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Watch the full sweet, funny, and highly addictive journey of OOPS THE HOCKEY CAPTAIN IS OBSESSED.

πŸ“– Synopsis: A quiet, studious bookworm accidentally spills coffee on the university's legendary star hockey captain, expecting to be bullied by his popular clique. Instead, the aggressive and intimidating athlete becomes instantly, wildly obsessed with her. Now, he's showing up everywhere, determined to win her heart both on and off the ice.
🎭 Genre: Sports Romance, College Drama, Obsessive Alpha.

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