All Chapters of OFF LIMITS: HIS BEST FRIEND'S MOTHER : Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

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

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

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

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

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