The Hockey Star’s Remorse

Chapter 49
He is still quiet. With one last glance at him, I quictly left the room.
As she walked down the hospital corridor, I felt the exhaustion return in full force.
I had crossed so many of my own boundaries just in the past couple of hours. It
made one issue of mine more evident:
Timothy and I were far from over.
I stumbled through the door of the apartment, my body weak with exhaustion and
hunger. The events from the woods still weighed heavily on me, and I felt like I
could barely stand.
Aria popped up from around the corner. As soon as she saw me, she came
rushing towards me, her eyes wide with worry.
“Oh, my goodness, Evie! What happened? Are you okay?” Aria asked rapidly.
“I-1 need to get his blood off of me,” I blurted out, tripping over my words.
They didn’t seem to register to her at first as she stood there and blinked at me
for a few seconds. Finally, it seemed to commute, and she backed away, holding
her hands up.
“Oh! Yeah, go take a long bath,” she begged, clasping her hands together.
I nodded, already shuffling toward the bathroom down the hall. Just before I
closed the door, she shouted, “I'l make you some dinner!”
I stood before the mirror, my reflection a dark expression of my reality. My face
was ashen, smeared with dirt and blood. My brown eyes, usually bright with
determination, were red and strained.
With a deep breath, I tore my gaze away from the mirror. There was work to be
done, decisions to be made, and I couldn't afford to dwell on my appearance any
longer. Besides, Timothy was in far worse condition than me.
I stepped away from the mirror and switched on the shower, already relaxing at
the sight of the powerful streams shooting from the shower head. I peeled off my
clothes and stepped in.
The water cascaded over me, mingling with the tears that streamed down my
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0
hopen an
cheeks I grabbed the shampoo and squirted it in my hair before working it in with
my nails. The red film of blood on my skin washed away at my feet and swirled
down the drain, erasing all evidence of its existence.
If only the water could wash away my thoughts. As the water flowed over my
face. I couldn't stop replaying the event of Bruce's knife sinking into Timothy's
skin. Bruce didn’t even think Timothy would risk it, but he had been wrong.
My relationship with Timothy was a dangerous dance on the edge of disaster. He
was my client, and I was his lawyer. Yet, there I was kissing his cheek in the
hospital.
1 could chop it off to pity, but I was just as pitiful for caving in.
I scrubbed my skin raw, breaking off the last remnants of debris until I was left
with a sense of purification.
Wrapping myself in a towel. I stepped into the bedroom and caught a glimpse of
myself in the body-length mirror. I still looked weathered, and a bruise I hadn't
noticed on the side of my face was visibly purple. But I was clean.
1 got
dressed in some sweatpants and a large sweatshirt, the cold still clinging to me,
before stepping back into the living room. Aria was at the stove, stirring pasta in a
large pot as marinara sauce sizzled in the pan beside it.
The tangy aroma lifted my spirits ever so slightly and I drifted into the kitchen. As
1 slid onto one of the seats at the counter, the chair legs squeaked beneath my
weight. This caught Aria’s attention as she then whipped around. spoon still in
hand.
I crossed my arms over the table and hunched over. She looked ready to burst
with questions, but I could tell she was holding it all in.
“I don’t know where to start,” I said, my voice quivering.
Aria set down the spoon, finally realizing she was dripping sauce everywhere,
before walking over to me. Take your time, Evie. I'm here for you,” she said.
soothingly.
She placed her hands on my arms and suddenly snatched them away. Without a
second thought, she rushed to grab a blanket from off the couch, then draped it
over my shoulders. She then brought me a glass of water that I wound up gulping
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Chapter 49
down in one sitting.
“Start from the beginning,” Aria encouraged, rubbing circles on my back.
“Bruce wanted money,” I said finally. “But I told him that I wouldn't give it to him,
so he got Timothy involved.”
Avria’s face turned pale. “That monster! I can't believe he would do such a thing.”
she seethed.
“He kept me tied up and taunted me until Timothy came. Then he-" I cut myself,
reminded of Timothy's pained cry as he collapsed. “Il was so scared, Aria!”
Aria took my hand and held it tightly. “You're safe now, Evie. He won't hurt you.
again,” she assured me.
“He' still out there!”
Aria grunted. “Then we need to call the police. They need to find Bruce and make
sure he can't hurt anyone else,” she said firmly.
“Because they've been so receptive before,” I said bitterly. “They'll investigate,
then say that there's no direct evidence.”
“Evie, you can't let him get away with this,” Aria said, letting go of me. “He
kidnapped you, and he stabbed Timothy. He needs to be held accountable for
what he’s done.”
I looked up at Aria. “I know, but what if there's not enough evidence? What if it's
just his word against mine? The police might not be able to do anything.”
