- 10 hours ago
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Short filmTranscript
00:00The locker room hummed with the post-practice vibration of heavy breathing and the rhythmic
00:04thud of gear hitting benches. I sat on the training table. The ice pack taped to my knee
00:09a stinging reminder of the hit I'd taken during morning drills. My phone buzzed against the
00:14marble surface. Jackson Jacksthorne, the face of Northwood University's hockey dynasty,
00:19and the projected first-round NHL draft pick had just updated his Instagram story.
00:24We were in the middle of a 48-hour freeze, out of silence so cold it felt like the rinks
00:29we
00:29lived in. The post was a shot of the empty arena, the ice gleaming under the rafters.
00:34The text was a jagged blade, 100 likes, and we're done. My heart performed a slow,
00:39sickening roll in my chest. Within an hour, 99 likes filled the screen. I knew he was waiting,
00:44his thumb probably hovering over the glass in some dimly lit locker room.
00:48Nine times now, Jackson had dangled that same jagged threat, expecting me to crawl back to
00:53the team house with apologies and promises to be better. He thought this ninth time would be
00:58exactly like the eight before. I stared at the screen until the blue light burned my retinas.
01:03Then I double-tapped. 100. I didn't text. I didn't call to scream about the disrespect.
01:08I simply blocked his number, shoved my phone into my pocket, and went back to packing my life into
01:14cardboard boxes. Ten days later, Jackson's teammate and enforcer, Brooks Hayes, slid into my DMs.
01:20Jax is waiting for you to fold, Sloan. Tomorrow's his birthday, and the team's big preseason gala.
01:25Show up with a gift, and this all blows over.
01:28I typed back two words. I am booked. It wasn't a lie. My flight to Stanford took off at 7am.
01:34Jackson Thorne finally got his wish. But my hundredth like wasn't a surrender. It was a
01:39declaration of war. Let him wait for a call that would never come. For the first time in 10 years,
01:44I was the one holding the cards, and the ice was finally beneath my feet.
01:48The reason our relationship had iced over. Jackson had permitted Kinsley Vance,
01:52the charity project. The Thorne family had bankrolled since her mother's illness to
01:56sabotage my early decision application. When I discovered the betrayal, I didn't just get angry,
02:01I detonated. Jackson, however, couldn't fathom the offense. He stood there, smelling of cold
02:06rink air and expensive cologne, and dismissed my fury as hysterics.
02:10It is just a prank, Sloan. Jackson had said, his voice as smooth and hard as fresh ice.
02:16It is not like she can't reverse it. Kinsley was having a bad day after her scholarship review.
02:21I was merely trying to cheer her up. Now that she is not angry anymore,
02:25you can simply switch it back. He added, looking at me as if I were the one being difficult.
02:30Problem solved. My voice trembled, not with sadness, but with a raw, jagged rage at his casual cruelty.
02:37So her foul mood grants her license to sabotage my future, I demanded. Do you realize this
02:43constitutes deliberate sabotage? I could take her to court. Jackson's eyes darkened,
02:48that dangerous on ice captain persona bleeding through. I told her to do it,
02:52so direct your outrage at me. Go ahead, file your goddamn lawsuit. He stepped closer,
02:57his physical presence designed to intimidate. It is not some catastrophic disaster. You caught it,
03:03you'll fix it. Stop manufacturing drama, Sloan. Keep pushing this, and I'll have to seriously
03:08reconsider our relationship. Jackson knew I couldn't leave. He always wielded our history
03:13as a weapon during arguments, knowing I had nowhere else to go. We'd been unshakable before
03:18Kinsley insinuated herself into our lives. Ever since her arrival, she'd become the perpetual wedge.
03:23The victim, Jackson, felt the need to protect from my privilege. This marked our ninth explosive
03:28confrontation over her. In the previous eight, he'd deployed the breakup threat like a tactical hit
03:33on the boards. Each time, I'd collapsed, crawling back with my tail between my legs. Jackson believed
03:39this instance would be no different. But as he berated me without glancing up from his phone,
03:44typing some flirtatious reply to Kinsley, that infuriating smirk playing on his lips, I simply
03:49went numb. I felt nothing. No impulse to grovel, just a cold, dead weight settling in my chest.
03:56When I didn't crack, didn't perform my scripted role of the weeping girlfriend, Jackson scoffed.
