All Chapters of My Ice Hockey Husband Faked Our Marriage so I Joined His Rival: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Elena's POV"Your marriage certificate is a $50 souvenir, Ms. Vance."The words hit me harder than any stray puck I'd ever dodged on the ice. I just stared at the man across the desk, Officer Miller, whose face was as sterile and cold as the government office we were sitting in."I'm sorry?" I finally managed, my voice sounding like it was coming from underwater. "That's a legal marriage certificate. I've had it framed on my nightstand for a year.""The registration number is invalid. The seal is decorative." Miller corrected, his tone dropping an octave, devoid of even a shred of empathy. He tapped the ornate, gold-embossed paper with a heavy finger. "It's the kind of thing you buy at a Vegas gift shop so you can pretend to be married for the weekend. In the eyes of the United States government, you are single."The room began to spin. The low, irritating hum of the fluorescent lights above suddenly felt like a drill boring into my skull. My hand went instinctively to the diamond rin

Elena's POVI wiped my face with the back of my hand and picked up the phone. Marcus was the one who signed my paychecks. If I wanted to get out of this mess with my career intact, I needed to handle him."Hello, Marcus," I answered, my voice surprisingly steady."Elena," Marcus's gravelly voice boomed. "Where the hell are you? Liam is going out of his mind. He says you left the arena without saying a word.""I wasn't feeling well," I said coldly."Listen to me, Elena. I got a call from your immigration lawyer. He says there's a 'hiccup' with the marriage certificate. Something about it not being filed?"News traveled fast."It's not a hiccup, Marcus. It's a fake. Liam never filed it. He's legally married to Sophia."I waited for the shock. I waited for Marcus to be outraged that his star player was a bigamist and a fraud.Instead, there was a pause. And then, a sigh of annoyance."Look, Elena, I don't care about the paperwork," Marcus said dismissively. "That's personal drama. What I

Elena's POVI choked on air. "Excuse me?""Not a fake marriage," he clarified, his eyes darkening. "A legal, binding union. You become Mrs. Blackwood. As the spouse of a US citizen, your status is secured immediately. Kane can't touch you. Liam can't threaten you.""You're insane," I whispered. "You barely know me.""I know you're the best at what you do. I know you're loyal to a fault, until you're betrayed. And I know you need protection." He leaned forward, his intensity suffocating me in the best way possible. "I need a wife to stop my board of directors from pushing matchmakers on me. You need a shield. It's a business transaction."A business transaction. Just like Liam and Sophia."I can't," I said, my hand instinctively covering my stomach again. The weight of my secret pressed down on me. "Noah, my life is a mess right now. You don't know the half of it. I... I might have medical issues to deal with."I thought of the appointment. The termination.Noah's eyes dropped to my han

Elena's POVThe large decorative scaffolding, heavy with lights and floral arrangements, gave a groan. It swayed dangerously.It was falling.And it was falling right toward us.In that split second, instinct took over. Or maybe, it was the truth revealing itself.Liam didn't reach for me.He lunged past me. He threw his body to the left, tackling Sophia to the ground, shielding her with his own body as the heavy steel structure came crashing down.I stood there, alone in the center of the stage, as the lights plummeted toward me. Then I fell into darkness.***The first thing I noticed was the silence.No music. No applause. No crashing steel.Just the rhythmic beep... beep... beep of a heart monitor.I opened my eyes. The harsh fluorescent light of the hospital room blinded me for a second. I tried to shield my eyes, but a sharp, searing pain shot through my left arm.I gasped, looking down. My arm was encased in a heavy plaster cast. My head throbbed with a dull, heavy ache, a concu

Elena's POVThe room went silent."You want us... to adopt a random baby?" I asked, feigning shock."Not random! Mike's son!" Liam insisted. "Look, Elena, let's be real. Your body... it's not built for this. You're stressed, you work too much, and biologically... it's just not happening. But this baby needs a mother. And you... you need a child to fix you."To fix me.He wanted me to raise his bastard son so that Sophia wouldn't have to deal with the sleepless nights, and so he could have his heir under his roof. He wanted me to be the free nanny.I wanted to vomit. I wanted to scream.But then I remembered the locked drawer in his study. The one he never let me touch. If I agreed... if I played the compliant, desperate wife... maybe he would lower his guard.I forced tears into my eyes. I made my lip tremble."Oh, Liam," I whispered. "Do you really think... I could be a mother?""Of course," Liam smiled, the trap snapping shut. "You'll be great. And Sophia... she's volunteered to help