- 2 days ago
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00:00I was born with heavy breasts and too many curves.
00:04My half-sister was afraid her boyfriend Jake would lose his mind over me,
00:08so she sold me to a dying man, Ryder Callaway.
00:14Sure, Ryder's injury means he can't get hard,
00:17but at least you're spared the pain of having his children.
00:22Three months later, I was begging for mercy every single night.
00:28I desperately wanted to ask Claire exactly what she meant by can't get hard.
00:36Ryder Callaway.
00:38Northgate University's undefeated ice hockey captain
00:41and the most feared name in the collegiate league
00:44was carried off the ice in blood.
00:47The hit had come from behind, illegal, brutal.
00:51By the time they reached him, he'd lost consciousness.
00:54His mother, Diana, had already lost her husband years ago.
00:58Now, she stood at the edge of losing her son.
01:02Someone on the family's legal team suggested an emergency contract marriage.
01:06If Ryder were married to a healthy young woman,
01:09legal stability and medical next-of-kin status
01:11could help the family manage his care and keep the estate in order.
01:16Claire accepted it for me.
01:17If I refused, she would pull out my scholarship funding
01:21and have me transferred to work as an off-campus cleaner.
01:24I knew she hadn't forgiven me for my history with Jake.
01:29Please!
01:30I swear Jake and I are just friends!
01:32What good is a vow?
01:34Do you know how distracting your big boobs are?
01:36Tears came without permission.
01:38Walking around campus with that body?
01:40Which man here wouldn't lose it the moment they laid eyes on you?
01:43It's not that I don't trust you.
01:45It's that I don't trust men.
01:48Do you know who he is?
01:50A billionaire!
01:54If my mother and Diana weren't old friends,
01:57you wouldn't even be considered.
01:59Claire, I don't want to be anyone's emergency wife.
02:02Please don't make...
02:06Eva, are you insane?
02:09Miss Claire, word from the Calamite house.
02:12Ryder has woken up.
02:13Claire dragged me straight to the Calloway house.
02:15I followed her through the entrance hall to a closed door.
02:19Through the gap, I caught a shape on the bed.
02:23The low sound of difficult breathing.
02:25Diana stood near the window, eyes red.
02:28She took Claire's hands.
02:31Claire, thank you for everything.
02:34He's pulled through.
02:36There's no need for the contract marriage.
02:39I won't ruin a girl's future over this.
02:42Claire's eyes moved fast.
02:44Mrs. Calloway, the arrangement should still go forward.
02:47Eva arrived the same day Ryder woke up.
02:49That has to mean something.
02:51Diana hesitated.
02:52She looked at me.
02:54Before she could speak,
02:56the family physician stepped out of the room,
02:58her expression flat.
03:00Ryder has regained consciousness,
03:01but the hit fractured his lower spine
03:04and struck deep into his inner,
03:05flinked deep into his inner thigh.
03:07The nerve damage.
03:09He can't!
03:10He will not be able to get hard.
03:13Possibly ever.
03:14Diana's knees gave.
03:18Eva, knowing this,
03:20do you still want this?
03:23Of course she does.
03:25She's just a girl with no standing.
03:27She should be grateful.
03:30I didn't speak right away.
03:31My mother had been a gifted doctor.
03:33I learned my mother's healing techniques from her notes.
03:36Maybe I could take care of Ryder.
03:38Perhaps it was better to be the wife of a dead person
03:41than to be bullied by my stepsister for the rest of my life.
03:44I straightened and stood in front of Diana.
03:46Mrs. Calloway,
03:48I'm willing.
03:49I'll sign the agreement,
03:51care for Ryder,
03:52and be here as long as you need me.
03:55Diana kept her word.
03:56She had a proper wedding outfit made.
03:59She treated it with full ceremony.
04:01On our wedding day,
04:02Claire said to me,
04:04Even though Ryder can't perform,
04:06at least you're spared the pain of having his children.
04:10Don't worry.
04:11A man who can't perform there
04:12is probably exceptional everywhere else.