04:01He shoved his phone in his pocket and stalked out, probably headed back to the rink. I sat alone in
04:07the
04:07quiet of the Thorn Mansion, staring at my laptop until my vision blurred. Then, my phone lit up
04:12with a series of leaked voice messages from the team's private group chat. I hit play.
04:17Kinsley's saccharine voice curled through the speaker.
04:20Is Sloan upset about my little joke? Should I call her over so I can apologize in person?
04:24Jackson's voice sounded irritated.
04:27Forget it. Let her sulk. I am not her father. I don't have to coddle her.
04:31Oh, Jax, don't be like that. Kinsley cooed. Girls need to be sweet-talked. You'll only drive her
04:37further away. I don't have time for that nonsense. Jackson snapped. She thinks she is so exceptionally
04:43precious. If my grandfather hadn't forced the arrangement, I would have never agreed to
04:48babysit Sloan. She is clingy. She is a crybaby. I've been exhausted by it for years. True? Sloan's
04:55like a walking fountain of tears. Right. All theatrics. No spine. Jackson added. Wave the
05:02breakup threat and she comes running with apologies and waterworks. I am sick of it. Maybe if she
05:07actually develops some backbone and ignores me for once, I can finally be free. Brooks Hayes chimed
05:13in with a laugh. Free from Sloan. Not a chance. The girls like industrial strength adhesive. I'll
05:18wager anything she'll be weeping on your doorstep by tomorrow begging forgiveness. You are on.
05:22Loser buys dinner. Jackson replied. That night, for the first time in a decade, I didn't bombard
05:28his phone-demanding explanations when he didn't come home. After my parents died, Silas Thorne,
05:34Jackson's grandfather, took me in. I grew up under his roof, alongside the boy who would become the
05:39prince of the ice. Jackson had been my protector once. He'd defended me when schoolmates turned
05:43cruel. We'd been inseparable since I was 8-10 years of shared secrets and shared dreams. Jackson had
05:49memorized my cycles, brought me heating pads and hot chocolate when cramps seized me, and purchased
05:54tampons without a flinch. We were that couple joined at the hip. Everyone referred to me as
05:58the Thorne family's promised girl. Jackson never corrected them. He'd become my oxygen. I thought I
06:04couldn't breathe without him. Then Kinsley happened. She appeared sophomore year, begging for her mother's
06:10million-dollar surgery. The Thorns possessed wealth to spare, so Silas, soft-hearted as ever, wrote the
06:16check. Then he enrolled her in our elite academy and installed them in a luxury townhouse rent-free.
06:22We felt for her at first. We tutored her. We visited the hospital. It was fine until I overheard a
06:29conversation between Kinsley and her mother while standing outside their hospital room with a
06:33thermos of soup. Any progress with Jackson? Her mother asked. Definitely. Kinsley replied. He is
06:41interested, but Sloan's attached to him like a leech. Can't shake her loose yet. Work harder. Her mother
06:47urged. The Thorns are hockey royalty. Bag that boy and we're set for life mansions. Cars never scraping
06:53by again. Don't worry, mom. I'll land him. My breath caught. I stumbled back, my heel catching on the
07:00linoleum. The sound was loud enough that they both looked up. The fear on their faces should have been
07:07satisfying. It wasn't. I felt sick to my stomach, torn between rage and disbelief. I had to tell
07:14Jackson. I had to expose them for the grifters they were. But before I could even find him, Kinsley
07:21made her move. Kinsley cornered me at the park near the estate, eyes bloodshot, voice fragile. She
07:28claimed it was her dying mother's desperate idea and swore she'd only played along. She dropped to her
07:33knees, begging me not to tell Jackson. Foolishly, I believed her. I reached down to help her up.
07:40The mask slipped instantly. Kinsley yanked me forward with malicious strength, and we both crashed
07:45into the freezing lake. I fought to the surface and scrambled onto the muddy bank, screaming for help.
07:50Kinsley couldn't swim. Security fished her out. She spent days in the ICU. When she woke, she pointed
07:56her finger at me, claiming I'd pushed her out of jealous obsession. I told Jackson the truth. He just
08:01looked at me with disappointment. Sloan, just tell me what really happened. No lies. I am not lying.
08:08She dragged me in. Sloan. He sighed. Kinsley can't swim. You can. That was his entire logic.
08:15I spilled everything I'd overheard at the hospital. Jackson sighed again. I get that you are into me,
08:21but you can't ruin another girl's reputation because you are jealous. I don't like this side of you.
