Page 89 of Icy Pucking Play

Because I'm hurt. Because I'm angry. Because I want to understand why Evan pushed me away.

Because maybe if I understand what happened before, I can fix what's happening now.

"I'm here because…"

"Because you're just like her," Clark interrupts. "Ambitious. Talented. Too good to be stuck in Evan Daniel’s shadow."

"I'm nothing like Chelsea."

"No?" His smile turns cruel. "Then why are you having dinner with the man who slept with his wife?"

The words nearly make me double over.

Because suddenly everything makes sense. All of it. Every damn bit.

Evan's reaction to Clark, his fear of mixing personal and business, his walls...

"You..." My voice shakes. "You and Chelsea?"

"Oh, did he not tell you that part?" Clark's laugh is ugly now. "About how his perfect marriage ended because his wife chose me? Because I could give her what he couldn't?"

"And what was that?"

"Freedom. Opportunity. A chance to be more than just the Ice Man's wife." He drains his scotch. "The same things I could give you."

"What are you talking about?"

"This feature you're writing? It could be explosive. The real story of hockey's most notorious family. All their dirty secrets laid bare..." He pulls out a business card and lays it on the table in front of me. "I could help you tell it. Make sure it gets the right attention."

I stare at the card, feeling sick. "You want me to exploit them?"

"I want you to tell the truth. All of it." His smile is all teeth. "Starting with how the Ice Man's new girlfriend was seen having intimate dinners with his ex-wife's lover."

"Is that what this is? A setup?"

"This is an opportunity, Sophie. The kind that only comes once." He slides the card closer to me. "The question is: are you smart enough to take it?"

I stand up so fast my chair nearly tips. "Go to hell."

"Careful." His voice hardens. "You don't want to make an enemy of me. Just ask Evan how that worked out for him."

"Actually," a familiar voice growls from behind me, "why don't you tell her yourself?"

I turn to find Evan standing there, looking more dangerous than I've ever seen him.

Clark's smile doesn't waver. "Well, well. Just like old times, my friend. Come to protect another woman from my evil influence?"

"Come to finish what I should have done three years ago."

What happens next feels like slow motion…

Clark stands, straightening his tie. "You always were dramatic. Tell me, does Sophie know why you really didn't fight the divorce? Why you let Chelsea walk away with…"

He doesn't finish the sentence.

Because Evan's fist connects with his jaw, sending him sprawling across the table.

Crystal shatters. Wine spills. Someone screams.

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