All Chapters of Puck, Passion, and Broken Promises: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

62 Chapters

THE ARTICLE THAT RUINED HIM

Three years. Two months. Fourteen days.That's how long I've been gone.The Seattle Blizzards' press room smells exactly the same. Ice. Sweat. Expensive cologne trying to cover both. The fluorescent lights buzz overhead like angry bees. Reporters crowd the wooden benches, laptops open, fingers ready.My press badge says "Ava Thompson – Freelance."It should say "The Woman Who Destroyed Ethan Hayes."I grip my recorder so hard my knuckles turn white."You okay?" The reporter next to me, a kid named Jamie, frowns. "You look like you've seen a ghost.""Something like that.""You know Hayes personally? I heard—""I don't."The lie tastes bitter.Because I do know him. I know the scar on his ribs from a skate blade. I know the way he takes his coffee. Black. No sugar. The way he hums in his sleep. The way his voice drops an octave when he's about to say something he doesn't want to say.I knew all of him.And then I destroyed him.The locker room door swings open.Players spill out. Big me

I SHOULDN'T HAVE COME BACK

Red.I stare at the dress hanging from my hotel closet.It's the same one from three years ago. The one he bought me. The one he tore off with his teeth."I can't wear this."My reflection doesn't answer.She just looks scared.I pull out my phone. Text Mason."This is insane.""Probably," he writes back. "But do you want the truth or not?""I want the interview.""Then wear the dress."I throw the phone on the bed.Shower. Hot. Scalding. Trying to burn off the nerves.It doesn't work.Nothing works.Because every time I close my eyes, I see Ethan's face in that hallway. The way his voice cracked when he said "a son."He didn't know.All this time, he didn't know about the baby.And now I have to tell him.Tonight.In his house.While his fake fiancée watches.The drive takes twenty-two minutes.I count every one.Lake Washington gleams black under the moon. The houses get bigger. The gates get taller. The air gets colder.His house sits at the end of a private road. Glass walls. Dark

HIS NAME ON MY SCREEN

His mouth is on my neck.Teeth. Tongue. Three years of hunger."I've dreamed about this," he says against my skin."How many times?""Every night.""Liar.""Count the nightmares, Thompson. That's how many."His hands slide under my dress. Find bare skin. No underwear. Just like Mason said."You planned this.""I planned the truth.""The dress. The timing. Coming alone." His fingers trace my hip. "You knew what would happen.""I hoped.""Hoped what?""That you still wanted me."His laugh is dark. Broken. "Wanting you was never the problem. Trusting you was.""Do you trust me now?""No.""Then why are you touching me?"He stops.Pulls back.Looks at me with eyes that have seen too much."Because I can't stop.""Then don't.""Ava—""I'm not asking you to marry me, Ethan. I'm not asking you to forgive me. I'm asking you to feel something. Anything. Because I've been numb for three years and you're the only thing that's ever made me feel alive."He stares at me.The war inside him plays ou

THE ICE CAPTAIN STARES

Morning light cuts through the bedroom windows like a blade.I'm alone in his bed.The sheets smell like him. Cedar. Ice. Something darker underneath.My dress hangs on the closet door. Red. Wrinkled. Evidence."Ethan?"No answer.The bathroom is empty. The shower is cold. His toothbrush is gone.I wrap myself in a sheet and walk downstairs.He's in the kitchen.Shirtless. Sweatpants. Coffee in one hand. Phone in the other."You left.""You were sleeping.""You could have woken me.""You needed rest." He doesn't look up from his phone. "You were crying in your sleep.""I don't cry.""You do." Now he looks. "You cry and you hum. Beethoven. I told you.""That was years ago.""Some things don't change.""Some things do."He sets down the phone. Walks to me. His hands find my waist under the sheet."You're right. Some things do change." His thumb traces my hipbone. "You're thinner. More scars. More secrets.""Everyone has secrets.""Not everyone hides them in hospital records." He pulls m

"YOU CAME BACK"

The black SUV has been behind us for forty-seven miles.Same plates. Tinted windows. Always three car lengths back."You're sure it's Vanessa?" I ask.Mason's knuckles are white on the steering wheel. "I recognize the driver. He works for her father.""Her real father? The truck driver?""Her real father is a former military contractor. He runs security for Darius." Mason glances in the rearview. "Vanessa isn't some random girl from Spokane. She's been trained.""Trained for what?""To protect the family. To eliminate threats." His voice drops. "To do whatever needs to be done."Ethan reaches into the glove compartment.Metal gleams.A gun."You have a firearm in your car?""I have a lot of things in my car." He checks the chamber. "I'm a public figure, Ava. People threaten me daily.""And you just carry a gun?""Only when I'm driving to Idaho to find my secret son." He almost smiles. "So. Today's special.""This isn't funny.""I'm not laughing."The SUV speeds up.Mason speeds up too

