I’d betrayed Derek. I’d failed him—again.
I wasn’t there for him when he needed me. When his heart had failed, I couldn’t save him. And now, I was letting him down once more.
And this wasn’t just about Derek; this affected Frasier too. In all the years he’d played hockey, he’d never gotten into a fight on the ice. I was negatively affecting his focus, his safety. Hell, I was lucky that the team had stood behind him. Otherwise, his career might be on the line as well.
“Bryn,” Kylie said, crouching down beside me. “It’s going to be okay.”
I gathered my knees to my chest, resting my head against them. “I betrayed Derek. Our marriage. His memory.”
“You didn’t,” Georgia said. “Everyone knows how much you loved each other.”
They had, but now people were questioning if I’d been unfaithful to him. The mere suggestion of it made my head swim and my stomach churn.
“They think I cheated on him,” I cried.
Georgia rubbed my back in a soothing motion. “No one believes that.”
“Clearly, they do.” I sniffled, gesturing to my phone. “And they think I capitalized on his death.”
“No one whomattersbelieves that bullshit,” Kylie said.
Whether they believed it or not, it was out there now. I stood, scrambling over to one of the stalls. And then I heaved over the toilet until there was nothing left. I rested my head on my forearm, wishing the room would stop spinning.
I should’ve been careful what I wished for, because the spinning stopped. And then everything went black.
Georgia: You need to come to the bathroom now. Bryn fainted.
I stoodand pushed back my chair so fast that it toppled over. My teammates all turned to me with looks of concern.
“What’s wrong?” Gabe asked.
“Bryn.” I headed for the bathroom, ignoring the curious looks of nearby diners.
I raced down the hallway, nearly colliding with a server and their tray. I apologized but continued on. I pushed open the door, not even bothering to knock because I was so focused on getting to Bryn.
Her eyes were open, which was a relief. But her skin was pale, and she was resting on a chair.
“Frasier?” She blinked a few times.
I went over to her, kneeling on the floor. I took her hands in mine. “Angel, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
I checked her over, relieved that she showed no signs of injury. But it was concerning that she’d fainted. Why had she passed out?
Was this what it had felt like for her to see the fight? To worry that I’d been injured.
“I’m fine,” Bryn said, rubbing her forehead.
Georgia gave me a worried look, and Kylie shook her head. Bryn had recently eaten, so I didn’t think it was a blood sugar issue. She’d been drinking wine, but she’d also had just as much water, so I wasn’t too worried about hydration. Still, I didn’t understand why she’d fainted.
“What happened?” I asked Kylie, trying to remain calm and not freak the fuck out.
Kylie chewed on her lip. “Bryn threw up, and then she passed out.”
“Bryn,” I sighed, cupping her cheek. Her skin was pale and clammy.
I squeezed my eyes shut briefly. Now I was really worried.
I opened my phone, debating the best course of action. I could call one of the team doctors to see if they’d help me. But if Bryn needed an IV or some type of intervention, a hospital was the best bet. Maybe I was blowing things way out of proportion, but I wasn’t taking any chances where she was concerned.
