Page 139 of Check & Chase
“Worse,” I mutter, dropping onto the couch beside her like a marionette with cut strings. “I’ve been placed on administrative leave pending an ethics investigation into my relationship with Chase.”
“What?” She sits up straight, outrage written across her face in bold letters. “That’s bullshit! You recused yourself from his care!”
“Try telling that to CarinaReed,” I reply bitterly. “She filed a formal complaint with the league.”
Maya’s face twists with anger. “That vindictive bitch. Can they even do this? Put you on leave over accusations with no evidence?”
“Standard procedure, apparently.” I pull the statement from my bag, handing it to her with hands that still tremble slightly. “They’ve prepared this for me to sign.”
Maya scans the document, her frown deepening with each line. “This sounds like it was written by robots. You can’t sign this.”
“I don’t have much choice.”
“Then write your own,” she insists with the fierce loyalty that’s made her my best friend for years. “Something that actually sounds like you, not some corporate lawyer’s idea of damage control.”
Before I can respond, my phone buzzes with a notification from my news app:Bears Forward Chase Mitchell Confronts Former Girlfriend at Local Restaurant, Sources Say.
My stomach drops as I tap the alert, opening a gossip site with a blurry photo of Chase and Carina arguing in what looks like the parking lot of Bistro Moderne.
“Son of a bitch,” I mutter, scanning the brief article that turns my blood to ice water.
“What?” Maya asks, alerted by my tone.
I show her the phone, watching her face mirror my own horror. “He said he wouldn’t confront her.”
I dial Chase’s number, blood boiling with renewed fury. It goes straight to voicemail, which only makes things worse.
“Damn it!”
“Maybe it’s not what it looks like,” she suggests, though she doesn’t sound convinced.
“It’s exactly what it looks like,” I say, grabbing my keys. “He went straight from promising not to confront her to doing exactly that. At a public restaurant, where anyone could take photos. During an ethics investigation!”
“Where are you going?”
“To find my idiot boyfriend before he completely destroys both our careers.”
The drive to Chase’s house feels both too long and too short, fury and fear fueling me in equal measure. By the time I pull into his driveway, some of my initial rage has cooled, replaced by a deeper hurt that cuts more sharply than anger ever could.
He opens the door before I can knock, looking remorseful and haggard. His hair is a mess, and there’s a tension in his shoulders I’ve neverseen before, like he’s carrying the weight of the world and it’s slowly crushing him.
“I’m sorry,” he blurts before I can say anything.
“You promised.” I brush past him into the house, needing space to process his betrayal.
“I know.” He trails after me into the living room like a lost puppy. “But I had to do something, Emma. I couldn’t just sit back while she fucked with your job.”
“So instead you created a public scene that will only make things worse?” I turn to face him, arms crossed defensively. “Do you have any idea how this looks?”
“I don’t care how it looks,” he snaps, his own frustration finally showing. “I care about the truth.”
“The truth doesn’t matter if no one believes it! This isn’t a game, Chase. This is my career—everything I’ve worked for since my skating accident!”
He flinches as if I’ve struck him. “I know. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Clearly.” I drop onto the couch, suddenly drained of all energy. “What did you even say to her?”
He sinks down beside me, leaving careful space between us. “I asked her to retract the complaint. Told her I knew she was behind it. That her vendetta against us was pathetic.”