YOU WORK FOR ME NOW

The house in the hills smells like dust and forgotten things.Vanessa's mother's house. Old lace curtains. Yellowed photographs. A piano no one plays anymore."There's coffee in the kitchen," Vanessa says. "There's also a gun in the drawer next to the coffee. Don't touch it unless you need it."I sit at the kitchen table. Ethan stands by the window. Watching. Always watching.Mason is still in the car. He hasn't moved. I think he's afraid to face Ethan."We need a plan," I say."We need a miracle," Vanessa says."We need both."Ethan turns from the window. His eyes find mine. "You said you had evidence. On the flash drive.""I do.""Show me."I pull out my laptop. Plug in the drive. Folders open. Dates. Names. Transactions."These are the bank transfers. Darius to the hospital administrator. Fifty thousand dollars. For 'record keeping services.'""Translation?""He paid them to alter your file. To change the dates. To make it look like the baby was stillborn."Ethan's jaw tightens. "W

I REFUSE TO SHAKE

The FBI building looks like a prison with better lighting.Vanessa walks ahead of me. Heels clicking on marble. Hair perfect. Suit expensive. She looks like she owns the place instead of being a witness in a federal investigation."Stop staring," she says without turning around."Stop looking like you're about to betray us.""If I was going to betray you, I would have done it in the mountains. Alone. With a shovel.""Charming.""I'm not here to be charming. I'm here to put my father in prison."We stop at a metal detector. A guard checks my bag. My phone. My recorder."No electronics beyond this point.""I'm a journalist.""You're a visitor. Leave it here."I hand over my phone. My recorder. My dignity.Vanessa smirks. "First time?""Shut up."---The conference room is small. Gray walls. Gray table. Gray faces.Two agents sit across from us. Agent Morrison — fifty, grey hair, grey suit, grey eyes. Agent Park — thirty, sharp, watching everything."Miss Thompson." Morrison doesn't stan

SIGN THE CONTRACT

Vanessa bursts through the door at 6 AM.Her hair is wild. Her eyes are wilder. She's still wearing last night's clothes."Darius knows about the FBI."I'm on my feet before my brain catches up. "What?""He has a contact in the building. Someone who saw you. Someone who told him everything."Ethan appears in the doorway. Shirtless. Sleep in his eyes. "How do you know?""Because my father just called me." Vanessa holds up her phone. "He wants me to meet him. At the airport. In two hours.""Why?""Because he's moving Noah. Tonight. Somewhere Darius can't find him.""Where?""He didn't say. He doesn't trust me anymore." Vanessa's voice cracks. "He knows I've been helping you.""Then why are you here?""Because I'm choosing." She looks at me. "I'm choosing you."Ethan crosses the room. "If you're lying—""I'm not lying." Vanessa shoves her phone at him. "Read the texts. Read them. Tell me I'm lying."Ethan reads. His face goes pale."She's telling the truth.""What do we do?" I ask."We g

YOU WORK FOR ME NOW

The motel room door explodes inward.Men in black. Tactical gear. Guns drawn. The fluorescent light from the hallway floods the room like a searchlight."Get on the ground! Now!"Ethan throws himself over Noah. His body covers our son completely. His hand finds my arm. Pulls me down too."Federal agents! Hands where I can see them!"I'm on the floor. Face pressed to cheap carpet. Noah is screaming. Ethan is talking low and fast. "It's okay, buddy. It's okay. Daddy's here.""Daddy?" The agent's voice is sharp. "You're Ethan Hayes?""I'm Ethan Hayes.""We have a warrant for your arrest. And Ava Thompson. Kidnapping. Interstate flight. Federal charges.""That's not—""You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law."I feel cold metal on my wrists. Handcuffs. They're handcuffing me."Noah!" I scream. "Don't hurt him. He's just a child. He's not involved—""Nobody's hurting the child." A female agent picks Noah up. He's crying. Reac

HE KNOWS MY FACE

The press room is packed.Every seat filled. Cameras lining the back wall. Reporters elbow to elbow, phones raised, recorders ready.I stand behind the curtain. My hands are shaking. My heart is pounding."You don't have to do this," Ethan says."Yes I do.""We can cancel. We can reschedule. We can—""Ethan." I turn to him. "I've been hiding for three years. I'm done hiding."He cups my face. Kisses my forehead. "I'm right here.""I know.""I'm not going anywhere.""I know.""Ready?""Ready."The curtain parts.I walk onto the stage.Every camera turns to me. Every voice stops. The room holds its breath.Ethan is at the podium. He's waiting for me. His hand finds mine as I approach."Ladies and gentlemen," he says. "Thank you for coming."The room stays silent."This is Ava Thompson. She's a journalist. She's the mother of my son. And she's the love of my life."The room erupts."Mr. Hayes, is it true you were kidnapped?""Miss Thompson, how does it feel to be reunited with your son?"

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