08:26He delivered the knockout punch. Kinsley had already come to him crying about my supposed bullying.
08:30Her mother had asked Silas if they could move out, implying I was the problem. Their voluntary
08:36move became proof of their innocence. My accusation became proof of my jealousy. Suddenly, everything
08:42was my fault. Kinsley's food poisoning. I must've spiked her milk. Then she stole the last photo of
08:48my parents, my only copy, and ripped it to shreds in front of me. I didn't think. I slapped her
08:54hard.
08:54Jackson walked in at that exact moment. From that day on, he started pulling the breakup card
08:59every other week, and every time I crawled back, desperate to prove Kinsley was a liar.
09:04My groveling only made me look more unstable. Kinsley targeted my replacement interview admission
09:09ticket. Next. I got a replacement in time, but the message was clear. She could burn my life down,
09:14and Jackson would hand her the matches. This time, hearing the boredom and indifference in his voice
09:20message, betting his teammates I'd be back by morning, I finally saw the truth. Jackson was done with me.
09:26He'd been using Kinsley as an excuse to push me away. Fine. I wouldn't crawl back.
09:31And I sure as hell wasn't fixing the application. He'd let Kinsley sabotage.
09:35I didn't change my application back to Northwood. I called the Stanford recruiter and accepted their offer.
09:40That is the smartest decision you'll make, Sloan.
09:43She said.
09:44Full ride.
09:45Only after locking down my future did I sleep deeply for the first time in months.
09:49I woke without dread, without checking my phone until...
09:52I saw Kinsley's Instagram story.
09:54Taking care of my drunk prince all night. Exhausted but worth it.
09:59Jackson was shirtless, sprawled across her bed. The ache was duller now. More exhaustion than
10:04heartbreak. I went shopping for dorm supplies and returned to find them on the couch.
10:09Kinsley bounded over with her fake sweet smile.
10:11Sloan, let me help with those.
10:13I sidestepped. Kinsley crumpled to the floor. Jackson hauled her up, glaring at me.
10:18Why'd you push her?
10:19I didn't touch her.
10:21Bullshit. Mad I crashed at her place.
10:23I didn't.
10:25Check the security footage.
10:26At the word, footage, Kinsley piped up with her practiced tremor.
10:30It is not her fault.
10:31I slipped.
10:32Jackson's jaw tightened, but he didn't apologize.
10:35Instead, he examined her scraped palm with concern.
10:38He no longer offered me.
10:39I caught the smug flash in Kinsley's eyes before I headed upstairs.
10:43She'd expected hysterics, tears proof I was crazy.
10:47That girl was dead.
10:48At dinner, Kinsley served soup, carrying a steaming bowl toward me.
10:52I instinctively shifted away.
10:54She anticipated it, stepping into my path.
10:57Her scream was Oscar-worthy, as the scalding liquid splashed down her front.
11:00Sloan, I was just trying to be nice.
11:03Jackson shoved past me, pulling Kinsley toward the sink.
11:06His shoulder hit me hard, throwing me into the wall.
11:08Skin tore from my knees and back.
11:10The burns and scrapes throbbed, but they were nothing next to the ice spreading through my chest.
11:15He zeroed in on me.
11:17Apologize.
11:17I met his eyes, searching for the boy who'd once defended me.
11:21All I saw was disgust.
11:22Kinsley's being generous.
11:23You apologize, and this goes away.
11:25What if I don't?
11:27Sloan!
11:27His voice dropped to a warning.
11:29Don't test me!
11:30You want to stay together.
11:31Say sorry.
11:32He'd promised me forever once.
11:34Now he wielded our relationship like a weapon.
11:36I held his gaze.
11:38No.
11:38His face.
11:39Hardened.
11:40Fine, have it your way.
11:41He stormed out with Kinsley clinging to him.
11:44The clinic doctor cleaned my wounds and prescribed cream.
11:47On the ride home, a friend called.
11:49Jackson just took Kinsley and the crew to the resort.
11:52Fireworks and everything.
11:54And check his latest post.
11:55100 likes and we're done.
11:57He is at 99.
11:58I pulled up his profile, 99 likes.
12:01My thumb itched, not to beg, but to finish it.
12:03I double tapped.
12:05Let him wait for call number 100.
12:07I had a plane to catch, and a new life waiting.
12:10Eight times before, Jackson had pulled this exact stunt.