04:15I told myself I was simply moving to a new house.
04:19Ryder was too weak to stand through the full wedding ceremony.
04:23I completed the signing beside his team jersey.
04:26The one hanging on the wall.
04:29Number seven.
04:31His number.
04:33Diana watched the whole thing with her eyes wet.
04:37When it was done,
04:38I was Ryder Calloway's wife.
04:41A wife of a billionaire ice hockey stars.
04:44His room was quiet when I pushed the door open.
04:47He was sitting up against the headboard.
04:49Pale.
04:50He turned when I walked in.
04:52Up close,
04:53he was strikingly good-looking.
04:55Strong jaw.
04:56Dark eyes that didn't waste any movement.
05:00I never intended to take a wife in the college.
05:03If you don't mind,
05:06we can treat this like a roommate arrangement.
05:08Tonight the bed is yours.
05:10I'll take that.
05:15Tomorrow you move to the guest room.
05:21All right.
05:23He had thought of everything.
05:25It wasn't what I'd expected.
05:28Before the ceremony,
05:29an older staff member pressed a prawn book for me.
05:33She'd whispered with a strange look.
05:38There are other ways between a husband and wife.
05:41You might find this useful.
05:43I hadn't understood her until I opened it.
05:46He'd moved through me just from the first page.
05:49Is it too warm in here?
05:52Ryder was watching me from bed.
05:54Eyes steady.
05:56Direct.
05:57The formal wear is heavy.
06:00I'm a little warm.
06:04Get ready for bed then.
06:09I set the book on the dresser.
06:11I unpinned my hair.
06:13Then I changed.
06:15Layered dress off piece by piece.
06:18Until I was standing in just a thin nightgown.
06:21I looked in the mirror.
06:23The fabric was not thick enough.
06:25Heavy breasts straining against the cloth.
06:28Waists narrow.
06:29Hips full.
06:30In a thin nightgown at midnight,
06:32there was nothing left to hide behind.
06:34I moved toward the lamp
06:36and walked straight into his gaze.
06:38He wasn't asleep.
06:39His chest rose hard.
06:41The tips of his ears went red.
06:43His throat worked as he swallowed.
06:45I grabbed my hoodie and pressed it against my chest.
06:50Ryder, I thought you were asleep.
06:53I could sleep later.
06:54My breath caught.
06:56He rose to his feet slowly.
06:59Tall.
07:00His shadow fell over me.
07:03Image from that book flooded back.
07:06What did he want to do?
07:08Then Ryder turned and walked to the door.
07:13The moment cold air rushed in from the hallway.
07:16I came back to myself.
07:18He was already gone.
07:21When he'd looked at me just now.
07:23The shock in his eyes.
07:28Had I actually rattled him?
07:30He came back sometime in the night.
07:33His hair was still damp from the shower.
07:39When I woke up in the morning,
07:40he was already gone.
07:42His side of the room was empty.
07:44His assistant, Sunny, came and shook on me.
07:46Ryder, why didn't you tell someone to run you a hot shower?
07:49The water in the rink showers is freezing this time of year.
07:52I'll make you ginger soup.
07:53You're going to catch something.
07:55Does Ryder, Ryder usually take cold showers?
07:58Not that I know of.
08:00I went to greet Diana that morning.
08:03Ryder was already sitting beside her.
08:07She smiled like spring had come early the moment she saw me.
08:11Her face only changed when Ryder coughed.
08:15Ryder, I need to talk to Eva privately.
08:18Go rest.
08:19He left without arguing.
08:22Diana waved me over to sit beside her.
08:25Eva, my sweet girl.
08:27My son waking up is a blessing.
08:30But I can't let that blessing become your burden.
08:34The doctor says the nerve damage is permanent.
08:37No one knows how much time he has.
08:40Some in the family suggested I name a different heir
08:43from another branch of the family.
08:45But that would mean trapping you in a life with no future.
08:48You came here to stand by him,
08:50and I am already grateful for that.
