The Hockey Star’s Remorse

apter 162

TIMOTHY POV

Timothy had been enjoying a rare moment of peace in his apartment, perched on the edge of his leather couch, as Duke chased the toy around. The evening sun cast a warm glow through the open window, and the soothing hum of the city outside served as a pleasant backdrop to his thoughts.

As Duke returned the stuffed toy to him, Timothy couldn’t help but talk to him, as he often did. “I hope Evie’s doing okay after all that crap with the dress.”

Duke cocked his head to the side, his eyes filled with curiosity, but he remained silent, as always, letting Timothy pour out his thoughts without judgment.

Timothy continued, his voice tinged with longing. “I wonder where she is, what she’s doing. Hopefully she liked the cake. I mean, she loves banana nut.”

The memories of her were a bittersweet ache in Timothy’s heart. He had hoped to get to know more about her as the days went on, but that seemed less and less. likely. It felt like having part of himself torn away, and he was left with a gaping. wound.

Duke let out an empathetic whine, nuzzling against Timothy’s leg, as if sensing hist inner turmoil. Timothy knelt down to stroke the dog’s fur, taking comfort in the simple, unconditional love that Duke offered.

“You’re a good listener, Duke,” Timothy murmured, his eyes scanning the walls, as if searching for answers in the generic black and white nature photos. Eventually, he shut his eyes and engaged in the momentary bliss..

This bliss, however, was short–lived.

With an abrupt swing, the front door burst open, revealing a whirlwind of fiery red hair and an exasperated expression. Stella stormed into the apartment as if she owned the place. She didn’t bother knocking; she never did.

“Timothy!” Stella barked, her emerald eyes ablaze with fury. “I need your help!”

Timothy raised an eyebrow as he watched Stella’s dramatic entrance, his peaceful bubble shattered into a million pieces. “What’s the problem, Stella?”

Ignoring his question, Stella strode over to him, her lips curled into a tight frown.

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Chapter 162

Duke’s eager jaws and tossed it aside, causing the

to help me with the wedding invitations,” Stella declared,

eyes widened in disbelief.

look. “Uh, yeah. So people can

and ruffling Duke’s fur. “You

“You have to invite people too,

a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “My

count?”

a finger at Timothy’s chest. “You better take this seriously, Timothy! You can’t just half–ass this like you’ve done with everything

smirked. “Fine, I’ll take it seriously. I’ll even invite

eyes narrowed suspiciously.

resist teasing her.

red that matched her hair, and she practically spat out her

laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying her rage. “Oh, come

even think about inviting her, I will personally ensure that she moves to the other side of the country, and you will never see her again.

by genuine concern at the intensity of Stella’s anger. He had never seen her react

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Chapter 162

heavily, her anger suddenly replaced by something akin to sadness. She lowered her voice, almost whispering. “Timothy, you have no idea what that woman put me through. The pain she caused me, the tears I shed. I

dramatically, leaving him feeling hallow. The way she voiced her threat made it seem like it held a lot of promise, like there was more to Stella’s anger than

Timothy began cautiously, “is there something you’re

I had to do something to protect myself

He leaned forward, his

her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and defiance. “I had to,

between Stella and Evie.

I wanted her to stay away from our

his chair scraping against the wooden floor. “You did

her eyes welling with tears. “I had to protect us, Timothy. She can’t just