12:13Eight times I'd cried into my pillow and begged him to take me back.
12:17Not this time.
12:18I looked at his new post, the resort plaza, fireworks blazing.
12:22His voice echoed in my head from three weeks ago.
12:25Sloan, I am putting on a show just for you.
12:27He'd given her our moment.
12:29I stared until my vision blurred, then double tapped 100.
12:32I screenshotted it and felt a strange electric lightness.
12:36Back at the mansion, I packed boxes of 10 years worth of guilt gifts to return.
12:41At the resort, Jackson sat in the VIP lounge, waiting for my groveling call.
12:46His phone stayed silent.
12:47He checked the post 100 likes, and the final one was mine.
12:50Rage detonated in his chest.
12:52Who did I think I was, challenging him?
12:54Oh no.
12:55Kinsley murmured, peering at his screen.
12:57Sloan's mad.
12:58She actually liked the breakup post?
13:00The crew went quiet.
13:02Brooks quickly unliked the post.
13:03Others followed.
13:04But the damage was done.
13:06Jackson couldn't swallow his fury.
13:08I'd slapped him in front of his entire world.
13:10Was I bluffing?
13:11He decided I needed a lesson.
13:13To drive it home, he took Kinsley to the coast.
13:16Her feet exploded with curated perfection.
13:18Strolling old town.
13:20Hiking to a cliffside chapel.
13:21Sharing funnel cake at the carnival.
13:23A tandem bungee jump.
13:25Kinsley's caption.
13:26This rush is for you alone.
13:27I didn't cry.
13:28I dropped a like and commented.
13:30Congrats.
13:31Her posts vanished within seconds.
13:33My phone rang.
13:35Brooks.
13:35Sloan Jax is back tomorrow.
13:37You picking him up?
13:38Why would I?
13:40We're done.
13:41Wait, you are serious.
13:42It is his birthday.
13:43Just apologize.
13:44Everyone wins.
13:45I don't have time for Jackson's birthday.
13:48I hung up.
13:49He was confident I'd come crawling.
13:50But the boxes were sealed.
13:52And my Stanford confirmation glittered in my inbox.
13:55Let him celebrate with Kinsley.
13:56The game had changed.
13:58The next afternoon.
13:59I wheeled my suitcase out of the Thorn Mansion.
14:01And headed for the airport.
14:03Near the security gate.
14:04I ran into Brooks Hayes.
14:06You are here to pick up Jackson, right?
14:08His charter just touched down.
14:10Without waiting.
14:10He dialed.
14:11Jax bro.
14:12Sloan's at arrivals.
14:13I told you she couldn't stay away.
14:15I brushed past him without a word.
14:17Jackson stepped off the Gulf Stream.
14:19Brooks' words ringing in his ears.
14:21His foul mood evaporated, replaced by smug certainty.
14:24He turned to Kinsley.
14:25Take the other exit.
14:26Don't walk out with me.
14:28Sloan might misunderstand.
14:29Venom flickered in Kinsley's eyes.
14:31But she nodded sweetly.
14:33As she walked away, Jackson dialed Brooks.
14:35Get the roses.
14:37The expensive ones.
14:38The silence between us had been gnawing at him.
14:41I hadn't cracked.
14:41That impossibility terrified him.
14:43When I commented, congratulations, you two.
14:47On the bungee photo, he'd seen red and forced Kinsley to delete every post.
14:51He'd cut the trip short and flown back, desperate to force my hand.
14:54But Brooks' call changed everything.
14:56I was here.
14:57These past few days without me had been torture.
15:00He swore he'd never pull this stunt again.
15:02Jackson strode through the VIP gate, grabbed the roses, and scanned the hall.
15:06No Sloan.
15:08He dialed my number busy.
15:09Maybe I was finalizing his birthday surprise.
15:12Minutes stretched into half an hour.
15:14When he tried again, my phone went straight to voicemail.
15:17Jackson whirled on Brooks.
15:18Where is she?
15:19You said she was here.
15:21Brooks scratched his head.
15:22I saw her, man.
15:23She was right by the check-in counter.
15:25I turned my back, and she was gone.
15:27Jackson fired off a text.
15:29I know you are here.
15:30Stop playing games.
15:31No answer.
15:32Then a trembling voice came from behind Kinsley's.
15:35Jax, I, I saw Sloan.
15:37Tears streamed down her face.
15:39You saw Sloan?
15:40Where is she?
15:41She is over there.
