When Trust Is Gone - The Quarterback's Regret Novels & Stories

Or myself, for trusting so easily, for never questioning enough? I lowered myself back onto the edge of the armrest, staring into the space between them. "So what now?" I whispered. No one spoke. The air was heavy with unsaid things. The pain, the confusion, the questions still forming at the edge of my mind. But one thing was clear—I couldn’t go back. The trust that once existed between us would never be the same. But still, I had to move forward. For Josh. For the truth. For everything we were trying to put right.

Quiet and completely certain. I looked out the window. I keep replaying it, every word they said, every moment I chose to ignore the quiet warnings in my gut. I trusted him—fully, blindly—and that trust is what led me straight into their hands. It’s a heavy thing to carry, knowing that my own judgment put me there, that I walked willingly beside the very person who would betray me. Even now, safe and breathing, there’s a part of me that feels left behind in that moment, still caught between disbelief and shame. I should have known. I should have seen it. And that “should have” echoes louder than anything else. “Is Noah by any chance Russian or have roots to them?”

I didn't know why but he seemed so sure of things that I had no choice but to trust him. His confidence was contagious but there was that little bit of doubt that kept creeping around my mind. What if this really was it? What if Mike would succeed this time? “Well, she's lucky to have you as he father. Knowinh you, I don't even know why I was so bothered,” Tristan said. “I've not been retired up to a year. Have you lost faith in me so soon, Tristan?” Seeing Tristan relax was like a cue to my brain to follow suit. I heaved a sign even though I wasn't quite relieved.

I felt a lump rise in my throat as I watched him, his shoulders stiff and his expression unreadable. “They didn’t care about anything except their own ambition,” he said. “I was just a kid, and they turned my whole life into ash. All because they thought they deserved a bigger piece of the pie.” I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t imagine that kind of loss, that kind of betrayal. But his pain was so clear, etched into every word. Finally, I whispered, “I’m sorry.” He gave a short, bitter laugh, shaking his head. “Don’t be. It taught me something important. Trust is a liability. Even family can turn on you if the price is right.”

Now that the wedding is approaching, I feel a sense of regret. Regret for what? I'm not sure. Is it because I rush into things? Or is it about trust? “ No, I didn't rush into it; it's about trust.” I shake my head as I murmur to myself, I don't want to doubt myself, or everything will go sideways. “ What about trust?” His voice startled me. Swinging my legs off the couch, I watched him walk towards me. “ Do you not trust someone?” He whispered against my lips, and the heat from his body sent goosebumps down my body.

"Did you think about this day when you took that hush money?" "It's not up to you anymore!" I looked despairingly at the man I had spent my life protecting, tears streaming uncontrollably: "Kael, trust me just this once, please..." "That memory... you really can't see it." Kael let out a scoff, his eyes bloodshot, looking as if he wanted to devour me alive: "Trust you?" "The biggest regret of my life is ever trusting a hypocrite like you!" "Now, open your eyes and watch the big screen."

Finally, another message appeared. "I don't trust you." Ryan closed his eyes. He couldn't argue with that. "I know." The conversation ended. Ryan sat in the silence of his penthouse, realizing for the first time what true regret felt like.

As soon as those words leave my mouth, I instantly regret what it does to him. But it’s too late. He goes completely still. His throat visibly tightens, so hard he can’t speak. His face crumbles, his jaw clenches, his shoulders sag like all the fight has been drained out of him in a single sentence. “Luke,” I say quietly. “I’m sorry I sounded harsh—” “No, you’re right?” He whispers. “I’m the one who’s lost everything. Basketball. My future. Your trust.” His eyes drop to the floor. He can’t look at me anymore.

Even when I was at my most frustrated, her unwavering support had always been there, a lighthouse in the storm. But had I irrevocably damaged that trust? Had my choices, and my actions pushed her too far? Regret gnawed at me, a bitter pill I couldn't swallow. I wanted to reach out, to apologize, to explain the tangled web of circumstances that had led me down this path. But what if she didn't want to hear it? What if the hurt ran too deep, the forgiveness too far out of reach? Despair threatened to engulf me. The future, once filled with hope and possibility, now seemed shrouded in uncertainty. Would Chloe remain caught in the crossfire between Jenna and me? Did I truly have to choose betwee

“If something happened that night, something I don’t remember then I deserve to know.” He stepped toward her, hand outstretched, but she pulled back. “Trust isn’t something we talk about anymore,” Juliette said. “It’s something we lost.” She turned. “Juliette—” His voice caught. “I never stopped loving you.” She paused at the door. “Then stop loving me like I’m a risk to be handled. Start loving me like I’m the person you’re supposed to fight beside.” And then she was gone. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ That evening, Juliette sat parked outside the old hospital where she had given birth. The building loomed, weather-worn, ind