All Chapters of OFFSIDE HEARTS: His Dr. Anchor : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

EthanHer quiet, steady footsteps move through the hallway toward the kitchen. By the time I push through my own door, she is already fully dressed for work.Her dark hair is tied back neatly into that flawless, professional bun, and she is wearing the same calm, clinical expression she had yesterday afternoon. It looks as though absolutely nothing has changed between us. Only I know better.Her travel mug sits beside her leather bag on the kitchen island. The velvet box remains exactly where she left it on the marble, and she doesn't even glance at it as she moves around the counter."Morning."The single word lands heavily between us. It isn't Good morning. It isn't Ethan. It is just a flat, detached variable."Maya," I say, my voice a low, gravelly vibration as I take a careful step closer, leaving enough physical space between us that she won't feel cornered near the counter. "We need to talk.""I have to be at the training centre by eight," she replies smoothly, placing her mug b

Ethan By two a.m., I have counted every shadow on my bedroom ceiling and replayed every mistake from training until they blur together. The manager’s warning keeps coming back.The man I watched today isn’t ready to lead this team onto a pitch.The worst part is that he’s right. In two days, we travel to Madrid, and my head is everywhere except football. After another useless attempt to sleep, I throw back the covers and pull on a pair of grey sweatpants.The penthouse is silent as I cross the dark corridor toward the home gym. Maya’s bedroom door remains closed.I tell myself I am relieved. I do not want her seeing me like this again.The gym lights stay off. The glow from London’s skyline is enough to guide me toward the treadmill.I start slowly, but within minutes it isn’t enough. I increase the speed until my feet are pounding against the belt, each step harder than the last. Sweat gathers along my spine as I concentrate on the rhythm, trying to outrun everything that keeps foll

Maya A few hours later, Madrid hits us with heat and noise and so many cameras flashing before we’ve even cleared customs.Reporters are packed against the barriers the second the team comes through arrivals, yelling over each other in English and Spanish as flashbulbs erupt across the terminal. Everyone is trying to reach the bus without looking like they’re running.Ethan’s next to me in the club’s travel suit, face doing that unreadable thing. Yesterday I’d have been watching every muscle in his jaw, trying to figure out how close he was to cracking. Today I actually know the difference between him being under pressure and him spiraling.He’s not spiraling. He’s just locked in.Somebody leans over the barrier. “Ethan! How you feeling about tomorrow?”Someone else, right on top of it: “Dr. Bennett, still standing by the captain after Chloe Vance came back?”His hand lands at the small of my back, steering me forward, not slowing down for either question. Neither of us answers.Marc

Ethan The victory should feel bigger than this.Westbridge has just beaten Madrid Atletico 2–1 in their own stadium. My winning goal is already replaying across every sports network in Europe, the away supporters are still chanting somewhere beyond the hotel walls, and the team has taken over the private dining room downstairs to celebrate.Instead, the three of us are sitting in our suite in exhausted silence.Marcus occupies one end of the sofa, his jacket abandoned beside him while he scrolls through messages from sponsors, journalists and club officials. Every few seconds, another notification lights his screen.“Two million views on the goal already,” he says, sounding too tired to be impressed. “Madrid Atletico’s manager is blaming the referee, the board wants a statement before midnight, and Ryan has apparently convinced half the squad that champagne counts as post-match hydration.”I lean back in the armchair opposite him, a bottle of water resting between my hands. My legs a

Maya The sound of the operating theatre doors opening pulls both of us to our feet.For one terrifying second, I can't make my legs move.Every possible outcome flashes through my mind at once.Ethan's hand finds mine. A silent reminder that I'm not standing here alone.The chief neurosurgeon steps into the corridor, removing his s