Page 25 of Second Chance with the Enemy CEO (Second Chance Hockey Players #1)
Chapter eighteen
Liam
T he door clicks shut behind us as Ethan, Matt, Logan, and I step into the house, the hum of the charity event still buzzing faintly in my head.
It was a huge success, and I’m ready to collapse on the couch and enjoy the quiet for once.
But the moment I see Cara lounging in the armchair, flipping through a magazine like she owns the place, I know “quiet” is not on the agenda tonight.
“Make yourselves comfortable,” she chirps, not bothering to look up, “drinks are in the fridge. You’re welcome.”
I exchange a look with Ethan, who just shrugs as if to say, good luck with that.
“What are you doing here, Cara?” I ask, already exasperated.
She finally glances up, a sly smile playing on her lips. “What? Can’t your sister drop by to check in? I have missed you, big bro.”
Matt mutters under his breath, “More like you missed what’s in his fridge and his snacks.”
Ethan snickers under his breath as he grabs a beer. “You did a bad thing, giving her the key to your house, dude.”
“I didn’t give her…, she stole it and made a duplicate.”
She ignores whatever we are saying, turning her sharp gaze on me. “So, where’s Hazel? Is she around? Why isn’t she with you?”
I take a long swig from my beer, letting the question hang in the air before answering. “How should I know? Do I look like her chaperone? Or her monitoring device?”
“I just thought, you know, since she works for you…”
“She’s not here, obviously,” I cut in. “If her light isn’t on, then she isn’t home.” I wave my hand vaguely toward the guest house.
“Okay,” Cara leans forward, setting the magazine aside. “What’s going on between the two of you?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Nothing.” My voice is sharp. “Absolutely nothing.”
Matt chimes in, “Come on, man. Spill it. What is the deal?”
“There is no deal,” I say, my voice clipped, “absolutely nothing is going on between Hazel and me.”
Cara is not buying it. “Are you planning on getting back together with her?”
I do not even hesitate. “Definitely not.” The bitterness in my voice surprises even me. “There is no way in hell I’m getting back together with her. Not after what she did.”
A heavy silence settles over the room, only broken by the faint sound of Logan flipping through channels on the TV. Cara, never one to let anything slide, presses on.
“Even though I was little back then, I know what happened,” she says, her tone softer now.
“But have you ever thought for a second you might be mistaken? You have known Hazel for a long time. Years, right? Do you honestly believe she would be capable of cheating on you? Of being with you for money?”
I stiffen, her words striking a nerve I did not want touched. “She took the money, Cara. That is a fact.”
Cara shakes her head, undeterred. “And you don’t think that is odd? Being with you meant being part of your family, Liam. If Hazel were as money hungry as you think, she would have known she would still have access to all of it without pulling a stunt like that. She is not stupid. You know that.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Doesn’t it?” Cara presses. “Did you even give her a chance to explain?”
“She disappeared,” I snap, “before I could even get the chance to ask her why. I do not know why she left, and honestly? I do not care anymore.”
The silence that follows feels heavier than it should.
But then Ethan speaks up, his tone quieter than usual. “I know why she left.”
All eyes snap to him.
“What?” I ask, my voice dangerously low.
Ethan shrugs, looking a little too nonchalant for my liking. “I have known the reason for a while. Did not say anything because, well…, you made it pretty clear you wanted nothing to do with her.”
My stomach twists, but I force myself to meet his gaze. “What are you talking about?”
Ethan leans back, his beer dangling loosely in his hand. There is no smugness in his expression, no teasing glint in his eye like usual. Instead, there is something somber, something I can’t quite place - and it leaves me completely unsteady.
“Do you remember the day you got the letter and those pictures?” Ethan asks, his voice unnervingly steady. “How you got drunk out of your mind?”
I nod slowly, wary of where this is going. “Yeah, I remember. And I remember getting really drunk later that night. What is your point?”
Ethan sets his beer down, his eyes never leaving mine. “Do you remember what you said that night?”
Bits and pieces of that evening flit through my mind, but they are hazy, distorted by alcohol and anger. “Not everything. Just…, fragments.”
Ethan does not say anything at first. He just stares at me, like he is giving me space to figure it out, but his eyes are hard. Then, he hits me with the truth like it is a slap to the face.
