The field goes quiet again.
My teammates freeze.
Coaches stop mid-step.
Aaron’s face drains of color.
“You kept me away from her,” I continue, the words ripping out of my chest. “Years, Aaron. Years I didn’t even know Seraphina existed because you couldn’t stand the idea of losing Alie.”
No one speaks.
The truth hangs heavy over the field.
I shake off Aston just enough to step forward again, my gaze locked on him.
“If you ever come near me again,” I say, my voice dropping low, lethal, “or Alie, or my daughter …”
My hands flex at my sides.
“I swear to God I will end you.”
Aaron doesn’t answer.
He just stares up at me like he’s finally realizing what he did.
Behind me, Coach’s voice cuts through the silence.
“Someone want to tell me what the hell is going on here?”
My chest rises and falls as I look around at the team.
At the confusion.
At the shock on their faces.
They deserve the truth.
So I drag a hand down my face and say it.
“Some of you may have seen me around the complex with Alie Grant and her daughter.”
A few guys nod slowly.
“Well … they’re mine.”
Silence falls again.
“Seraphina is my daughter,” I say, my voice rough now. “And Alie … she’s the love of my life. I just found out about my kidwhen I got to New York because of him,” I say, jerking my head toward Aaron. “Because he told Alie I didn’t want them.”
Murmurs ripple through the group.
“He made her believe I chose football over my own family,” I continue, my voice rough. “So yeah … I lost almost two years with my daughter.”
I swallow hard.
“And I lost years with the woman I love.”
The words hang there for a second.