08:51I can't ask you to give him the rest of your life, too.
08:54I've already thought it through.
08:55If the worst comes,
08:57I'll have him dissolve the marriage contract.
08:59You'll be free.
09:00I'll see to it that you have housing and enough to live on.
09:06I hadn't expected her to think this far ahead for me.
09:09It made me think of my mother.
09:11If she had lived...
09:14Diana laughed through tears.
09:16Look at me making you cry, too.
09:20Eva, call me mom.
09:21You might as well.
09:25And one more thing.
09:28Claire mentioned, you know, healing technique.
09:32Ryder's daily health.
09:34The food, the supplements.
09:36Could you take that on?
09:38I just want him around a little longer.
09:40That's my small selfishness.
09:47I went to the kitchen and started planning.
09:50I carried the meal tray down the hall to Ryder's room.
09:55He was at his desk giving instructions to a junior teammate.
09:58Something about defense coverage.
10:00Just leave the meal.
10:02I'll take it later.
10:07You should eat while it's warm.
10:08The supplements don't work right on an empty stomach.
10:11He glanced at the tray.
10:13Then at me.
10:14He sat down without another word.
10:17Going forward, have Sunny bring the meals.
10:20She knows the routine.
10:21I can do it.
10:24It's not necessary.
10:26It's the same either way.
10:32It isn't have Sunny do it.
10:37Let's go out and talk.
10:45That confirmed it.
10:47Ryder Calloway did not want me around.
10:50Was my curve really too exaggerated?
10:54I followed his instruction.
10:57After that, Sunny delivered every meal to his studies.
11:00A week later, at morning check-in with Diana,
11:03Dr. Mills came by for his routine check.
11:06She said his vitals are the most stable she's seen.
11:10Eva, that's your doing.
11:12Then back in my room, I added it to the small box I kept in the dresser.
11:16You never wear any of it.
11:22I will eventually.
11:26If I ever leave, it all converts to something useful.
11:30You'd sell the things Mom gave you?
11:32Not while I'm here.
11:33But if the marriage contract is dissolved one day?
11:36Yes.
11:37That's just practical.
11:41Ryder!
11:43Ryder, did you need something?
11:47Uh, I left some team footage in this room, looking for it.
11:53I'll help you find it.
11:54What format?
11:56USB.
11:57Black case.
12:06Any idea where you left it?
12:09No.
12:23He was really handsome.
12:25Fair skin, sharp brows, dark eyes.
12:39My chest pressed against him, and I could feel his hard dick.
12:51Your footage.
12:53Keep it.
12:55Oh no.
12:57Now he must have a worse impression of me.
13:01After that, I started actively avoiding Ryder.
13:05He was healing.
13:06He needed calm.
13:07I was apparently not conducive to calm.
13:09But a new problem landed in my inbox.
13:12Jake had been messaging me.
13:13Three times in the past week.
13:15I deleted them without responding, and locked them in a folder.
13:19Eva.
13:21Eva.
13:22Someone's waiting at the side entrance.
13:24He says he won't leave until you come out.
13:27I already knew who it was.
13:32I walked out fast, already irritated.
13:35I pushed open the side door.
13:37Eva.
13:38You finally came.
13:42You can call me Mrs. Calloway.
13:45Or just don't call me anything.
13:47He leaned against the wall.
13:48I'm going to be promoted to senior team after next season.
13:51I just think that's the scene.
13:54I'm going to be promoted to senior team captain next season.
13:59When that happens, I won't need Claire's family connections anymore.
14:04Eva.
14:05Come be with me.
14:07Ryder's finished.
14:08Everyone knows it.
14:10Almost dying.
14:11What kind of future is that?
14:18He reached out toward me.
14:20I stepped back.
14:22You want me as a side piece?
14:24He nodded like it was reasonable.
14:26I laughed.
14:27Actually laughed.
14:31Why would I give up being a Callowin wife to be your secret?
14:35I am standing.
14:37I have a name.
14:38I have a house that could fit your apartment 12 times over.
