The Hockey Star’s Remorse

Chapter 38

As soon as I stepped into the apartment, a shard of glass shattered beneath my shoe. I looked down and saw that it had belonged to the large lamp that had been on the small table near the door.

“What on Earth!” I stumbled inside, almost tripping over the debris on the floor. I heard a set of keys jingling behind me and whipped around, my senses on high

alert.

Aria was standing in the doorway, gawking at the display. Her eyes met mine, wide and perplexed.

“I just got back from work…” she said softly, taking it all in. Her eyes scanned the room and her face twisted up. “What the hell happened here?”

“Someone broke in!” I shouted, rushing toward her. There was broken glass everywhere. The photos on the wall had been knocked down, leaving trails of wood chips and torn paper.

The couch had been slashed and the cotton was spilling from every own slit. Like everything else, the kitchen was in shambles. There wasn’t a piece of dishware that didn’t look shattered.

Aria took hold of my arms and clung to my side, fortunately more alert than before. Her wide eyes darted across the room. “Who could’ve done this?”

I already knew the answer to that. “He just won’t give up.”

Aria narrowed her eyes. “Who’s ‘he? You know who did this?”

I bit

my lip and looked to the side. “I just assumed it was a man that did this,” I said, and she looked far from convinced.

“You said he won’t give up,” Aria pointed out. “Which implies that there have been other instances. Who is he?”

When it looked like she wasn’t giving up any time soon, I sighed and plopped down on my bed. Aria sat beside me. I didn’t catch her being serious all too often, but she was at her scariest when she was.

“I think it might have been Bruce,” I said carefully, unable to meet her gaze. “He’d been sending me texts for a while, but I didn’t think he’d

go this far.

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Aria stood abruptly, her hands clenched into fists. “Bruce? As in the Bruce, the scum bag that calls himself your family!?!”

I nodded weakly and she slapped a hand on her forehead, turning away.

“How could I not have known?? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to freak out!” I said, my voice cracking with the onset of tears. “Hell, I was freaking out so much, and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t even

hear

a wave

he made it evident in the most destructive way possible. It felt like sanity kept slipping away from me at every turn

took out her phone and

“What are you doing?”

and frowned at me. “Calling the police, obviously. Whatever you two have

the number and held the phone to her ear. It took a few rings before the

in.” Aria stepped out of the room, leaving me

He’d already ruined my day just from leaving a

the room and stopped with. her hands on

wiped my nose.

stretch of silence before her harsh stance weakened. After a moment, she sighed and sat beside me. She rubbed

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Chapter 38

into her lap and started running her fingers through my hair. My sobs grew louder, as I didn’t have the strength to

sat me down on the couch before answering the door. There was a male and female officer on the other side,

officer. “I’m officer Brody, and this is Officer Hills. We

that was me. Come

They took note of the

you know if this person was after

“Evie, you might have to answer

cops turned their attention to me, and I shrunk into the couch, wishing I could just disappear. I pulled my knees to my chest and

something like this before?” asked Brody. “If so, this may become

first time he’s done this,” I

another, then looked around the

her that incriminates him. It might be in your best interest to consider moving somewhere

help but scoff at her

some place you can stay for now? Somewhere safe?” asked

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Chapter 38

a friend near here. He wouldn’t mind

looked back at Aria and

said bitterly, flicking a tuft of cotton off the sofa

left, Aria marched away from the door and into her room. She pulled out a suitcase

she said, practically out of breath. “We need to get

really have the motivation to move, but staying in that apartment at that point was out of the question. At a sloth’s pace, I removed myself from the couch and shuffled to my room to

was still far from sobriety, she let me drive all the way to Lucas‘ apartment. He lived in a much finer place, which had a gate for security

Lucas‘ apartment. As late as it was, I

he