15:42Kinsley sniffed, gesturing toward international check-in.
15:45I tried to apologize for your birthday, but she lost it.
15:48She slapped me, clawed me, and called you a disgusting piece of shit.
15:52She fumbled for her phone and played a recording.
15:54My cold, clipped voice filled the space.
15:57Don't talk to me about trash.
15:58Trash belongs in the dumpster.
16:00You two garbage humans should lock yourselves away and stop polluting the rest of us.
16:04Where is she?
16:06I don't know.
16:07She hit me and stormed off.
16:09The recording continued.
16:10I have standards.
16:11I don't do sloppy seconds.
16:13If Jackson's been rolling around in your filth, get married and stay away from me.
16:17Jackson's fury erupted.
16:18He hurled the roses to the ground and stormed out.
16:21What actually happened?
16:22I just checked my bag when Kinsley slithered into my path.
16:25Sloan, have you no shame?
16:27Jackson posted the breakup.
16:28Everyone's taking bets on how low you'd sink, and here you are crawling back.
16:32I am not here for him.
16:34Keep lying.
16:35Jackson and I have been inseparable.
16:37Same-y hotel room, same bed.
16:39He told me Silas forced him to pretend to love the charity case orphan.
16:42Something snapped, but I kept my voice low.
16:45You think I care what lies you tell yourself?
16:47Kinsley's face, twisted.
16:49Every time I set you up, he didn't pick me because he felt sorry for me.
16:53He picked me because he loves me more.
16:55You are just a pathetic obligation.
16:57She leaned closer.
16:58Your parents died and gave you a golden ticket.
17:01Weak jeans.
17:02If they hadn't croaked, you'd never have gotten near a man like Jackson.
17:06My palm connected with her cheeks so hard, her head snapped back.
17:10Get married and stay out of my life.
17:14I walked away, my phone buzzing with a message from my legal team.
17:18Documents served.
17:19Phase one, complete.
17:21The flight touched down at SFO.
17:23Emery Reed, a senior from my program, met me at arrivals and helped with my bags.
17:28We grabbed Foe off campus, and she gave me the unfiltered rundown of campus life.
17:33By the time she dropped me at my dorm, it was past 10.
17:35My phone vibrated.
17:37Brooks Hayes again.
17:38Again.
17:39I declined three times.
17:41On the fourth, I picked up.
17:42What?
17:43Brooks.
17:43Sloan, thank God.
17:45You need to get down here.
17:47Jackson's birthday dinner, the whole team, the owners, everyone, he is waiting for you.
17:51We broke up, Brooks.
17:52Or did you miss his social media stunt hitting 100 likes?
17:56Silence.
17:57Then Brooks stammered.
17:58But, he said it was barely 30.
18:00He said you'd never actually do it.
18:02I have screenshots.
18:03Exes should stay dead.
18:05Don't call me again.
18:06Before I ended the call, I heard ragged breathing.
18:08Then glass shattering violently against a wall.
18:11Someone had been listening.
18:12I silenced my phone and showered.
18:14When I came out, Brooks had left a video.
18:16Jackson and Kinsley dressed for a gala, surrounded by the Northwood crew.
18:20The crowd chanted.
18:21Kiss.
18:22Kiss.
18:22Kiss.
18:23Brooks, text, read.
18:25Come now, or they're doing it.
18:26This is your last chance to save him.
18:28I watched Kinsley lean in her hand on Jackson's chest.
18:31I deleted the video, powered down my phone, and climbed into bed.
18:34For the first time in 10 years, I fell asleep without waiting for Jackson Thorn.
18:39Tomorrow, I had meetings with legal counsel.
18:41The first strike in a war Jackson didn't know he'd started.
18:44Jackson's birthday bash at the Obsidian was a spectacle of athletic elite.
18:48But the king of the rink sat slumped on a leather sofa, looking volatile.
18:52He barely glanced at the mountain of presents, his eyes drifting to the entrance, waiting for
18:57a ghost.
18:57Kinsley poured into a designer dress, felt the burn of his indifference.
19:01She knew who he was waiting for.
19:02She'd been sure her edited recording Sloan calling him trash would have killed his hope.
19:07Hours passed.
19:08Jackson checked his watch obsessively.
19:10Finally, he spoke.
19:11Start the party.
19:13Sloan's never missed your birthday.
19:15Brooks reminded him.
19:16He dialed and put it on speakerphone.