14:43The whole campus knows Ryder's washed up.
14:49Seems like a waste.
14:53My stomach turned.
14:55I stepped closer.
14:56My voice went quiet.
14:58You want to push this?
14:59I have every message you've sent me saved.
15:03I can have them on Claire's phone in 10 minutes.
15:10How does your captainship look after that?
15:15His face went white.
15:17I turned and walked back through the door.
15:20Behind me, I heard him start to say something.
15:23I closed the door.
15:27I spun around and nearly walked into Ryder.
15:30He was standing less than two feet away in a dark team jacket.
15:35I hadn't heard him come up.
15:38Ryder, I...
15:39His eyes were level.
15:41Not cold.
15:42Something else.
15:43You just called yourself a Kalani.
15:45My face got warm.
15:48That was...
15:48I was making a point.
15:50I didn't mean to overstep.
15:54You told him I was the most celebrated athlete in the league.
15:59That's just true.
16:01Ryder tilted his head slightly.
16:03Something moved in his expression.
16:04A minute ago, you said you were my wife.
16:07Now you're back to Ryder?
16:14I...
16:15I'll go check on your afternoon supplement timing.
16:18I tried to step past him.
16:19His hand caught my arm.
16:21Gentle but there.
16:24I stumbled sideways into his chest.
16:32I looked up at him from three inches away.
16:36His eyes were dark and very close.
16:39The things you said just now...
16:43Were they true?
16:45I couldn't tell him the whole truth was just a bluff for Jake's benefit.
16:48So I looked up at him and said nothing.
16:51Ryder's eyes stayed on my face.
16:53The distance between us was wrong.
16:55Too close.
16:56His breath warm.
16:57His hand still around my arm.
16:59Eva.
17:00The supplement timing.
17:02I should go check.
17:04He let go.
17:06I walked away fast.
17:07Behind me, nothing.
17:08No footsteps.
17:09Just silence.
17:11That was the first time I'd seen colour in Ryder Calloway's face.
17:17My heart was going completely haywire.
17:22That night I dreamed about him.
17:26Nothing specific.
17:27Just his voice in the dark.
17:28Low and close.
17:29Eva.
17:30Saying my name in a way that made my chest ache.
17:32I woke up with my pulse pounding and the sheets twisted.
17:35Sunny knocked and came in.
17:37I asked her to bring cold water.
17:39It really is getting warmer.
17:42I pressed a handful of cold water against my face.
17:45Then, I thought about Ryder going to take that cold shower in the middle of the night.
17:50I shook the thought out of my head immediately.
17:53He had nerve damage.
17:54He was healing.
17:55This was absurd.
17:56Mrs. Calloway is having dinner in the courtyard tonight.
18:00She'd like you both there.
18:01Diana's housekeeper came to find me.
18:03I'd been finding reasons to avoid shared meals all week.
18:07Diana had noticed.
18:08I couldn't keep saying no.
18:11I walked out to the small yard behind the house.
18:14As the evening light came through the trees.
18:16The spread on the table was everything I liked.
18:19I stood there looking at it.
18:21Ryder remembered.
18:22He asked the kitchen this morning.
18:26My mother had died the night I was born.
18:30No one had ever made a point of the date.
18:34Something moved in my chest.
18:36Small and uninvited.
18:37How did you know today was my birthday?
18:39I forgot myself.
18:41The marriage registration paperwork.
18:44It listed your date of birth.
18:47She says that it'd have to think and say it.
18:49I do that.
18:51This is a bottle I've been saving.
18:54Good apple cider.
18:56And it's so or not.
18:58I'm opening it for you tonight.
18:59Don't let either of you drink too much.
19:05Actually, the night air is too cold for my joints.
19:07I'll leave you two to enjoy it.
19:13She was gone before I could say anything.
19:15The yard went quiet.
19:17To avoid the silence, I poured a glass and drank it faster than I should have.
19:21It was sweet.
19:22It was also stronger than it tasted.
19:25I poured another, then another.
