Lahat ng Kabanata ng Off-Limits Puck: Daddy's Best Friend is my Ruin: Kabanata 21 - Kabanata 30

GAVINThe rink was alive with the loud scrape of blades on ice, pucks smacking against sticks, and the heavy breathing of fourteen exhausted players pushing through practice drills as cold air bit my face, my eyes sharp on every movement. “Five more laps!” I barked, my voice cutting through the air. “Push harder, gentlemen. I want to see legs moving like you actually plan on beating the Cyclones on Thursday!”The guys groaned but obeyed, pushing off into another round of sprints around the rink. Their sticks clattered against the boards as they rounded the corners, their breath puffed out in visible clouds in the freezing air.I skated slowly along the perimeter, taking notes as Andy, one of my best defensemen, slowed beside me, breathing hard. “Coach, what are we gonna do about Reynold? He’s still out. We need a legit left winger who can actually finish chances.”I kept my expression neutral. “Derek’s moving up; he’s earned the spot. Bobby, you drop back into Derek’s old spot on the

MELANIE“No.” I shook my head violently, refusing to let the words sink in. “You’re lying.”I desperately tried to pull up memories of my mother, anything clear from when I was ten. What she looked like. What she sounded like, but everything was just so blurry. All I could clearly remember was her smile; she had this gentle, warm smile that always felt like sunshine on a stormy day. It always made me feel safe. The way she used to tuck my hair behind my ear and whisper that I was her favorite girl in the whole world.But every time I asked about her, whether it was Vivian or my father, they always shut down, giving me vague answers, or changing the subject like I was a fucking moron. It always pissed me off.“It’s not possible,” I whispered, my voice cracking as my eyes darted to Vivian. “Tell me he’s lying. Mom wasn’t… she wasn’t an addict, right?”Vivian wouldn’t meet my eyes. She just stared at the floor, wringing her hands together like she wanted to be anywhere else but here.“I’

GAVINI was just about to walk into Kingsmith Specialist Hospital when my phone rang. I stepped aside, leaning against the cool concrete wall as the city traffic hummed behind me.“Yeah, Walker. Talk to me.”“I followed Dalton like you asked,” Joe said, voice low and cautious. “He went straight to some heavily guarded compound on the outskirts of the city. High walls, cameras everywhere, armed guards at the gate. Looked like a damn fortress. I couldn’t get close without blowing my cover, but something felt off about the whole place.”My grip tightened on the phone. “Send me the exact coordinates, and run the name Fabrizio through every database we have — financials, criminal records, known associates. I have a strong feeling he’s tied to the Rossi family.”“Sure thing,” Joe replied. “I’ll cross-reference with everything we have on the Rossis. If there’s a link, we’ll find it.”“Something is bothering me about all of this,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck, tension knotted deep in m

GAVINI chose Riverbend Park on purpose, knowing fully well what that place meant to her. I remembered that day three years ago; it was so clear, as if it had happened just yesterday, even though I looked her in the eyes earlier and lied straight to her face.It was two years after I lost Evelyn—two years of waking up every morning feeling nothing but complete emptiness. And then Melanie had shown up in my life like a burst of color in a world that had turned gray.That day, after another brutal fight with Dalton, she had broken down in my arms, so furious, so full of life and fire despite the pain she felt. Her teary blue eyes had looked up at me, cheeks flushed, lips trembling… and for the first time in years, something inside me had stirred.I had wanted to kiss her so badly it terrified me.But I didn’t. I fucking couldn’t. She had just turned eighteen, and I was meant to be her father’s best friend. So I held her, swallowed every forbidden feeling, and buried it deep.Now I had c

MELANIE:I didn’t sleep a wink last night. I kept tossing and turning all night until the sheets were wrapped around my legs like ropes. Reynold's creepy message had totally destabilised me; it kept replaying in my head like a bad horror movie. The audacity of that bastard grossed me out. He remembered. At least parts of it. And now I was supposed to play the perfect girlfriend at his parents’ anniversary party like nothing ever happened?By the time morning came, I had a fucking brutal headache, and my eyes felt sore from all the tears that came out of them the previous day. I sat up slowly, pressing my palms against my temples.What the hell am I going to do?I knew Reynold would eventually regain his memory, but I didn’t expect it to happen this fast. But the worst part was the fact that I had no idea how much he remembered about Gavin’s involvement.Does he know Gavin covered it up?“Fuck!” I hit my fist into the mattress in frustration. No matter what happened between Gavin an