“You said you hated her,” Ethan says.
“That’s not new,” I say. “I did and still do hate her.”
Ethan exhales, his jaw tightens for a moment before he continues. “You didn’t just say you hated her, Liam,” Ethan says, his voice sharper now. “You said a hell of a lot more than that.”
My brows knit together, confusion swirling with unease. “What are you talking about?”
“You called her a cheater and a gold digger, let’s assume this,” Ethan begins, his tone cold and matter of fact.
“You said that loving her was the biggest mistake of your life. That you were not even sure you ever loved her - maybe you loved her out of just pity.” He pauses, letting the words sink in before delivering the final blow.
“And you said she’s just a beautiful, poor girl. ”
The room goes silent. My throat tightens, and the beer can in my hand suddenly feels like lead. I shake my head, the disbelief crashing over me in waves. “What?” My voice is barely a whisper. “I don’t remember saying most of that.”
Ethan does not flinch. “But you did. Every word.”
“I…” I swallow hard, my pulse thundering in my ears. “I remember saying I hated her. That is all.”
Ethan leans forward, his voice now low and weighted with something close to anger. “While you were saying all that, she heard you, Liam.”
The words hit me like a punch to the gut, knocking the air out of my lungs. “What?” I manage; my voice is shaky.
“She was there,” Ethan says, his tone relentless. “She was drenched in the rain, shivering, and she heard every damn word. Everything you said about her - she stood there and listened.”
“No, no, no, no, no.” I shake my head, the word escaping on instinct. “No way.”
“She left when she couldn’t take it." He leans forward, his gaze fixed on mine, unflinching. "I went after her. I tried to get her, told her that you two would talk it out the next morning. I never realized she’d leave that night, that she wouldn’t come back."
The words hit like a punch to the gut, knocking the wind out of me. I blink hard, trying to wrap my head around it.
The room seems to tilt, my pulse pounding in my ears. I try to find my footing, but his words keep dragging me down.
“So, that is why she left? Because of what she heard me say?” My voice cracks, the question hanging in the suffocating silence.
I rake a hand through my hair, the weight of it all crushing down on me. My chest tightens, a bit of guilt clawing at the edges of my resolve.
“No, I refuse to believe that is why she left,” I mutter, my tone sharp, defensive.
“Yes, she may have heard what I said, but I refuse to believe that is the reason she left. Maybe she left because she felt guilty and did not know how to face me after finding out that I know she cheated on me and also took money from my parents. What else was she supposed to do but run when the truth came out? If I were her, I would leave also.”
Cara groans loudly, throwing her hands up. “You are so stupid sometimes, Liam. I swear, I would love to smack some sense into that thick skull of yours.”
I shoot her a glare.
“You’re an idiot!” she snaps. “And not just an idiot - a stubborn, self-righteous one. Do you even hear yourself? How can you still be going on about her cheating when none of it makes sense? Have you even considered for a second that maybe, just maybe, you are wrong? So, what if you got pictures? So, what if you heard some things about her? Seriously, I am 16 and I’ve got more sense than you do, right now. ”
I open my mouth to argue, but she does not give me the chance.
“She loved you, Liam. Everyone could see that. Hell, even a stranger could have seen it. And do you think she’d just..., throw it all away, especially for money? Are you even listening to yourself?”
“Logan. Matt. Help me out here,” Cara says, turning to them, but they both shrug in unison, their faces carefully neutral.
Logan shrugs, taking a swig of his beer. “Sorry, kiddo. Not my circus, not my monkeys.”
“Sorry, kiddo,” Logan says, leaning back on the couch. “I’ve got nothing to say.”
Matt nods in agreement. “Yeah, same here. You seem to be handling it just fine.”
“Seriously?” I glare at them.
“Yes,” they say at the same time.
Cara throws her hands up again. “See? Even though they are uncooperative, I bet they know you are being ridiculous.”
“Look, I don’t…”
“Don’t what?” Cara cuts in, her voice sharp.
“Do not want to believe that you might have messed up? Do not want to face the fact that you might have pushed away the best thing in your life because you were too damn proud to give her the benefit of the doubt before embarking on your drinking and ranting spree?”
“That’s not…,” I start, but the words die in my throat.
Because deep down, I know she is not entirely wrong. And that terrifies me.