Chapter 15 The Moment I Couldn’t Ignore
I should have gone home after the party.
Instead, I walked.
The night air was sharp, biting against my skin, but I barely felt it. My mind replayed everything Kylen had said over and over until the words blurred into one painful truth.
Stop choosing them over us.
I wrapped my arms around myself and kept walking, trying to outpace the ache in my chest. It did not work.
Nothing worked.
By the time I reached my aunt’s street, my phone buzzed in my hand. I almost ignored it.
Then I saw Tessa’s name.
Something in my gut tightened.
I answered immediately. “Tessa?”
Her voice came through rushed and breathless. “Lenora, where are you.”
“Almost home. Why.”
“You need to get to the rink. Now.”
My heart dropped. “What happened.”
“It is Kylen,” she said. “He got into another fight. It is worse this time.”
My stomach twisted violently. “Is he hurt.”
“I do not know,” she admitted. “But Coach is there. Security too. It is bad.”
I did not think.
I turned and ran.
The cold air burned my lungs as I sprinted down the street. My thoughts tangled together, panic rising with every step.
This is my fault.
He is falling apart because of me.
The rink lights were still on when I got there. A small crowd lingered outside, murmuring, phones out again like this was entertainment.
I pushed through them without stopping.
Inside, the tension hit me instantly.
Voices echoed down the hallway. Sharp. Angry.
I followed the noise.
When I reached the rink entrance, I froze.
Kylen stood on the ice.
Blood stained the side of his jersey. His knuckles were scraped raw. His chest rose and fell heavily as he faced another player across from him, both of them being held back by teammates.
“Enough,” Coach shouted. “This ends now.”
Kylen jerked against the grip holding him. “He started it.”
“I do not care who started it,” Coach snapped. “You are done for tonight.”
Kylen laughed harshly. “That is it. That is all you have to say.”
“You are out of control,” Coach said. “This is not who you are.”
“Maybe you never knew who I was,” Kylen shot back.
His voice carried something dangerous. Something broken.
My chest tightened painfully.
“Kylen,” I called.
Everything stopped.
His head snapped toward me.
The second his eyes found mine, the anger drained just enough to reveal what was underneath.
Pain.
Deep. raw. unmistakable.
The player he had been fighting pulled away, muttering under his breath, but I did not hear it. I only saw Kylen.
Only felt the weight of everything between us.
I stepped onto the ice slowly, my shoes slipping slightly against the surface.
“Lenora,” he said, his voice rough. “You should not be here.”
“I heard what happened,” I said. “I had to come.”
“Why,” he asked. “To watch me fall apart.”
“Yes,” I said honestly. “Because I am part of the reason it is happening.”
His jaw tightened. “Stop doing that.”
“I cannot,” I said. “Not when I can see it.”
Coach looked between us, clearly irritated but aware that this was no longer just about the team.
“You have five minutes,” he said to Kylen. “Then you are off this ice.”
He turned and walked away.
The rink grew quieter.
Kylen stepped toward me slowly. “You should not be here.”
“You already said that,” I replied.
“And I meant it,” he said. “This is not something you need to see.”
“It is,” I said. “Because I cannot pretend anymore.”
He let out a bitter breath. “Pretending seems to be your favorite thing lately.”
The words stung.
“I am not pretending,” I said. “I am trying to do what is right.”
“By leaving me,” he said.
“Yes.”
“And how is that working out for you,” he asked.
I hesitated.
His expression hardened. “Exactly.”
I looked at his hands. Bruised. Bloody.
“This is not you,” I whispered.
“This is what happens when you lose something that mattered,” he said.
Guilt twisted inside me. “You should not be destroying yourself over me.”
“I am not destroying myself,” he said. “I am reacting to being left by the person I love.”
The words hit harder this time.
“Kylen,” I said softly, “look at me.”
He did.
“You are hurting,” I said. “And I hate that I caused it.”
“You did not cause it,” he said. “You made a choice. I am dealing with it.”
“That is not dealing,” I said. “That is breaking.”
He stepped closer. “Then fix it.”
My breath caught.
“Fix it,” he repeated. “Stop running. Stop hiding behind what everyone else thinks. If you love me, then choose me.”
The world seemed to hold its breath.
My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
“I…”
I could not finish.
Fear wrapped around my throat, tightening until I could barely breathe.
His eyes searched mine desperately.
“Say it,” he said.
I looked away.
And that was enough.
Something inside him snapped completely.
“Of course,” he said, laughing without humor. “I should have known.”
“Kylen…”
“No,” he said sharply. “I am done begging you to stay.”
The words hit like a slap.
“I never asked you to beg,” I said.
“And I am not doing it anymore,” he replied.
He stepped back, creating distance between us.
“You made your choice,” he said. “Now I am making mine.”
My stomach dropped. “What does that mean.”
“It means I am done waiting for you,” he said. “Done hoping you will suddenly decide I am worth the risk.”
Tears filled my eyes. “You are worth it.”
“Then prove it,” he said.
I stayed silent.
The silence stretched too long.
His face went cold.
“Exactly,” he said.
He turned away from me, signaling to the coach that he was ready to leave the ice.
Panic surged through me.
“Kylen, wait,” I said.
He stopped, but did not turn around.
“You are really walking away,” I whispered.
“I am doing what you did first,” he said.
That broke something inside me.
“Kylen,” I said, my voice shaking, “if you walk away now…”
“If I walk away,” he cut in, “it is because you never came toward me.”
Silence fell.
Heavy. Final.
Then he walked off the ice.
And this time, I knew.
This was it.
This was the moment I could not undo.
The moment where love was not enough.
The moment where I had to decide whether I was going to keep letting fear control me…
Or lose him for good.