19:18My cold, distant voice filled the room.
19:20We're over, Brooks.
19:21Tell him happy birthday, but exes should stay dead.
19:24No contact forever.
19:26The words landed like bullets.
19:27Every eye swung toward Jackson.
19:29Jackson exploded.
19:31He kicked over a table stacked with vintage cabernet, arranged to spell happy birthday.
19:35Millions of dollars of wine bled into the white carpet.
19:38The manager scrambled to relocate the party.
19:41Jackson drank in terrifying silence.
19:43Brooks suggested truth or dare.
19:45Jackson lost the first round.
19:47Brooks dare.
19:48Kiss someone, in this room, on camera.
19:50We'll send it to Sloan, so she knows what she is missing.
19:53Brooks pushed Kinsley toward Jackson.
19:55Phone recording.
19:55He showed her the message.
19:57Sending to Sloan now.
19:58The room waited for the explosion.
20:00For Sloan to crash through the doors.
20:0230 minutes passed.
20:03Nothing, Brooks called again.
20:05Straight to voicemail.
20:06Jackson didn't kiss Kinsley.
20:08He didn't even look at her.
20:09He just reached for more whiskey.
20:11By midnight, he was blackout drunk, carried to a private suite.
20:14Kinsley didn't leave.
20:15She told the team she was staying to make sure he was okay.
20:19Alone in the suite, she pulled a small spray bottle from her clutch, a designer drug to
20:23lower inhibitions.
20:24She spritzed the mist across Jackson's face three times.
20:28Within minutes, his eyes snapped open.
20:30Glassy.
20:31He grabbed Kinsley with rough violence.
20:33She let out a practiced whimper and allowed herself to be pushed onto the bed.
20:37Her phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.
20:40She didn't check it.
20:41She should have.
20:41It read, security footage from suite 2408 has been flagged and archived.
20:46Jackson woke with his skull splitting and a gut-deep wrongness.
20:50The suite was flooded with harsh morning light.
20:53The wait next to him, a body that wasn't Sloan's made his blood run cold.
20:57What the fuck are you doing here?
20:59Kinsley's eyes fluttered open, shifting to wounded vulnerability.
21:02Jax, last night.
21:05You were so drunk.
21:06You forced yourself on me.
21:08The accusation was meant to be checkmate.
21:10But Jackson Thorn lived by brutal discipline.
21:12His hand cracked across her face before she finished the lie.
21:16Kinsley's cheek ballooned.
21:17This wasn't the guilty.
21:19Groveling reaction she'd banked on.
21:20Jackson grabbed her hair and yanked her head back.
21:22Did you drug me?
21:24Answer me, you disgusting piece of shit.
21:26No, no.
21:27Jax, I swear.
21:29Tara cut through her act.
21:30Her hatred for Sloan burned white hot.
21:32This was Sloan's fault, for not groveling, for leaving him vulnerable.
21:36Bullshit.
21:37Jackson's voice dropped to a deadly whisper.
21:39You think I'd touch you willingly?
21:41I made a pact with Sloan.
21:43Our first time was supposed to be sacred.
21:45The thought of his first time wasted on this leech made him physically sick.
21:48He felt contaminated.
21:50For her to force this was criminal.
21:52Unforgivable, he started hitting her open-handed slaps, turning to closed fist strikes.
21:57When she scrambled off the bed, he followed, mechanical and brutal.
22:00As she curled into a ball, sobbing and bleeding,
22:03Jackson's phone buzzed with a notification from an unknown number.
22:06He didn't see it, but the message had already been routed to Sloan's legal team.
22:11Phase three had just begun.
22:12Jackson felt sick to his core.
22:14Sleeping with Kinsley felt like watching his legacy get dragged through the gutter.
22:18How dare this scheming bitch think she was worthy of him?
22:20Now the fog was lifting.
22:22He understood what Sloan had been trying to tell him.
22:25Kinsley and her mother were trash parasites feeding off the thorn name.
22:28He'd bought their sob stories, blamed Sloan's warnings on jealousy.
22:31The knife in his own back woke him up.
22:33The realization made him want to punch himself.
22:36He'd gone cold on Sloan because of this manipulative slut.
22:39Since he couldn't hit himself, he unloaded his rage onto Kinsley instead.
22:42Mercy was the last thing she got.
22:44Jackson kept going until blood smeared the white carpet.
22:47Chest heaving.
22:47He snatched his phone and dialed Brooks.
