Page 59 of Offside Angle

“I… kissed someone,” I say, not meeting his eyes. “It wasn’t supposed to happen. It just… did.”

Cole’s jaw clenches so hard I can hear his teeth grind. For a second, I genuinely think he might swing at me. His hands are curled into fists at his sides, his whole body vibrating with barely contained rage.

Shane slowly gets to his feet beside me, already positioning himself to play referee. “Hollywood—” Shane starts.

Cole doesn’t even look at him. His eyes stay locked on me, burning.

“Someone,” he repeats, disgusted. “You kissed someone while you’re dating my sister?”

I don’t answer. I can’t. Because anything I say right now is just going to make it worse.

Cole takes a step closer, and for the first time in a long time, I feel genuinely small in front of him.

“You go talk to her, right the fuck now, Rivera. Right now,” he growls. “Before I decide your face is too fucking untouched.”

“Cole…” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “She left. She’s on her way to the airport.”

“I don’t give a shit!” Cole shouts, loud enough that a few heads turn again. “Right now, Rivera! You call her. You text her. You fucking teleport to her if you have to. But you do not get to sit here in this locker room like everything’s fine while my sister is probably crying on a goddamn plane because of you!”

I’ve seen him get into fights on the ice. I’ve seen him mouth off to refs and chirp the hell out of opposing teams. But I’ve never seen him this genuinely pissed at me.

And I deserve every second of it.

Shane is still standing close, one hand hovering near Cole’s shoulder like he’s ready to pull him back if things escalate. The rest of the locker room has gone awkwardly quiet again, everyone pretending not to listen while clearly listening to every word.

I run both hands through my hair, my stomach twisting violently.

“Cole, I—” I start, but he cuts me off again.

“No. No excuses. No ‘it’s complicated.’ You fucked up. So fix it. Now.” He stares at me, waiting, daring me to argue.

I don’t.

Because deep down, I know he’s right.

Iknew.

I wish I didn’t, but I knew.

Mats changed the moment Santiago Vega walked back into his life. It wasn’t loud or obvious at first, but I saw it. His attention would drift whenever Santi’s name came up. At dinner, every muscle in his body seemed to tighten with Santi sitting across from us, entirely too comfortable in a place that had once been familiar to him. And whenever Mats thought no one was paying attention, something in his expression shifted when he looked at Santi.

I knew something was happening. I just didn’t want to admit it to myself.

Now I’m sitting at the gate, waiting to board my flight home, trying to keep my face neutral while something inside my chest seems determined to collapse. My tattoo appointment is in a few hours. Life doesn’t stop just because my boyfriend is falling apart over another man.

“Lena!”

My name echoes through the terminal.

“Lena!”

I look up and see Mats jogging through the crowd, searching until he finds me. He bought a plane ticket just to catch me before I left. Unbelievable.

I stand slowly. The second he spots me, he picks up speed, weaving around people until he reaches me. Then both of his hands are on my face, and I’ve never seen him this devastated.

“I’m so sorry, pretty girl,” he says, his voice cracking.

That’s all the confirmation I need. “You kissed him,” I say quietly.