headline blinked on my screen:“A Love That Survived Scandal.”She’d gone public. With everything.My stomach turned. I opened the first article and saw the quote she’d given:‘True love doesn’t fade because of rumors. Xander and I have been through storms before, and we’ll get through this one together.’A lie wrapped in silk.By the time I reached the kitchen, my phone had twenty missed calls

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