22:50That bitch Kinsley set me up.
22:52She fucking drugged me.
22:54I am losing my mind.
22:55Brooks jolted awake, immediately aligning with his captain.
22:58Sloan can't find out.
23:00Jackson interrupted, voice cracking with fear.
23:03If she knows I slept with Kinsley, she'll never forgive me.
23:05We need to bury this.
23:07Now.
23:08If a single word gets back to Sloan, you and your mother are dead.
23:13Kinsley nodded, frantically.
23:16I won't say anything.
23:17She rasped, her body trembling with pain and toxic hatred for Sloan.
23:22Jackson spat on the floor and stormed out.
23:24The oak door slammed shut.
23:25He believed he could handle this, scrub the records, pay off the club, find Sloan, and
23:30explain away the mistake.
23:31But secrets this big never stayed buried.
23:34The moment Jackson stepped out of the hotel, he speed dialed his security head.
23:38I want everything Kinsley Vance has done behind my back.
23:41Every secret, every transaction.
23:44I think that bitch drugged me.
23:46Cold Dread tightened his gut.
23:48He was certain now.
23:49Kinsley's scheme had nothing to do with devotion.
23:51She had an angle, and he'd skated right into her trap.
23:54He'd never marry her.
23:55He'd pay her off and ship her out.
23:57But the real terror was Sloan.
23:59Finding out he had to fix this, he burst through the mansion's front door.
24:03Is Sloan still asleep?
24:05He asked the housekeeper.
24:06Miss Sullivan isn't home, sir.
24:09He froze.
24:10What do you mean?
24:11Where is she?
24:12She left for school yesterday.
24:14Took all her luggage.
24:16Said she wasn't coming back.
24:17Panics spiked into terror.
24:19That is impossible.
24:21Registration hasn't even opened.
24:23The stairs two at a time and threw open Sloan's door.
24:26The room was spotless, stripped of every personal touch.
24:29In the center sat several sealed boxes with a note in Sloan's handwriting.
24:33Jackson Thorn, every gift you ever gave me is in these boxes.
24:37I am returning them all.
24:39Consider this, my resignation from the role you assigned me.
24:42Ten years of memories, systematically erased.
24:44He couldn't wrap his head around it.
24:46Sloan Sullivan, the girl who had waited for him since they were children, had finally stopped waiting.
24:52He dialed her number.
24:53Blocked.
24:53He grabbed the housekeeper's phone.
24:55This time it rang.
24:56Hello.
24:58Is everything okay?
25:00Her warmth was for someone else.
25:01It is me.
25:02The line went silent.
25:03When she spoke, her voice was ice.
25:06Jackson Thorn, we've broken up.
25:08Where I am is none of your business.
25:10Don't call again.
25:11She hung up.
25:12Who said we broke up?
25:13I never agreed to that.
25:14The delusion almost made me laugh.
25:17Are you serious?
25:18You posted that.
25:19100 likes and we're done trash yourself.
25:21I screenshotted it.
25:22Everyone saw it.
25:23And you've been playing house with Kinsley for weeks.
25:26What more proof do you need?
25:27Sloan, there is nothing between Kinsley and me.
25:30Save your breath.
25:31We're done.
25:31Your life is none of my business and mine is none of yours.
25:35I didn't sleep with her.
25:36So, you didn't have sex with her.
25:38My voice was flat.
25:40Jackson went silent.
25:41Before last night, he could have said it with conviction.
25:44That hesitation was his full confession.
25:46I scoffed.
25:47It is pathetic.
25:48His voice cracked with panic.
25:50Where are you?
25:51Tell me where you are.
25:52We were supposed to go to school together.
25:54We were supposed to go together, but you let Kinsley sabotage my application.
25:58You decided my future for me.
26:00Sloan, please.
26:01I am begging you.
26:02Not good enough.
26:03You chose Kinsley the first time she lied about me, and you've chosen her every day since.
26:07This is the bed you made.
26:09Lie in it.
26:10It is over.
26:11I hung up.
26:12He tried calling back five times.
26:15I declined each one, letting him feel powerless for once.
26:18While he was still reeling, the doorbell rang at the Thorn Mansion.
26:21Jackson yanked the door open to find Molly Vance Kinsley's mother, standing on his doorstep.
26:26My daughter was raped.
26:27She stated, coldly.
26:28And since your little stunt left her bleeding on a hotel floor, we're going to have a conversation
26:33about responsibility, the kind that involves lawyers.
