Nate POV

It’s the silence that does it.

That’s the part I can’t shake. When she hung up on me, no explanation, no words, just the line going dead in my ear, I felt like the floor dropped out from under me.

I’m not used to people walking away. I can deal with pissed-off teammates, angry coaches, and media, but her? Not her. She was different. Or at least, I thought she was.

I sit slumped in front of my locker, head bowed, elbows on knees, helmet dangling from one hand like it’s the only thing tethering me to the moment. The sharp chemical tang of sweat and sports tape clings to the air. The floor vibrates beneath my skates from the bass thumping through the locker room speakers. Celebration noise, a team high on a win. It all feels a thousand miles away.

You think you’ve got a good thing going, and then one stupid lie, one choice to hide the truth, and everything falls apart.

“Yo, Nate!” Liam calls from the other side of the room. “Come on, we’re doing a round. Shots to celebrate the win.”

I wave him off. “I’ll catch you later.”

He’s too busy trying to high-five half the room to notice, but I can feel the eyes on me. I’m not exactly acting like the guy everyone thinks I am. The guy who gets invited to events like this, who laughs it off and slides back into the crowd. The guy who can avoid his real life with the press of a button.

I should’ve told Riley. That’s the first thing. I should’ve just said it when she asked. When she looked at me like I was the one who could make things better. But I didn’t.

I couldn’t.

And now? Now, I’m fucking drowning.

My phone buzzes on the bench beside me, pulling me from my thoughts. I reach for it, heart sinking as I see the notification: Riley – 2 New Messages.

She’s not answering my calls. Not replying to anything else. Just these two texts. I tap the screen with the slightest shake of my hand.

“You really are just like them, aren’t you? A fucking player. I can’t believe I let you get close.”

My breath catches. My chest tightens. Her words feel like an icy slap.

I read it again. And again. Each time, it gets harder to breathe.

“I thought you were different. I thought we could have something real. But I’m done.”

Fuck. This is it. This is the end. And it’s my fault.

Her words hit like an avalanche. My stomach drops as I reread them over and over. It’s all on me. I could’ve told her. I should’ve. But instead, I played the game, acted like it was nothing, kept the mystery alive. And now? She’s gone.

And the worst part? I deserve it. I was just too damn selfish to see that until it was too late.

I can’t hide from this anymore.

My thumb hovers over the screen, but I don’t type. I’m not sure what I’d say. What could I say that would make any of this right?

Sorry? I didn’t mean to hurt you... Fuck, I hate how weak that sounds. I hate that I’m in this position.

But there’s nothing left but the reality of what I’ve done. I can’t run from it.

She deserved the truth. And I gave her nothing but a lie, hoping the distance between us, the distance between a hockey player and a normal guy, could somehow hold us together.

It worked... until it didn’t.

I shove the phone back into my locker and push to my feet. The locker room’s emptying, guys already heading out to their cars, drinking, celebrating, ignoring the ones who were left behind, like me.

I’m not even sure if I want to go back to my apartment, but the thought of sitting in my car and staring at the silence in my phone makes me sick to my stomach.

Riley’s right. I am just another fucking hockey player. And what does that make me, anyway? A joke? A guy who can’t even figure out how to have a decent relationship because he can’t be himself?

I step out into the hall, the noise from the arena crowd trickling through the walls as the team exits. The buzz of celebration doesn’t hit me the same way it did before. I want to feel that rush, but all I feel is the weight of my own stupidity.

I head toward the exit, but there’s no victory in it anymore. No matter how many goals I score or wins I rack up, this feels worse than any loss I’ve ever faced. It feels like I’ve lost.

And this time, there’s no getting her back.