All Chapters of Lessons For The Hockey Captain : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Ivy Pov:"You're saying she's still not safe," I said slowly, the words feeling foreign in my mouth even as understanding crashed over me. "Even now, after surgery, someone could still get to her.""I'm saying we need to take precautions," Dr. Whitmore said carefully. "I've already spoken with the hospital administration about restricting access to her recovery room. Only approved staff, verified against a strict list, will be permitted near her from this point forward. I've also alerted hospital security given the seriousness of what we've found.""Is that enough?" Noah asked, his voice tight. "If someone's been getting past whatever safeguards already existed for weeks, what makes new restrictions any different?""It's not foolproof," Dr. Whitmore admitted. "But it's the strongest measure we can take immediately. I'd also recommend, once she's stable enough, considering whether she should be discharged to a private facility with tighter security once she's ready to leave our care."

Ivy Pov:I stared at the message, my stomach twisting into a knot so tight it made it hard to breathe. He's already left the house."What does that mean?" Noah asked, reading over my shoulder, his voice sharpening with alarm. "Left to go where?""I don't know," I said, my thumb already moving to call her back. The phone rang twice before she answered, her voice hushed and rushed."Ivy, I don't have long.""Where did he go?" I asked. "Diane, if he knows you're testifying, if he's already on the move, we need to know what he's planning.""I don't know exactly," she admitted, "but he took the car registered under his assistant's name, not his own, which he only does when he doesn't want to be tracked easily and he made a call before he left, something about needing to handle loose ends before tonight."Loose ends, and the phrase settled cold and ugly in my chest."Diane, are you safe right now?" I asked. "Should you even be going to this hearing if he's aware you're turning against him?"

Noah Pov:I shoved the phone in my pocket and turned to Ivy, my heart hammering so hard I could feel it in my throat. "She said hurry, said she could hear him in the other room.""Then we go," Ivy said instantly, already moving toward the door."Wait." Lockwood's hand landed firmly on my shoulder. "Both of you, slow down. If Reyes is genuinely dangerous enough to have hurt his own wife, walking in there without backup is reckless.""Then call the police and tell them to meet us there," I said. "But Coach, if we wait for every protocol to line up perfectly, we might be too late."Lockwood studied me for a long moment, then exhaled sharply, already reaching for his own phone. "Fine but you're not walking in there alone. I'm coming, and campus security follows immediately behind us."The officer who'd delivered the footage earlier nodded firmly. "I'll radio local PD, give them the address the second Morgan sends it. Mr. Carter, what's the location?"I checked my phone, sending Morgan a

Ivy Pov:I stared at the notification, the countdown suddenly feeling more real than it had at any other point over the past two chaotic days, less than one hour after everything that had just happened…Reyes in handcuffs, Diane in an ambulance, Morgan sobbing at her mother's side…the fellowship felt like it belonged to a different universe entirely, one where my biggest problem was choosing between two good things instead of surviving one bad one."What is it?" Noah asked, noticing my expression shift."The fellowship," I said quietly. "Final deadline…less than an hour."He was silent for a moment, studying my face carefully. "Have you thought any more about it?""I haven't had a single second to think about anything except staying alive tonight," I admitted, a broken laugh escaping me despite everything. "Noah, how am I supposed to make a decision like this in the middle of all this?""Maybe you don't need an hour to figure it out," he said gently. "Maybe you already know what you w

Ivy Pov:The message glowed on Noah's screen, and for a moment, neither of us moved, the words settling over the quiet hospital room like something physically suffocating. I know exactly where you're staying tonight."We need to call Ramirez," I said, my voice shaking despite my effort to stay calm. "Right now."Noah was already dialing, pacing a tight line near the window while the phone rang, Anna hovering close beside me, her hand finding mine in a silent gesture of support. This was the only thing I needed at that moment and if she hadn’t held my hand, I wasn’t too sure I would have been able to survive what happened next."Detective Ramirez," Noah said the second the call connected, "we just got another message. Same as before, threatening, but this time whoever sent it knows we spoke to you tonight, and they know where we are right now."I couldn't hear Ramirez's response, but Noah's expression tightened with every word, his pacing growing faster, more agitated."You think it's