Page 151 of Check & Chase
My jaw tightens, anger flaring hot and immediate. “If you came here to gloat, you’re wasting your time.”
“Actually,” she continues, stepping closer with the predatory grace of someone used to getting what she wants, “I came to offer comfort. We were good together once, Chase. We could be again.”
The suggestion is so absurd I almost laugh. “Are you serious? After everything you’ve done—filing a false complaint, trying to ruin Emma’s career—you think I’d want anything to do with you?”
She doesn’t even look ashamed. If anything, her chin lifts with defiance. “Everything I did was for us, Chase. To remove the obstacles keeping us apart.”
“There is no ‘us.’ There never will be again. What we had was a mistake. A mistake I regretted long before I got with Emma.”
Her expression hardens. “You don’t mean that. You’re just upset about that little blonde. She’ll move on, and you’ll realize what you really want.”
“I know exactly what I want,” I declare, my voice low with absolute certainty. “And it’s not you. It never was.”
“You’re making a mistake,” she hisses.
“Goodbye, Carina. Don’t come here again.”
I shut the door on her protests, leaning against it as I listen to her heels clicking angrily down the front steps. Through the window, I watch her storm back to her car.
The encounter leaves me feeling oddly cleansed, as if I’ve finally cut away something parasitic that had been draining me for years. But as I move through my empty house, the momentary clarity fades, replaced by the crushing weight of Emma’s absence.
Max pads into the hallway, his soft meow breaking the silence. He looks up at me with wide, questioning eyes, tail curling around my leg in a gesture that somehow conveys both comfort and reproach.
“I know, buddy,” I murmur, crouching down to run a hand over his sleek black fur. “I screwed up. I’m sorry.”
Max meows again, quieter this time, and rests his head against my knee. Even my cat knows I’m a disaster without her.
The team breakfast the next morning is somber, the recent loss still fresh in everyone’s minds. I pick at my food while conversations flow around me, the familiar sounds of teammates discussing strategy and upcoming games feeling distant and unimportant.
I’m about to excuse myself when Tyler slips into the vacant chair next to me, his voice low and urgent.
“We need to talk.”
“If this is about last night’s game, I’ve already heard it from the coach.”
“It’s about Emma. I testified at her ethics hearing.”
That gets my attention. I set down my fork, giving him my full focus. “You what?”
“I testified about Carina’s plan, about how she manipulated Andrea into accessing the medical records. The commission cleared Emma of all charges.”
I stare at him, processing this information. Relief wars with regret—she’s been exonerated, but I wasn’t there to support her through it. “Why would you do that?”
“Because it was the right thing to do. And because I owed her that much.”
“Did you see her? How is she?”
Tyler gives me a look that sees right through my attempt at trying to fish for information. “She’s holding up, but she’s hurt, Chase. Really hurt. And I don’t just mean by the complaint.”
The implied accusation stings. “I know. I’m trying to fix it.”
“Try harder,” he urges bluntly. “Because she’s considering taking a job with the Wolves.”
“The Wolves?” The words hit like a physical blow. “Jackson’s team?”
“Head physical therapist position. Her brother set it up. They want her there for the playoffs.”
The playoffs, which start next week. The realization that she could be two hours away, building a new life without me, sends panic racing through my veins.