26:36Molly Vance was a completely different woman from the frail, sickly creature who had swayed
26:40in the breeze of thorn pity.
26:42She hauled Kinsley forward, bruised, swollen.
26:44Mr. Thorne, you owe my daughter an explanation.
26:47Molly demanded, voice like cold steel.
26:50Jackson's jaw tightened.
26:51What kind of explanation?
26:53You slept with her, took advantage of her.
26:55Doesn't that deserve an explanation?
26:57Jackson's laugh was pure acid.
26:59Took advantage?
27:00She's the one who drunked me, trapped me with her cheap tricks, like I'd ever touch that
27:04disgusting trash willingly.
27:06Molly saw the raw disgust on his face.
27:08She'd hoped her daughter could sleep her way into the Thorn Dynasty, but watching Jackson
27:12look at Kinsley like something scraped off his skate, those wedding dreams died.
27:17Time for plan B.
27:18The fact is, you forced yourself on my daughter.
27:21Molly said, voice hardening.
27:23I've got the medical report.
27:25The obsidian has surveillance footage.
27:27And Kinsley's phone recorded everything.
27:29Her fighting you, begging the Prince of Northwood to stop.
27:31You assaulted her, then you beat her.
27:33Jackson curled his lip.
27:35Get to the point.
27:36One hundred million dollars.
27:37Wire it to our account, and all of this disappears.
27:40And if I tell you to go to hell.
27:42Then we go public.
27:43PR sharks and lawyers crawling up your ass.
27:46Your shiny reputation.
27:47Your draft status.
27:49Your grandfather's legacy.
27:50Molly stood with the calm certainty of someone holding a winning ticket.
27:54You are dreaming, not a fucking penny.
27:56Prison time doesn't look good on an NHL resume, does it?
28:00Molly knew Jackson wouldn't dare call her bluff.
28:02A rape charge would destroy the Thorn name.
28:04But this wasn't Jackson's problem alone.
28:06He had to bring in Silas.
28:08Silas was overseas when the call came.
28:10And the old man was livid.
28:12He flew home that night, certain his grandson had been snared.
28:16The Thorn security team moved fast.
28:18Silas called me himself.
28:19I told him everything.
28:21The lies, the manipulations, how they'd play Jackson like a fiddle, and how they'd targeted
28:25me first to isolate him.
28:27The old man listened and understood.
28:29While Molly and Kinsley dreamed of their payday, the Thorn team uncovered Molly's real past.
28:34Not a frail victim, but a professional escort who'd scammed rich men for years, dragging Kinsley
28:39city to city, living off scraps.
28:41Kinsley was about to drop out when the Thorn charity program threw her a lifeline.
28:45That is when Molly saw the real opportunity.
28:48They engineered the sob story, knowing the Thorns wouldn't verify a medical bill that
28:52was pocket change.
28:53When Molly saw Jackson in person, she upped the stakes if her daughter could land the air,
28:58they'd be set for life.
28:59They set their trap and waited for me to walk into it.
29:02Jackson chose to believe them over me.
29:04The manipulation was clockwork.
29:06Make me look jealous.
29:07Make Kinsley look like a victim.
29:09Make Jackson feel like a hero.
29:10But Thorn connections are not decorative.
29:13They found the dealer Molly bought the drugs from and had him in custody within days.
29:17They traced every payment and text.
29:19Extortion, possession, assault with intent.
29:22The evidence was airtight, and justice moved without mercy.
29:26I didn't see Jackson Thorn again until six months into my first year at Stanford.
29:30The scandal hadn't made global headlines, but everyone in our world knew.
29:33It had aged him.
29:35He was quieter, less sure.
29:36When he finally tracked me down to apologize, I let him speak, nodded once, and made it
29:41clear we were done.
29:42Ten years of memories couldn't survive the poison Kinsley Vance introduced.
29:46I learned the hardest way possible.
29:47The only person you can trust unconditionally is yourself.
29:51Your own hustle is your only salvation.
29:53Now I had my scholarship and zero distractions.
29:56I wasn't taking Jackson back, and I wasn't looking for anyone else.
30:00My only focus was the grind.
30:02Study, study.
30:03Men will betray you.
30:05Friends will betray you.
30:06But knowledge, knowledge is forever.
30:08Every fact, formula, and theory I mastered became permanent armor that no one could ever
30:13strip away.