Page 65 of The Man in the Cottage

HOCKEY STAR TRAVIS HOWE'S NEW GIRLFRIEND: WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT KELLY DAWSON

SOURCES SAY HOWE'S FAMILY "CONCERNED" ABOUT CONTROLLING NEW RELATIONSHIP

EXCLUSIVE: INSIDE TRAVIS HOWE'S SECRET ROMANCE WITH RECLUSIVE VIRGINIA WOMAN

I click on the first article with shaking hands.

Disgraced NHL enforcer Travis Howe has been laying low since his indefinite suspension last spring, but sources close to the family say he hasn't been alone. According to multiple people familiar with the situation, Howe has been living in a cottage on property owned by Kelly Dawson, 28, a former marketing professional who recently moved to rural Virginia.

"She's isolated him completely," one source told us. "His family has tried to reach out, but she won't let them near him. They're worried she's taking advantage of his vulnerable state."

Another source described Dawson as "calculating" and suggested she may have pursued Howe for his money. "She quit her job right before they got together. Now she's living off his generosity while pretending to be a writer."

I stop reading. I can't breathe.

My name. My age. My job. All of it laid out for strangers to pick apart. The narrative already written: I'm the villain. I'm the gold digger. I'm the one who found a broken man and decided to take advantage.

My phone rings. Nicole.

"Did you google yourself?"

"Yes."

"I told you not to."

"I know." My voice comes out thin, strange. "Nicole, they're saying I'm—that I'm controlling him. That I'm after his money. They called me calculating."

"They're lying. It's obvious where this came from."

"His family."

"'Sources close to the family.' That's Savannah. Or his mom. Or both." Nicole's voice is steady, furious on my behalf. "This is retaliation for cutting them off. They're trying to destroy you because they can't get to him."

"But it's everywhere. My name is everywhere." I scroll through the results, watching them multiply. Entertainment sites, sports blogs, gossip columns. Everyone picking up the same story, the same narrative, the same lies. "People are going to think—"

"People who matter will know it's not true."

"But people who don't know me—my old coworkers, my family—" My voice breaks. "My mother is going to see this. She's going to google my name and see articles calling me a gold digger."

"Then call her first. Get ahead of it. Tell her what's actually happening."

I close my laptop because I can't look at it anymore. My hands are trembling. I feel sick, actually physically sick, like something poisonous has gotten inside me and is spreading through my veins.

"Kelly." Nicole's voice softens. "This is awful. I'm not going to pretend it's not. But you haven't done anything wrong. You fell for someone, and his toxic family is trying to punish you for it. That's not your fault."

"I know. But knowing doesn't make it feel any better."

"Have you told Travis?"

"Not yet. I just found out."

"You should tell him. Before he sees it himself."

She's right. Of course she's right. But I don't know how to have that conversation. How to show him the articles, watch his face as he reads what they're saying about me. About us.

"I'll call you later," I say.

"Okay. I love you. Remember that."