Page 108 of Rise Above

“Aife…” I trailed off, not even sure what I was

going to say. I placed a hand on my chest, trying to ease the tightness there.

“Like I said, Talon, let’s lay it all on the table. I’m

going to explain why I don’t do relationships. You explain Melody.”

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Realization hit me like a freight train. We were

going to fully expose ourselves to each other. Though we were close, we didn’t—rather wouldn’t—share our darkest secrets. If Aife knew the full extent of the situation with Melody, I was sure she would hate me. I hated myself for the things that had happened.

Swallowing the lump that had suddenly grown in

my throat, I nodded. “Shall I start, or do you want to?”

Aife took a minute to look at me. She seemed to be

contemplating what the best answer was. “You, please.”

“Okay,” I said and sighed. My heart pounded

against the palm on my chest. “Melody was my fiancée.”

There was the truth finally out in the open. At one

point in my life, I was engaged. I thought she would be my present and future, but that was not how the world worked.

Aife quirked a brow but said nothing. Nerves made

it hard to continue, but I knew I had to. I swallowed thickly. There was no turning back at this point. Everything was about to be in the open. She motioned for me to continue. Her eyes were welcoming, her face neutral.

“I met Melody when I was twenty-one. We started

off as friends. She went to school with us, and I thought nothing of it. To me, she was just this beautiful girl who we occasionally hung out with. She was the first to initiate anything.

“Melody gave me some story about being a native

and wanting to show me around. I’d been in Chicago for college about three years at this point, but I agreed regardless. How could I say no?” I sighed. I should have

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said no. My heart raced again, but I finally dropped my hand from my chest.

“The first year of dating was bliss. It felt like she

genuinely loved me. We were happy, or at least, I was. We were together when I joined the league, and then we won the Stanley Cup. My pay increased, and I started getting endorsements. That was when Melody seemingly changed. She wanted lavish dates and gifts. And like a fool in love, I gave them.

“The more gifts she got, the more she pulled away.

Soon enough, Melody only spent time with me if we were doing something in the public eye. After about a year of that, I told her I wanted to break up. She broke down, tears and everything. She started putting effort in again.” My hands pushed into my hair. “With Melody being the woman I originally met again, I proposed.”

Aife nodded. She was stoic. Her face was