The Hockey Star’s Remorse

Chapter 180

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When Timothy and I returned to the party, Aria greeted us with a smile as bright as the candles she was about to light. “The girls are ready to cut the cake!” she announced, her excitement more pronounced now that she was comfortable.

Timothy looked at me and whispered, “I think I’d better head out,” then made his way over to Duke. The dog looked burnt out, like the girls did a number on him. Timothy grabbed his leash and practically had to coax him to move from his place of comfort.

Timothy then walked over to Olive and knelt down to her level, wishing her a heartfelt, “Happy birthday, sweetheart,” before embracing her tightly. “Goodnight!” Olive told him. “Don’t let the bedbugs bite.”

“I’ll keep an eye out for ‘em.” As he pulled away from the hug, I noticed his gaze linger on me. It was an intense, lingering look, filled with a depth of emotion that I couldn’t quite place. My heart raced as our eyes locked for a moment, and then he turned and headed for the door.

“Night, Aria. Night, Evie.” He smiled at me as he passed the threshold and shut the door behind him. For some reason, I felt more affronted by the

gesture.

I couldn’t deny the way his gaze had affected me. It was a mixture of curiosity and frustration, leaving me torn between wanting to know what he was thinking and being furious with him for what he had done. I had no intention of letting him off the hook easily. There was unfinished business between us, and that gaze had only added to the growing pile of questions in my mind.

Once Timothy had disappeared from sight, I turned my attention back to Aria, who was now ready to light the candles on Olive’s cake. The girls fell

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silent as the flames flickered to life, casting a warm, golden glow on Olive’s delighted face. We all sang a heartfelt rendition of “Happy Birthday.” and Olive beamed as she made a wish before blowing out the candles.

As the

party continued, Olive began opening her birthday presents, a chorus of excitement accompanying each unwrapping.

last friend’s gift, Olive turned to me, her eyes shining with gratitude. “Thank you, Evie. This

an amazing birthday!”

But don’t thank me just yet.” I reached into my bag and pulled out the wrapped gift. “This is from

eagerly tore open the wrapping, revealing the toys inside. Olive’s face lit up with. delight, and she hugged the

Olive exclaimed, her gratitude

hug, feeling a sense of happiness. “You’re welcome, Olive. I’m glad you

the toy. “At least Uncle Timothy’s nice. Maybe him and Aunt Stella should get married after all.” My heart sank at her words. I glanced at Olive, unsure of how to respond. Her innocent remark had touched on something that I hadn’t expected. I leaned down to Olive’s level, my voice gentle. “Olive, what do you mean by that? Did someone say something to you?” Olive shrugged, her young mind

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Chapter 180

is the best thing that ever

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a mix of emotions as I listened to Olive’s innocent perspective. Even if Timothy kept Stella calm, he certainly couldn’t convince her to be

complexities of adult relationships, and it wasn’t the time or place to dive into that conversation. Instead, I gave her a soft smile and said, “Well, sometimes, people find silver linings in the most unexpected

confusion to understanding and empathy. The intricacies of family dynamics and the complexities of human relationships had taken center stage,

Aria and I, both worn out from the day’s festivities, set about

were finally asleep. Aria and I retreated to the living room, where the warm glow

level,” Aria said, and she shot me a glare. “And you abandoned me twice. by the way, Miss I’ll be by

that at all. I just said I’d take care of the big stuff, though I

they held a hint of humor. “Man, it’s been so long since I’ve even seen a big birthday like that. My last one

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Chapter 180

and that ended with a cheating boyfriend and

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along with her, but it didn’t seem possible to share my own birthday anecdotes. “That’s awful. I guess I’ve never really had a birthday, per say,

with empathy. “No birthdays? Was it because you

anger of my past resurfacing. “I could never really get one, though

troubled. She didn’t need to indulge in more of my life story, though I’ve