Page 33 of Second Sin

I stare at him. Blink. Once. Twice. I won't cry. Won't yell. I just say quietly, “My husband died three years ago.”

There’s a flicker in his eyes—shock, maybe. Regret. But it’s too late.You can’t uncut someone after the knife’s already gone in.The silence is thick. Pressing. Heavy. He doesn’t speak. Doesn’t reach for me. Just stands there, like the damage isn’t already done.

I don’t wait.

I turn and walk away.

He doesn’t follow.

And I don’t look back.

Because if I do…I’ll break.

CHAPTER 13

SEBASTIAN

Iwatch her walk away, each step cutting a deeper line down the center of my chest. She doesn’t look back. Of course she doesn’t. I don’t deserve that.

My husband died three years ago.

Those words won’t stop ringing in my ears. The way her voice cracked. The way she folded into herself like she was trying to keep everything from falling out.

I didn’t just cross a line. I torched it. Burned it to ash.

Jesus. What the hell is wrong with me?

I stand there long after she’s gone, cold air gnawing at my skin like penance. And maybe it is.

I thought she was married. I thought?—

No. I didn’t think.

I reacted.

Like I always fucking do when something touches a nerve I thought I buried deep enough.

I hurt her.Bad.

And she didn’t deserve it. Not one second of it.

By the time I get to practice, my mood’s a slow-rolling storm.

I skate like shit. Miss passes. Blow coverage. Branson shoots me a look after I tank a play, and I shove him without thinking. Doesn’t take much for it to escalate—gloves fly, fists connect.

Whistles scream. Kane’s pulling me off, yelling something I don’t hear.

Everything’s a blur.

After practice, the locker room is heavy with tension. No one talks to me. Good. I don’t want them to.

Until Ryder opens his damn mouth.

"You swingin' for the opposing team now, Wilde? Or just pissed your flavor of the month shut you down?"

I’m on him before I think. Fist to jaw. Shoulder to the wall.

Kane rips me back again, his voice low and sharp. "Enough. You want to get suspended? Keep going."

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