The Hockey Star’s Remorse

Chapter 20

Timothy didn’t seem to mind carrying me down the mountain by himself. He was determined to keep me in his arms, and that alone put me on alert. I could feel his own heart beating beneath my fingers, its pace dangerously fast.

On the way down, we discovered my phone lying at the trunk of a tree in surprisingly good condition.

An hour later, we reached the hotel in a state of exhaustion.

There was enough juice left for me to see the new text that appeared on my screen. There was no name with the number, so I opened it out of curiosity.

I’ve found out where you are, Coco, it read.

The phone slipped from my hand, and I fell back against the mattress. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of me as the words flashed before my eyes. Coco.

There was only one person who called me Coco. A despicable man, if I could even associate him with being human. I checked the text again, the words the same as

before.

My breaths became ragged and short. That feeling of suffocation returned, my airways constricting as I turned over desperately. My eyes shifted around the

room.

My pills. I need my pills.

My face was wet with tears. Between desperate gasps for air and the swelling in my ankle, I felt utterly hopeless. Amid tearing through all my belongings, everything was strewn across the floor in messy heaps.

After all this time, Bruce had gained control of me

He always did.

There was a loud knock at my door, and I screamed in ala time more determined.

It came again, this

“Evie, open up!” my boss, Mr. Erickson’s, harsh voice came through the door. “You’ve got some explaining to do!”

I clenched my teeth. Now just wasn’t the time.

1/5

Need Top Metal Stamping? Get 10% Discount (Start Now)

Wed, 20 Mar

Chapter 20

this door now, or so

with sobs, I used the nearest wall to pull myself away from the floor. I wiped my face on my shirt sleeve and limped toward the door. The banging continued as I unbolted the lock and opened it with

bother with any greeting. He pushed past me and entered the room, his face puffed up with anger. When I turned, he had an accusing finger pointed

“One chance not to screw it up. You couldn’t even give the

over, growing dizzier as my breaths grew shallow. He was making it worse.

knock beside my ear and I turned to see who had intruded on the conversation. I stumbled

bag in my room,” he said softly, lifting a red bag that looked like my own. “Figured it belonged to either

hands as I clawed at the carpet. I was losing sensation in everything, losing a grasp on reality

rushed to my side and placed a hand on my

on?”

at the red bag in

was unzipping the bag and rummaging through its contents. He pulled out the

broke into sobs as he unscrewed the top to the pill bottle and slid two capsules into his palm. He crawled toward me as I curled into a

his voice gentle but urgent. His other hand was

back.

2/5

Get 10%

A

13.02 Wed, 20 Mar

Chapter 20

52%

fall into my mouth and scrape their way down my dry throat. I still couldn’t

she doing?” The boss asked. “Is

now!” Timothy snarled at

boss clamped his

my head beneath his hand and lifted me up until I was sitting on my knees, facing him. “We’ve got to

do this….” I choked out.

Timothy whispered. He placed his hands on my shoulders and gave them

hold their usual harshness.

me. Hold for three seconds,”

he said, counting to three before releasing a shaky breath. He prompted me again to breathe with him, hold, then release. We

look away. I was caught in the trance,

you,” I croaked. I brought a hand to my aching throat, finding myself more appreciative of