"Thank you," I say quietly. "For coming here and not giving up on me."
"You're my best friend. I don’t give up on my people." He takes a drink from the fridge and pops it open. "But Dec, you need to prepare yourself. Your hearing is in two weeks. Even if you win,your career might be over. You could lose everything and gain nothing."
"I know."
"And you're okay with that?"
I think about Ivy's face when I saw her last. The devastation in her brown eyes. The way her hands shook. I think about the nine years I spent letting Gregory control me by performing instead of living, hiding instead of being real.
"Yeah," I say finally. "I'm okay with it."
Marcus nods slowly. "Then you'll get through this. Whatever happens at that hearing, whatever Ivy decides, you'll survive."
He leaves, and the penthouse falls silent again.
My phone rings. It’s from Patricia. I answer.
"Declan, we need to discuss the hearing strategy."
"Alright."
"The NHL scheduled it for two weeks out. They'll review all evidence, yours and Gregory's, to determine whether charges against you have merit and whether you're reinstated or permanently banned.”
Two weeks. That’s fourteen days to determine whether I have a career left.
"What are our chances?"
"Decent if Evangeline's testimony holds. Better if we can get other victims of Gregory's manipulation to come forward. But Gregory's lawyers are good. They'll argue you're retaliating after breaching your contract, that you fabricated evidence out of spite."
"The evidence isn't fabricated."
"I know. But proving it in a league hearing is different from proving it in public opinion." She pauses. "I want to ask Dr. Chandler to testify as a character witness. Her reputation's been restored and her research is being reinstated. If she speaks to the investigation into her work…"
"No."
"Declan…"
"I'm not dragging Ivy back into this spotlight unless she chooses it herself. She's been through enough because of me. I won't ask her to testify on my behalf after what I did."
"Her testimony about the fabricated video would strengthen our case significantly."
“Then we fight without it,” I say, voice hardening. "Ivy deserves the choice. If she wants to help, she'll reach out. If not, we move forward anyway."
Patricia sighs. "You're making this unnecessarily difficult."
"Probably. But I'm done making decisions for Ivy. Even ones that might help me."
"You're a frustrating client."
"So I've been told."
“Just ask her once, Declan. You don’t have to sacrifice your career to prove your love to Ivy. If she doesn’t accept, that’s fine. But what if she does? And what if that’s what helps you keep your career. Remember you have your siblings to take care of.”
She ends the call.
Trying my best not to think about Patricia’s words, I pull my laptop toward me and open a blank document. I’m just going to write it down then delete it. That’s all. My fingers hover over the keys before I start typing:
Ivy,