19:27The warmth spread up through my chest and behind my eyes.
19:32I reached toward the last small cake on the plate in the middle and found it empty.
19:37Where did the last one go?
19:39I ate it.
19:46Who said you could have the last one?
19:48Give it back.
19:48Ryder stared at me.
19:50Ryder stared at me.
19:50Then he opened his mouth.
19:51You'll have to come find it yourself.
19:52I looked at his mouth, then back at his eyes, then back at his mouth.
19:56I leaned forward and kissed him.
19:58He went completely still.
19:59His breath stopped.
20:01Then his hand came up to the back of my head.
20:03And the kiss went deeper, slower, like he'd been waiting for it.
20:06Footsteps on the gravel path.
20:08We broke apart.
20:09Ryder!
20:09Diana said it's getting cold.
20:11She wanted me to-
20:12She stopped.
20:13Looked at us.
20:14I'll just leave these here.
20:16I stood up too fast.
20:17The yard tilted.
20:18My knees went the wrong way.
20:20Everything went dark.
20:21I woke up to the morning light and a headache like a fist behind my eyes.
20:25I sat up fast.
20:26Diana.
20:27The church visit.
20:28I'd promised I'd go with her this morning.
20:30Don't rush.
20:31Sunny appeared in the doorway.
20:32The car isn't ready yet.
20:34Did I- How did I get back here?
20:35Ryder carried you in.
20:37I looked at her.
20:38She nodded seriously.
20:40I didn't say anything strange, did I?
20:41You kept grabbing his sleeve and calling him baby.
20:45She pressed a hand over her mouth.
20:46Over and over.
20:48He turned so red.
20:49I thought he was going to faint too.
20:51Sunny!
20:51If you tell anyone-
20:53She was already running.
20:54I found Diana at the front door.
20:56We drove out to the botanical gardens.
20:58She liked the greenhouse there on weekend mornings and said it was peaceful.
21:01I sat in the passenger seat staring out the window, still half mortified.
21:06Diana glanced over.
21:07You're not thinking about what I think you're thinking about.
21:09I've taught you about anything.
21:12Eva.
21:12She kept her eyes on the road, but she was smiling.
21:15I arranged this dinner on purpose.
21:17I'm not sorry about it.
21:19Ryder and I are not-
21:20I know, I know.
21:22She waved a hand.
21:23I just want you two to be able to talk.
21:25Even if it can't be more than that.
21:27I'd rather you were friends than strangers living in the same house.
21:30I was about to answer her.
21:31The car lurched.
21:32A sharp horn.
21:33Diana yanked the wheel.
21:35The car swerved hard onto the shoulder, and the engine sputtered out.
21:38The brakes!
21:39She pressed the pedal again.
21:41Nothing.
21:41We were on the incline road above the park, still moving, getting faster.
21:45I looked ahead.
21:46A concrete barrier at the curve, maybe 300 meters.
21:50Diana.
21:50Unbuckle.
21:51We have to get out now.
21:52Eva, that's too dangerous.
21:54The barrier is faster.
21:56Unbuckle.
21:57Hold on to me.
21:57We go on three.
21:58She was shaking, but she moved.
22:00I got my door open, locked my arm through hers, and the moment the car drifted toward
22:04the far shoulder, I pulled us both out and hit the slope hard.
22:08We rolled.
22:09I got my arms around her and took the ground on my side.
22:12My back.
22:13My elbow.
22:13The car struck the barrier 20 meters ahead with a sound like a gunshot.
22:18Silence.
22:18Diana, are you hurt?
22:19Tell me where.
22:20Eva, you're bleeding.
22:22The gravel had opened up my forearm and one side of my face.
22:26I didn't feel it yet.
22:27Adrenaline.
22:28I'm fine.
22:28Are you hurt anywhere?
22:30Nothing serious.
22:31Eva, you covered me the entire way down.
22:34I helped her sit up against the slope.
22:36She was already crying.
22:37I'm fine.
22:38Sunny's car.
