The fallout has been catastrophic and immediate.
I watch the press conference replay on loop and wonder if love is enough to bridge the gap between truth and trust.
If forgiveness is possible when the hurt runs this deep.
If I'm brave enough to try.
28
DECLAN
Career on the Line
The penthouse feels like a tomb.
I stand by the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the city lights blur through the glass. My phone sits on the counter behind me, screen dark. No calls from the team. No texts from teammates. Just thick and suffocating silence.
Three endorsement deals canceled in one day. My new agent left a voicemail I haven't listened to yet. The tone was enough.
It's over.
Or it will be soon.
My phone buzzes. Walking to it, I see Riley's name flashing on the screen. I let it go to voicemail. She and Rowan have calledseveral times. I sent them both home two hours ago when they showed up crying, asking how bad the financial fallout would be.
I lied and told them everything would be fine.
The truth is I have no idea if anything will be fine again.
The door buzzes. I ignore it. Riley and Rowan have their own keys. Anyone else can leave.
It buzzes again. Longer this time. Insistent.
I cross the hardwood floor on bare feet, my reflection catching in the darkened TV screen. I look like hell with an overgrown stubble, wrinkled shirt, and hair that hasn't seen a comb since the press conference.
The intercom crackles. "Declan, it's Marcus. Let me up."
My hand freezes on the button. Marcus has been antagonistic since the locker room fight when I told him I was going to pursue Ivy anyway.
I press the button.
The elevator takes forever. When the doors open, Marcus steps out looking exhausted. His brown eyes are bloodshot, his jaw tight. He's still in practice gear, like he came straight from the facility.
We stare at each other for a long moment.
"You look like hell."
"Thanks for the update."
He moves into the living room, taking in the empty takeout containers, the laptop still open to news coverage, the legal documents scattered across the coffee table.
“Riley called me,” he says. "She said you weren't answering your phone.”
“I’m fine.”
“Then why did you send her and Rowan away?"
"They don't need to see this."
