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forty-six

CAROLINE

“Rhett?”

I yank his arm hard enough that he’s forced to spin around and face me. The last thing I want right now is to speak to him—but after everything he’s already put me through in private, I won’t let him tear me down in public too.

“What the hell was that?” I snap.

For a second, he just stares at me—blank, expressionless. But then he blinks, his brows pulling together as he leans in close. His voice is rough, shredded.

“I don’t know, Caroline. What the hell are we ?”

I pull back. “What?”

“You agreed to give me a chance,” he says, his breath sharp. “You were the one who was all about the rules. All about honesty.”

My mouth falls open. “Yeah. Exactly.”

“And yet here we are,” he scoffs, bitter.

I blink hard. “I’m sorry—am I going insane? Are you actually mad at me right now? ”

He opens his mouth to respond, but Bryan’s voice crackles in my ear, pulling me sideways.

“Caroline, warmups start in two minutes. Let us know when you’re in position.”

“Copy,” I reply automatically, then turn back to Rhett, whose eyes look wild. Unhinged. Desperate. I barely recognize him.

“I don’t have time for this,” I tell him. “Neither of us do. We’re both supposed to be out there in two. Maybe you’ll get hit in the head with a puck and knock some sense into yourself.”

I move to walk away, but his voice stops me.

“Do you?”

I turn back. “What?”

His eyes darken. “Do you really need to be out there?” His tongue presses against his cheek as his gaze drags down and then back up me. “I mean, do you even work here anymore?”

My spine stiffens. “What are you talking about?”

“You work for the Titans now, don’t you?” His tone is flat. Lethal. “You’re moving to New York.”

I stare at him, stunned. “How do you?—?”

“Tom Dunn stopped by before the interview,” he cuts in, his words sharp as glass. “Told me to pass along his congratulations.”

Something twists low in my stomach, sharp and quick.

“When exactly were you planning to tell me?”

“I don’t know,” I admit. “I hadn’t given it much thought yet.”

He smirks, but there’s no amusement in it. “Yeah. Clearly.” He shakes his head, disbelief etched all over his face. “What about us?”

I cross my arms. “Well, us was a PR move. We got married to save our jobs. Now that I have another one, the contract’s null. Linda can focus her efforts on you. I’ll handle myself from here.”

He looks like I just knocked the wind out of him .

“I’m not talking about PR us,” he says, voice low. “I mean us. The real us.”

I swallow hard. “Let’s be honest, Rhett. There was never a real us.”

“That’s not true.”

I shake my head, the sting behind my eyes growing sharper. “I have to go?—”

“No,” he cuts me off, stepping closer. “This isn’t fair. You were the one who was scared to jump into this with me. You were the one who thought you couldn’t trust me—that I’d waste your time, break you. So what do you call this, Cub?”

His voice cracks on the last word.

I scoff, humorless. “Are you serious right now?”

His jaw ticks. “How can you pretend the last two months didn’t happen?”

“You’re the master of pretending,” I fire back. “I guess I learned from the best.”

He just stares at me, eyes sharp and searching.

“When were you going to tell me about the job?” he finally asks, quieter now. Almost a plea.

I exhale, frustrated tears starting to burn. “I don’t know.” My voice shakes. “When were you going to tell me about Lauren?”

The name knocks the breath out of him. He goes still, eyes widening faintly before dropping to the floor.

“Yeah,” I say softly. “I know. I saw her messages yesterday morning. So how dare you come at me like this.”

He shakes his head, panic flashing. “That’s not?—”

“Who is she, Rhett?” I cut in, sharp.

His throat bobs as he swallows. “No one to be concerned about.”

I laugh—sharp and bitter. “Oh, great. Good to know. While I’m at it, maybe I just won’t concern myself with you at all anymore. It’s okay. You’ve got Lauren to think about you. ”

He flinches. “You don’t understand?—”

“I don’t want to understand,” I spit. “I don’t care. This was all a mistake.”

“You don’t mean that,” he breathes.

“I do.” My chin lifts. “I knew I couldn’t trust you. I knew you’d ruin this before it even started.”

There’s a beat where neither of us speaks, the air thick with everything unsaid.

And then Bryan’s voice snaps me back to the job.

“Thirty seconds, Caroline. Are you in position?”

I turn to leave, but Rhett catches my arm again.

“Caroline—”

I yank free. “No.” My voice cracks.

His eyes plead. “I need you to believe me.”

I stare at him, my heart splintering in real time. “Yeah, well, I can’t.” I shake my head once. “There’s no point. It’s worthless.”

His face goes blank. Like I gutted him. He releases my arm.

I swallow the lump in my throat, casting him one last look before I force myself to walk away.

He doesn’t move. Just stands there—shocked, hurt, and hollow.

And I feel his stare burning into my back the entire way.