22:40She's always right behind us.
22:41She'll be calling for help.
22:42I heard my own voice as if from a distance, steady, calm, while every nerve in my body screamed
22:47a sound.
22:48Footsteps, fast, coming down the slope.
22:51I thought I was imagining it.
22:52Eva!
22:53Don't move!
22:54I've got you.
22:55Ryder's voice.
22:56He came down the bank fast, pale, jaw set, eyes scanning me.
23:00He took my arm in both hands.
23:02How much blood is this?
23:03Where's the source?
23:04The surface.
23:05I'm fine.
23:06Stop saying that.
23:07He pulled off his jacket and pressed it to my forearm.
23:10You're not fine.
23:11He looked at his mother.
23:12She waved him back to me.
23:13I'm alright, Ryder.
23:15Take care of Eva.
23:16He tied the jacket around my arm and lifted me before I could protest.
23:19I was in his arms, off the ground.
23:21I could feel his chest rising too fast.
23:23You could have been killed.
23:24Like he was saying to himself.
23:26He carried me to the road.
23:27The whole way I kept telling him I could walk.
23:29He kept not listening.
23:30By the time the medics arrived, his face was still wrong.
23:33Too tight, too pale.
23:34Diana told the medic everything.
23:37Eva pulled me out.
23:38She took all of it.
23:39Every impact.
23:40I walked away without a scratch because of her.
23:43Ryder stood at the edge of the group, hands in his pockets, looking at me.
23:47I looked back.
23:48You need to lie still.
23:49When they finished wrapping my arm.
23:51I know.
23:51We're going straight to the doctor.
23:53I know.
23:53He helped me get into the car.
23:55We drove in silence.
23:56His hand stayed on the back of my seat the hallway, not touching me, just there.
24:00At one point, I felt something hit my face.
24:03I looked up at the clear sky.
24:05Then I realized it wasn't rain.
24:07I reached over and covered his hand with mine, just for a second.
24:10He turned it palm up without hesitation and held on.
24:13I didn't let go.
24:14Dr. Mills patched my arm and told me to stay in bed for a week.
24:17No fractures.
24:18Lots of bruising.
24:19A dislocated finger that she reset without ceremony.
24:22I lay there after she left and looked at the ceiling.
24:25Sunny came in with soup.
24:26She kept talking.
24:27The car had been tempered with.
24:29Something in the brake line.
24:29The private security team was already investigating who would go after Diana's car.
24:34And why now?
24:35I was still turning it over when the door opened.
24:38Ryder.
24:39He stood in the doorway holding a small wooden box.
24:41He set it on the nightstand and sat down in the chair beside the bed.
24:45He didn't speak right away.
24:47The brake line was cut.
24:48It wasn't an accident.
24:49Do you know who?
24:50Working on it.
24:51He looked at my wrapped arm.
24:52His jaw moved.
24:53You kept my mother from going over that bank.
24:56She would have done the same for me.
24:57That's not the point.
24:58He was quiet again.
25:00Eva, I need to tell you something.
25:02He looked at the window.
25:03I've known for two months that I was going to have to dissolve the marriage contract.
25:06I asked Dr. Mins to start preparing the documentation.
25:09My chest went still.
25:11I knew you were waiting for it.
25:12The way you kept your distance.
25:13The box of things you were converting to cash and you were always going to leave.
25:17I told myself I was just getting ahead of it.
25:19For you.
25:20He turned back to me.
25:21His eyes were flat and direct.
25:23The dissolution papers are ready.
25:24You can go whenever you want.
25:25I had Sunny prepare an account and a sum that will cover you for as long as you need.
25:29You don't wait for me to die.
25:31You don't have to keep pretending.
25:32I opened my mouth.
25:33Nothing came out.
25:34I know you've been counting the days.
25:36You don't have to do that anymore.
25:38Just go.
25:38He stood up and walked out.
25:40I sat there in the quiet after he left.
25:42In your mind, that's who I am.
25:44My throat was burning.
