Chapter 15
693words
Two Months Later, the All-Star Game in Toronto was supposed to be a celebration. For me, it felt like a death march.
I had barely made the roster, voted in on past reputation rather than current performance. The Glaciers were in freefall. My knee was held together by cortisone shots and sheer stubbornness.
"Smile, babe!" Sophia chirped, linking her arm through mine as we walked down the tunnel toward the ice level.
She was wearing a silver dress that was too tight, showing off her six-month bump. She loved the cameras. She waved at the reporters, soaking up the attention.
"Liam! Liam!" a reporter shouted. "Rumors say you're playing through a torn meniscus. Is that true?"
"I feel great," I lied through my teeth. "Best shape of my life."
We reached the VIP area near the benches. The Eastern Conference team, my team, was warming up.
But the crowd's attention wasn't on us. A roar went up from the other side of the arena.
The Western Conference team was coming out. The Boston Titans.
And leading them was Noah Blackwood.
He skated onto the ice like a king surveying his kingdom. He looked huge, powerful, and infuriatingly healthy. He took a lap, waving to the fans, exuding the kind of confidence I used to have.
Then, he skated over to the Titans' bench. He stopped and leaned over the railing to talk to someone in the staff area.
I squinted.
The staff were all wearing the Titans' signature midnight blue suits. But one figure stood out.
A woman.
She was standing with her back to me, reviewing a clipboard. She wore a tailored navy blue blazer and matching trousers that fit her perfectly. Her hair, usually messy when she was with me, was styled in sleek, glossy waves cascading down her back.
Noah said something to her. She threw her head back and laughed.
It was a sound I hadn't heard in years. A free, genuine laugh.
She turned around.
My heart stopped beating. The noise of the arena faded into a dull buzz.
It was Elena.
But it wasn't the Elena I knew. The Elena I knew wore oversized hoodies and looked exhausted. She wore glasses and no makeup.
This woman was radiant.
She wasn't wearing glasses. Her makeup was sharp, accentuating her eyes. She looked professional, powerful, and devastatingly beautiful.
And she was wearing a Titan's ID badge around her neck.
"No way," Sophia whispered beside me. Her grip on my arm tightened until her nails dug in. "Is that... is that her?"
Elena handed a water bottle to a player, the Titans' star rookie. He smiled at her, looking at her with total respect. She patted his shoulder, said something that made him nod seriously, and then turned back to Noah.
Noah reached out. He didn't just take the clipboard from her. His hand lingered on hers. He brushed a stray hair from her forehead.
The intimacy of the gesture hit me like a physical punch.
She was supposed to be deported. She was supposed to be crying in a cheap motel room. She was supposed to be broken without me.
Instead, she was the Head Team Doctor for the best team in the league.
Rage, hot and blinding, surged through me.
She stole my data. She stole my protocols. And she gave them to him.
"That traitor," I hissed.
"She can't be here," Sophia said, her voice trembling with jealousy. "She doesn't have a visa! Liam, do something!"
"Oh, I'll do something," I said.
I forgot about my knee. I forgot about the cameras. I forgot about the public image I was trying so hard to save.
All I saw was my wife, my property, wearing another man's colors.
I shoved past the security guard.
"Mr. Sterling, you can't go over there!" the guard shouted.
I ignored him. I marched across the zone separating the two teams. I needed to grab her. I needed to drag her back to where she belonged.
She looked up as I approached.
She didn't flinch. She didn't look scared.
She smiled. And it was the coldest thing I had ever seen.
