All Chapters of Heart On Ice, Puck The Rules : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Nova's POV “Lilly… Lilly is dead?”Lydia kept repeating it, the words scraping out of a throat that hadn’t been used in years. Tears welled fast and spilled over, tracking down the scarred side of her face.“Mrs. Tran!” I called, not taking my eyes off Lydia. “She needs water—please!”Footsteps rushed down the hall. The door pushed open. Mrs. Tran froze in the doorway when she saw her daughter’s wet face and moving mouth.“She spoke,” I said. “She spoke.”Mrs. Tran was at the bed in two strides. Lydia looked up at her, eyes wide and shining.“Mom.”The sound of that single word broke whatever had been holding Mrs. Tran together. She pulled her daughter into her arms and the two of them cried—raw, shaking sobs that filled the small dim room. I stayed still on the edge of the bed, throat tight, watching years of locked-up grief finally spill out.After a long time Mrs. Tran pulled back just enough to cup Lydia’s face. She grabbed the water bottle from the nightstand, twisted the cap of

Nova's POV I had been avoiding him since the rink.Not obviously. Just enough. Leaving class a little faster. Answering his texts with shorter replies. Finding reasons to be busy when he waited by my locker. I told myself I needed time before I explained the transplant, the memories, the way I had gone down in his arms. The truth was I didn’t know how to look him in the eye and pretend the doctor’s words hadn’t changed everything between us.Priya was different.I didn’t avoid her. I just stopped giving her anything that mattered. I smiled when she expected it. I laughed at the right moments. I let her walk beside me in the halls like nothing had shifted. But every plan, every note about Harper, every thought about Lydia stayed locked in my head or in the notebook I never let her see. If she could lock a girl in a burning lab to save herself, she could hand me over to Harper the second it became convenient.I was rearranging books in my locker when a voice spoke right behind me.“How

Nova's POV I raised the camera like someone else was moving my arms.The flash went off before I could stop it.White light hit the black water and for one split second the surface wasn’t water anymore. It was a face. Lily’s face. On the ground. Blood pouring from her nose. Eyes wide open and staring straight through the lens.Help me.The words weren’t sound. They just arrived in my head, raw and terrified.I clicked again without thinking. The image jumped closer. Blood. Open mouth. Those eyes.I stepped back hard.My back hit something solid.“Hey—hey. Are you okay?”Ryker.I turned and it was him and I didn’t think. I just grabbed the front of his hoodie and held on. My face pressed into his chest. I needed something real. Something that wasn’t that face in the water.His arms came around me immediately.“Nova. Breathe. I’ve got you. What happened?”I couldn’t answer. My heart was slamming so hard it hurt. I kept seeing the blood. The eyes. Help me.He rubbed my back in slow circ

Harper's POV I watched them from the edge of the clearing and smiled. Nova actually thought my silence meant I had accepted it. That I had decided to play nice and let her keep walking around with Ryker like she belonged there. Cute. I had only been waiting. Letting her drop her guard. Letting her believe the worst was already over. People always made that mistake with me. They thought quiet meant finished. It never did. The main clearing was full that afternoon. Someone had speakers going. A few couples were already making out on the far benches like the teachers had gone blind. Hockey guys clustered near the drinks table. Cheerleaders took up space in the middle, dancing to whatever was playing. The usual noise. The usual show. Ryker stood with his teammates, laughing at something one of them said. His hand was still wrapped from earlier. Good. Let everyone remember he had lost control for her. It made the next part cleaner. I already knew where Nova was. Priya had texted t

Nova's POV The accusations started before I could even get the jacket fully closed. Harper’s voice cut through everything. “I told you they were sleeping together. Look at her. Top off. His jacket on. What else do you need?” Other students piled on immediately. Someone said they had always looked too close. Someone else claimed they had seen Mr. Grey watching me during the trip. The words came fast and ugly. Phones stayed up. No one cared that I was still shaking and dripping river water. Teachers tried to push the crowd back. It barely worked. “I was drowning,” I said, loud enough to carry. “Someone pushed me in. I couldn’t stay up. He pulled me out. That is all that happened.” Harper laughed. “How does a person suddenly forget how to swim? Convenient story.” More voices agreed with her. The noise swelled. Priya appeared at the edge of the crowd holding a bag of snacks. She took one look at me, at the jacket, at the circle of staring faces, and the bag hit the ground. She