Avria sighed and sat down beside me. “I understand your fears, but we have to at
least try. We can't let him continue to hurt you or anyone else.”
I shook my head, tears welling up in my eyes once again. “I'm just so scared,
Aria. He's already hurt Timothy.*.
Aria squeezed my shoulder gently. “I won't let that happen. We'll take every
precaution to keep you safe.”
“But what if it's not enough?” I sighed heavily. “What if he finds a way to
manipulate the situation again? I can't go through that again, Aria.”
[e]
A
Chapter 49
Mar GC
Avria’s expression softened as she looked into my eyes. “I promise you, Evie, you
won't have to face this alone. We'll gather as much evidence as we can against
him.”
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. Aria’s words offered me some
comfort.
“Just give me time to think about it,” I said finally, wiping away my tears. “But can
I at least get some food before then?”
Aria gasped. “The pasta!”
The pasta on the stove, unbeknownst to the both of us, had been boiling over the
whole time. Aria grabbed the spoon and began to stir rapidly, taming the frothy
water.
“You will eat, mark my words!” she promised, and I found myself laughing at the
absurdity of her words.
A few days had passed since the incident in the woods, and my concern for
Timothy had become a heavy burden. I longed to check on him, to see how he
was faring. I'd caught the news reports about his recovery, but nothing definite
about him being discharged from the hospital.
His fans were camped outside the hospital with signs posted up that wished him
a speedy recovery. Others were holding peculiar rituals, vowing to curse the man.
who had stabbed Timothy. As outlandish as they looked, I wanted their curses to
work.
Of course, unlike his loyal fans, I had a front row seat to Timothy's life. He would
be back soon, but the fear of facing him, of seeing the pain I had caused him,
held me back. That didn't last too long.
On particular evening, as I was going to go check the mail, I noticed the light
blink. above the elevator doors. When they opened, Timothy emerged,
accompanied by another man. I watched from across the hall as he led Timothy
into the room.
“My legs still work, you know,” Timothy grumbled.
“Can you just let someone take care of you, for once?” the man retorted,
following Timothy inside. The door was left ajar and I stood still, waiting for it to
close.
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Chapter 49
1 bit my lip, torn between wanting to know how Timothy was and wanting to avoid
him altogether.
Eventually, the man walked back out, saying goodbye to Timothy before shutting
the door behind him. He stopped to check his phone and I decided right then to
approach him.
“Hey,” she said softly, hoping my voice was low enough that Timothy couldn't
hear.
The man turned to me, offering a warm smile. “Hey there! You must be Evie. I'm
Ethan, a friend of Timothy's. He's told me a lot about you.”
I managed a small smile in return. “Nice to meet you, Ethan. Is Timothy okay?”
Ethan nodded rapidly. “He's doing better. A bit sore, but he'll recover. You should
drop by and check on him sometime. I think it would mean a lot to him.”
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My chest constricted at the thought
2 . 1
of seeing Timothy, but I couldn teeny
that I wanted to bg Sufehewss okay.
AF)east He till wanted to see me
B 5 5 “
without being drug induced. “Yeah,
a > x
maybe I will," I replied hesitantly. The
content is on Novelxo.org! Read
the latest chapter there!
Ethan's smile widened. “Great! I'll be busy for a while, but I'm sure he'd
appreciate your company.”
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He waved farewell and started
walking to the elevator, which I fgek
as my cue tO leave Hs lub As
Walked Dak into the apartment, I told
Aria about the encounter, and she
listened intently. The content is on
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chapter there!
“Maybe it's a sign, Evie. You should go see him,” Aria suggested.
I sighed, feeling torn. “Il want to, but I don’t know if I can face him after everything.
He got hurt because of me.”
Aria placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “You can’t blame yourself for what
Bruce did. Timothy made his own choice to protect you. He cares about you,
Evie.”
“Yeah, but I don’t know if I can face him so soon,” I groaned, throwing my head in
my hands.
Aria huffed. “You won't know until you try. Trust your instincts, Evie. If you feel like
you should see him, then do it.”
1 lifted my head back up, catching the triumphant grin plastered on her face. She
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Chapter 49
was looking at the oven then, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
“You know what would be a sweet gesture? Make him a cake,” Aria suggested,
her eyes lighting up..
1 blinked in surprise. “A cake?”
“Yes! It's a simple yet thoughtful way to show him that you're grateful for what he
did,” Aria explained. “Trust me, it'll mean a lot to him.”
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I considered the idea. Making a cake
was certainly a nice gesture, pyth
) .
wasn't relly thebake pe
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web could remedy that problem. The
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the latest chapter there!
“Okay,” I said finally. “I'll do it.”
Aria beamed. “Great! I'm sure he'll appreciate it.” The thought of that brought a
small smile to my face.
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