25:45I couldn't find words for it.
25:47I just sat there with both hands in my lap, staring at the door he'd closed behind him.
25:51By afternoon, a formal notice appeared outside the university athletic office.
25:55His name on it.
25:56Claire came and found me before I could read it myself.
25:58She was pale.
25:59Eva.
26:00Ryder.
26:01He's been accused.
26:02An anonymous report submitted to the league.
26:04They're saying he deliberately threw the Westfield championship game two years ago.
26:07Fix the outcome.
26:09Share defensive plays with the other team.
26:11I read the notice twice.
26:12Ryder Calloway.
26:13Through games.
26:14He had more championship trophies than any athlete in the league's history.
26:18He had nothing to gain.
26:19And.
26:20He had rushed to dissolve the contract before this broke.
26:23Sunny found me in the hole, twisting her hands.
26:26He basically grew up on that ring.
26:28He would never.
26:29Eva.
26:30Is there anything?
26:31I sat down.
26:32I made myself think.
26:33My mother had treated a sports official years ago.
26:36A serious lung condition before I was born.
26:39He'd come to thank my father afterward.
26:41I'd overheard the conversation.
26:43He was still with the collegiate athletics board.
26:45I remembered his name.
26:46I spent the next hour finding his office number.
26:49He was harder to reach than I expected.
26:51Three calls.
26:52Two messages.
26:52The fourth time he picked up.
26:54I know this is unusual.
26:56I'm Eva Calloway.
26:57Dr. White treated my mother.
26:58Years ago.
26:59Before I was born.
27:00I know you remember him.
27:02I remember.
27:04My husband is being investigated.
27:06I believe the evidence was planted.
27:07I'm not asking you to interfere.
27:09I'm asking for the name of whoever submitted the report.
27:12And ten minutes with whoever is reviewing it.
27:15Come to my office tomorrow.
27:17Eight in the morning.
27:17I was there at 7.45.
27:19It took two hours.
27:21He walked me through the documentation.
27:23I asked questions.
27:24Took notes.
27:25And found three inconsistencies in the timeline that didn't line up with the away game schedule.
27:29When I came out Ryder was standing against the wall outside the building.
27:33He looked at me with an expression I couldn't read.
27:35What are you doing here?
27:36I heard where you'd gone.
27:37He pushed off the wall.
27:39Eva.
27:39You don't have to do this.
27:40I know.
27:41I put my notes in my bag.
27:42I wanted to.
27:43He took one step toward me.
27:45Then stopped.
27:45His voice was rough.
27:46Why?
27:47I looked at him straight.
27:48Because you're not guilty.
27:50Someone is trying to take you apart for it.
27:52He held my gaze for a long time.
27:54That's it?
27:55You saved my mother's life.
27:56And now this.
27:57She's my family too.
27:58I paused.
27:59Whether you dissolve the contract or not, that part doesn't change.
28:03Something shifted in his face.
28:04He crossed the remaining space between us and his arms came around me.
28:08Careful, like he wasn't sure I'd allow it.
28:10I didn't move away.
28:11He held on.
28:12I could feel his breath unsteady against my hair.
28:15I know what you must think of me.
28:16Pushing you out.
28:17Telling you to leave.
28:18Eva, I-
28:18I know.
28:19I pressed my palm against his chest.
28:21His heart was going too fast.
28:23I know why you did it.
28:24We stood there on the pavement outside the athletics board building in the cold morning
28:28air.
28:29A long moment of nothing needed.
28:30On the way back, I told him about the timeline gaps.
28:34He listened without interrupting.
28:35When I finished, he was quiet for a moment.
28:37Then-
28:38The report was filed by someone on the Westfield side.
28:41A coach who lost his position after the game.
28:44He blamed me.
28:45Then we find the proof.
28:46We?
28:47I looked at him.
28:48We.
28:48The corner of his mouth moved.
28:50Small.
28:51Barely there.
28:52It was the first real smile I'd ever seen on him.
28:54Well, I know what I was talking about.
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