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“I like you, Iris. I always have,” he said, his voice steady but laced with an edge I hadn’t heard before. “But I’m not stupid.”

My stomach knotted at his admission, and I forced myself to stay silent. If I opened my mouth now, I might break into pieces right here in front of him. I had to keep my composure; this conversation felt like it could shatter everything.

“You and Callahan… I see it. Everyone’s starting to see it.”

Those words hung heavy in the air between us, thickening the already charged atmosphere. My throat tightened as panic washed over me, but I kept my face blank—no sign of the chaos churning inside me.

“There’s nothing?—”

He cut me off before I could finish.

“Don’t.” His tone was firm, unyielding. “I saw the hickey.”

Heat rushed to my cheeks at his bluntness, and I fought the urge to squirm under his scrutiny. How could he know? But even more pressing was the fact that he did know—that my secret had slipped through the cracks and into daylight.

“I see the way you look at him,” he continued, leaning forward slightly as if trying to draw me into his confidence. “The way he looks at you.”

I couldn’t deny it—not when it was true—but I wouldn’t give him that satisfaction either. So instead, I stayed quiet, watching him as he tried to gauge my reaction.

“I’m not going to blow up your life,” he said finally, voice lowering as if sharing a secret meant just for me. “But I need something from you.”

I hated the way he said need . Like I was some kind of transaction, a means to an end rather than a person with dreams and desires of my own. Chris leaned closer, his expression a mix of determination and something darker that sent a shiver down my spine.

“We’re together now. Publicly. You and me,” he declared, as if making an announcement that could change everything.

His words hung in the air like a weight, heavy and suffocating. I opened my mouth to protest, but he continued without giving me the chance.

“You’re the golden girl.” His gaze intensified, each word dripping with calculated intention. “If you’re with me, people notice me. Coaches notice me. Maybe I finally start getting real ice time. Maybe I'm no longer a backup."

My stomach churned at the thought—was this really what we had become? A strategic alliance in a game I hadn’t signed up for? I felt like a pawn on a chessboard, being moved around without my consent.

“You help me… and I keep my mouth shut about you and Callahan.”

The reality of his words slammed into me like a freight train.

He was offering protection wrapped in strings—a deal that put my future against Knox’s career like it was nothing more than collateral damage.

My heart raced, not from excitement but from fear as I listened to him lay it all out so coldly.

“Because if this gets out?” His tone shifted again—more serious now, almost menacing.

“It’s not just you. It’s him. It’s his career.

It’s his reputation.” He leaned back slightly as if gauging my reaction, and I felt the air grow thicker between us.

“After what he did with that ref? He never comes back from it.”

The finality of his statement settled over me like ice water splashed across my skin, sending chills through my entire body. This wasn’t just about Chris and me anymore; it was about the fallout of every decision made behind closed doors—the risk that Knox might pay for whatever we did next.

I stared at Chris, my heart pounding in my chest, grappling with the implications of what he was saying and how it intertwined with everything I felt for Knox.

I felt sick, my stomach twisting into knots as Chris’s words sunk in.

He wasn’t wrong. Knox was already hanging on by a thread, balancing precariously between desire and the consequences of our reckless actions.

The thought of him facing the fallout for something I chose to pursue made my heart race with panic.

I loved him too much to let that happen.

“Fine,” I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper. “But we’re friends. That’s it.”

I held his gaze, trying to project strength while the truth clawed at me from the inside. I needed to protect Knox—whatever that meant. Whatever sacrifices it would take, I’d make them.

Chris smirked, a look of satisfaction crossing his face that made my skin crawl. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms as if he had just sealed a business deal. “For now,” he replied smoothly, his tone dripping with confidence.

With that, he stood up and sauntered toward the door, whistling a light tune as he left the room. Each step felt like another piece of my resolve crumbling away. As the door clicked shut behind him, I remained frozen in place, staring at the empty space where he had just stood.

I had just sold myself—traded my integrity for a fragile sense of safety that didn’t feel safe at all.

Protecting Knox was all that mattered now.

But as I sat there in silence, a wave of despair washed over me; it felt like losing myself with every breath I took.

How had it come to this? My heart sank as I realized what I was willing to sacrifice—the lines we had crossed blurring even further into oblivion.

I stared at the ceiling fan, its blades spinning lazily above me, a constant hum filling the silence of the kitchen.

Knox’s touch still lingered on my skin, hot and electric, but Chris’s voice echoed in my mind—threatening, final.

I couldn’t shake the way he’d looked at me after dealing the final blow, like he owned a piece of me now.

The weight of it pressed down on my chest. I felt trapped between two worlds—one where I chased after dreams and fought for the jersey that symbolized everything I’d worked for, and another where Knox had pulled me into something wild and reckless that threatened to swallow me whole.

Reaching for my phone, I typed out a message to Knox, fingers trembling as I tried to find the right words. Hey, can we talk? It felt too simple—too easy—and I knew better than to think we could just go back to normal after everything that had happened.

I swallowed as I hovered over the send button. What was I supposed to say? I’m dating Chris now. But it’s fake. That would only confuse him more. How could I explain that this was all just a protective measure?

But then came the wave of guilt crashing over me. Wasn’t that exactly what Chris had said? The offer of safety wrapped in layers of expectation? He wanted me to play it safe with him while keeping Knox at arm’s length, pretending this charade wouldn’t hurt anyone in the end.

I deleted the message before it could be sent, frustration boiling beneath my skin as I tossed my phone onto the table beside me. My heart thudded loudly in my chest—like it was reminding me how real this all was—and how dangerously close we were to losing everything.

Each time I thought about Knox's possessive gaze or how he’d marked me with his touch, heat coursed through me again.

My breath caught as confusion twisted inside me. What did this mean for us? For our future? The answers slipped through my fingers like sand, leaving only uncertainty in their wake as I sat there staring at that fan above—a silent witness to everything falling apart around me.