Chapter 21 Earth Shattering Information

Chapter 21 Earth Shattering Information
Odessa's Pov

I cried throughout the drive back to the dorm for no reason that I could name. The vulnerability in his voice kept playing over and over in my head, the way he said my name, the way his hands felt on my wrists. And the sound of my own heart shattering as I remembered everything he's done to me all through the drive back, every shove, every cruel word, every time he made me feel small. I just couldn't bear it anymore.

I hate him. I really hate him. And it should stay that way.

I pick up my phone to text Nick, needing to vent, needing someone to tell me I'm not crazy, but he's offline. The little green dot next to his name is grey, empty. I can't believe that pissed him off that much, my decision to join the show. He's never been angry with me before, not once in all the years we've been talking.

I try to ease my mind over it while I'm reheating my dinner, playing soft music in the background, the kind of lo-fi beats that usually calm me down. The microwave hums and the noodles spin slowly on the tray.

That's when Rowan calls.

"Hey," he greets, his voice warm through the speaker.

"Hi." I lean against the kitchen counter. "I haven't heard from you in a while."

"Yeah, I've been quite busy with practice and everything." There's background noise on his end, the sound of weights clanking, someone shouting instructions. "It's the final game before graduation, so..."

"Oh." I nod even though he can't see me. "Have you registered for the show?"

"I got my email today." He pauses, and I hear him move to a quieter space. "I'm just heading to pick up my suit for tomorrow. It's going to be a long day. Your grandfather isn't going to be exactly pleased."

"That's the point." I pull my dinner out of the microwave and set it on the counter. "I'm hoping to piss him off. He really pissed me off. He ruined my life with that clause anyway."

"It'll be fine." Rowan's voice is measured, calming. "Hopefully it doesn't lead to people throwing hands tomorrow."

"That is if my mom doesn't get triggered." I sigh, stirring my noodles with a fork. The microwave beeps again, even though I already opened it, just a leftover sound.

I hesitate for a while, my fork hovering over the container, but then I clear my throat.

"Why didn't you tell me that Nikolai works at Yellow Leaves?"

There's a pause on the other end. "Yeah, I totally forgot." He says it like it's nothing, like it's not earth-shattering information. "He's the co-owner."

I grab the edge of the counter for support, my knuckles going white. "What?"

"It's actually him and my aunt."

"What?" I say again, because I don't have any other words.

"My aunt's a doctor." Rowan explains, his voice casual. "Nikolai always has this childish belief in mythical medicine and, of course, herbs for werewolves. Mom says it's because we come from a line of healers and Nikolai might have the gift. So out of mere interest, he followed her to work. And by sixteen, he wanted orthodox medicine to have its own terrain and be well known, so my aunt founded Yellow Leaves. She's going to transfer it to him once he graduates with his license. If he doesn't choose hockey full time."

He pauses for a moment, and I can hear him breathing.

"He closed it down in the former timeline. When we lost our aunt to cancer." His voice drops lower. "You have to utilize it fast now that you can."

"I'll call you back, Rowan."

"Sure."

I end the call and set my phone down on the counter, my dinner already forgotten.

I go to my desk and grab my tab, my fingers swiping across the screen as I scroll through my documents with so many questions flooding my head. If he's that smart, if he's actually a co-owner of a company at his age, why did he steal my thesis? He could literally base his research on something that could change the world, something that I may have overlooked. Something important.

I find the file and open it, scrolling aggressively through the pages, my eyes scanning faster and faster.

And it all starts hitting me hard.

Youth Hockey and Child Protection Laws: Safeguarding Young Athletes by Odessa Montgomery.

The abstract seemed okay on the surface. Professional, well-written, the kind of thing that would pass any initial review. But the content was entirely different. It scattered my premise of research, the original premise where I interviewed over fifteen young athletes who either got sexually assaulted by superiors or were poorly managed by the system that was supposed to protect them.

The version in this file was twisted. There was more victim blaming, more deflection, more language suggesting that a child had no place on the rink in the first place. My twenty-five page thesis had been cut to ten. Pages missing, arguments gutted, my voice erased.

The memory comes then, flooding my eyes with truth and regret.

My supervisor had just approved my final version. I was exhausted but excited after pulling an all-nighter to finish the formatting, prepping despite Nikolai taking yet another hair tie from my ponytail that evening. I was too tired to fight him on it.

Damien had come then, his hands massaging my shoulders, his lips pressed against my ear.

"Let me transfer it to the USB drive for you, baby." His voice was soft, concerned. "You should sleep."

And I bought it. I foolishly bought it. I handed over my life's work to a man who was already sleeping with my cousin, and I didn't think twice.

Everything has him written all over it. Damien destroyed my thesis. Not Nikolai. Not some anonymous rival. The man who claimed to love me.

If I had presented this version, the one in the file, it would've been another humiliation ritual. A total disaster. My reputation would've been ruined before I even graduated.

So help me, I will rip out Damien Gracias' heart from his chest.

Because he obviously isn't using it.

It hit me harder as I slowly understood that Nick was right... Nikolai could've been protecting me.