Page 17 of Ice-Cold Obsession

Gabriel is a fucking liar. It’s the only explanation.

But I still don’t get why he’d do it. If he’s discovered, I can’t imagine the team or Coach would be pleased.

My mind goes back to Zyair’s words. He said that no matter how well he plays, Gabriel is the one who takes the spotlight.

Maybe Gabriel sees Zyair as a threat, because Zyair is talented, respected, and the kind of player who could take all the attention if given the chance, so Gabriel is keeping him sidelined.

And the best part of all this is that I have proof of his lies.

I GO BACK TO MY DORMand lock the door behind me. After I grab my laptop, I copy the recording. I listen to it again, making sure the audio is clear and every word is unmistakable.

Gabriel’s voice is calm as he talks to Coach. He sounds concerned and genuine, as if he’s a captain who’s looking out for one of his players. But I know the truth now, and I’ll make sure everyone does too.

I create a new email account with a random username and no identifying information. Then I open a social media platform and create another anonymous account. No profile picture and no bio.

I upload the recording and write a simple caption.

Gabriel Santelli, the Northstone hockey captain, lied to Coach to get his own teammate benched. Listen for yourself.

I add tags for Northstone, hockey, and the team’s official account. Then I hover my cursor over the post button.

This will expose Gabriel. It’ll prove he’s not the perfect captain everyone thinks he is. It’ll show people that he’s willing to manipulate and lie to get what he wants, even if it means hurting his own teammates.

And it’ll spread. Once it’s out there, people will share it. The team and everyone will see it, and they’ll know what Gabriel did.

And Gabriel will also know someone recorded him, and he’ll start searching for who posted it. He’ll be rattled.

I think about Carla, the texts on her phone, and the way she changed in the months before she died and how Gabriel made her feel worthless and then threw her away.

He’s probably doing the same thing to Zyair now. The manipulation, the control, and the lies are all there.

And if I don’t stop him, he’ll keep doing it. To Zyair. To me. Or to anyone who gets in his way.

I take a deep breath and clickpost.

The recording uploads, and the post appears on the screen.

My pulse is racing, and I can feel the adrenaline coursing through me. I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but I know there’s no going back now.

Gabriel wanted to play games, but he didn’t know someone would be watching and have proof of what he did.

He’s about to find out what happens when someone fights back.

I close my laptop with a smile on my face.

Gabriel thinks he’s untouchable, and that he can do whatever he wants and no one will question him.

But I’m going to prove him wrong.

I’m going to destroy his reputation, piece by piece, and by the time I’m done, everyone will see him for what he really is.

A liar and a manipulator.

And he’ll finally understand what it feels like to lose everything.

Just like Carla did.

Chapter 9