“Why?” She pulls back to look at me. “Why are you pushing this so hard? If you love me like you said you do, why do you want to break up so badly?”
Because I love you. Because I’m trying to protect you. Because the NHL will sue you into oblivion if we don’t, and I won’t let that happen to you.
But I can’t tell her that.
“It’s complicated.”
“Complicated.” She laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “That’s your answer?”
“You know why—” I lower my voice, glancing at the nearby couples.
“Forget about that!” Her voice rises before she catches herself. “I don’t care about any of that. I care about you. About us. Why can’t that be enough?”
“It’s not that simple?—”
“Then explain it to me!” Tears are streaming down her face now. “Make me understand why you’re doing this. Why you’re so desperate to end this.”
I can see her mind working. See the moment something clicks.
“It’s your contract, isn’t it?” Her voice gets quiet. Careful. “Your NHL contract. That’s what this is about. You don’t want to lose your renewal.”
“What? No—” I reach for her.
“Hey.” Maya is there, stepping between us, her voice low over the music. “Is everything okay?”
Of all the terrible timing. “We’re fine,” I say.
But Chloe is crying, real tears now. There’s nothing fake about the way her heart is breaking. And I hate myself for it. How did this get so turned around?
Maya looks at Chloe, at me, then back. “Chloe? Are you okay?”
Chloe’s lips press tight, her gaze falling to the floor, hiding her tears.
Derek steps forward, positions himself slightly in front of Maya. Protective. His jaw is tight. “I knew it was a game.”
Something in me snaps. “It wasn’t a game!”
“Then what is it?” Derek’s voice is hard. Cold.
I turn back to Chloe. She’s standing there crying, mascara running, looking at me like I’m destroying her.
Iamdestroying her.
“Please—” The word comes out broken.
She takes a shaky breath. Wipes her eyes. “Fine.”
The whole ballroom is watching now, the song long over, silence pushing in on us from every side. I brace myself for the hit.
And then she says the words that shatter me completely. “You’re just like your father.”
The world stops.
“He chases the rush. The winning streak. Gambling everything for the next big score. And you”—her voice breaks—“you’re doing the same thing. Chasing your career, your contract, your success. And anyone who gets in the way?—”
“That’s not?—”
“You’ll hurt them.” Tears are falling freely now. “You’re a charmer, Brody. Just like him. Make people fall in love with you and then leave them picking up the pieces.”
