Chapter 0480

Enzo

The air in the gym was thick with the stench of sweat. The fluorescent lights beamed down from the ceiling, casting a whitish hue over the various machines and free weights that occupied the room. The soundtrack for that day was the usual mix of grunts and sparse conversations, the clatter of iron against iron, and whatever was currently blasting through the sound system-at that moment it was a hit rap song, but I wasn't listening.

I was in the midst of my third set of bench presses, my fingers wrapped tightly around the barbell. The cold steel felt reassuring, grounding even, as I inhaled deeply and lifted it off the rack. My muscles strained under the weight, each rep a battle of will as much as it was of strength. I was going hard, much harder than usual.

"Damn, man, are you trying to lift the whole gym or what?" Matt's voice broke through the haze of my concentration.

I lowered the barbell back onto the rack with a grunt, sitting up to look at him. Matt was leaning against the wall, water bottle in hand, his expression a mix of admiration and concern.

somebody's gotta do it," forcing a wry chuckle as I wiped my

a moment, concern flickering through his eyes. "You've been hitting it pretty hard lately, man.

reveal. Matt had been my friend for years. He wasn't just a friend, but a confidant, a Beta, and an apprentice of sorts when it came to hockey. He knew when I was holding

on my mind," I finally

is obvious. You gonna let me in on what's been bugging you,

a hand through my sweat-soaked hair. "Nina thought she might be pregnant. Turns out she

Is that...is that a

the gym where a couple was working out together. Nina and I often worked out together, but not lately. Not since she had

a bit of both," I confessed. "On one hand, it's a relief. She just got into medical school; I'm just getting my career to where I want it to be. The timing would've been difficult. On the other hand, I can't lie-I

the lines of his face easing into a more contemplative expression. "That's a whole lot to handle,

dad. It's strange, Matt. I never really thought about having a family until Nina and I got married, but

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