Chapter 22 The Space He Didn’t Explain
Kylen didn’t call.
Not that night.
Not the next morning.
Not even a single message.
Nothing.
I stared at my phone so long my eyes started to burn.
One text.
That’s all it would take.
Are you okay?
We’ll figure this out.
I’m here.
But there was nothing.
Just silence.
And somehow… that silence hurt more than anything Lilibeth had said.
I barely slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, I heard it again.
You might be family.
It wrapped around my chest like something suffocating. Every memory I had with Kylen twisted into something dangerous. Every touch suddenly felt forbidden in a way that went beyond scandal.
This wasn’t about people talking anymore.
This was something else.
Something deeper.
Something that could destroy everything.
By morning, I couldn’t take it anymore.
I went to the rink.
The moment I stepped inside, I knew things had shifted.
The energy was different.
Focused. Intense. Ruthless.
The team was already on the ice, pushing harder than I had ever seen before. Skates cutting sharp into the surface. Sticks clashing. Bodies slamming. No laughter. No breaks.
The tournament.
It was close.
Too close.
And suddenly… I understood.
They didn’t have time for drama.
They didn’t have time for me.
My eyes found Kylen instantly.
Of course they did.
He moved like a storm on the ice. Fast. Aggressive. Unforgiving. Every hit he made was harder than necessary. Every move sharper, more brutal.
He wasn’t playing.
He was punishing something.
Or someone.
My chest tightened.
“Lenora.”
I turned.
Tessa stood behind me, her expression worried.
“You look like you didn’t sleep,” she said.
“I didn’t,” I replied quietly. “Have you talked to him?”
She hesitated.
That hesitation told me everything.
“No,” she admitted. “He’s been like this since last night.”
“Has he said anything?” I asked.
Another pause.
“No.”
My stomach dropped.
Practice ended hard.
No celebration. No relief.
Just exhaustion and tension.
The players started filing off the ice, but Kylen stayed a second longer. Breathing heavy. Head down. Hands gripping his stick like it was the only thing keeping him grounded.
I waited.
He finally stepped off.
And that’s when I moved.
“Kylen.”
He froze.
Just for a second.
Then slowly turned.
Our eyes met.
And everything inside me cracked.
He looked different.
Not angry.
Not soft.
Just… distant.
Like he had already pulled away.
“Can we talk?” I asked.
My voice came out smaller than I wanted.
He glanced around briefly, like he was checking who was watching.
Then nodded once.
“Outside.”
The cold air hit harder this time.
Or maybe it was just me.
I stepped closer. “Why didn’t you call?”
Straight to it.
No pretending.
No soft approach.
I didn’t have the strength for it.
He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.
“I’ve been busy.”
The words felt like a slap.
“Busy?” I repeated. “That’s what you’re going with?”
His jaw tightened. “We have a tournament coming up, Lenora. I don’t have time to—”
“To what?” I cut in. “To talk to me? To tell me what’s going on? To explain why you just disappeared after something like that?”
His silence said more than anything else.
My chest tightened. “Kylen… please.”
Something flickered in his eyes.
Pain.
Gone just as quickly.
“I need to focus,” he said finally.
The words were calm.
Too calm.
“I can’t afford distractions right now.”
Distraction.
That word hit harder than anything else.
“I’m a distraction?” I whispered.
“That’s not what I said.”
“It is,” I said. “That’s exactly what you said.”
He looked away.
And that was enough.
Tears burned in my eyes. “After everything… after what we went through… you’re just going to push me away like this?”
“I’m not pushing you away,” he said.
“You already did,” I replied.
Silence.
Cold.
Heavy.
“I just need space,” he said.
There it was.
The beginning of the end.
“For how long?” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
My heart broke quietly.
“Kylen… are you even fighting for us anymore?”
That made him look at me again.
Really look this time.
And for a second…
I saw it.
The conflict.
The emotion.
The part of him that still wanted me.
But then it disappeared.
Buried.
Locked away.
“I can’t think about that right now,” he said.
That was worse than a no.
I stepped back slowly.
Nodding.
Even though nothing felt okay.
“Right,” I whispered. “Of course.”
And then—
The final cut.
“I think it’s better if we don’t see each other for a while.”
Everything stopped.
“You don’t mean that,” I said.
But he didn’t deny it.
“I do.”
Silence.
Deafening.
Final.
I laughed softly.
Not because it was funny.
Because it hurt too much.
“Wow,” I whispered. “So this is how it ends?”
“It’s not like that,” he said.
“Then what is it like?” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
Again.
And that was when I realized something.
This wasn’t just about the tournament.
This wasn’t just about pressure.
This was about what Lilibeth said.
And he was choosing distance instead of fighting it.
“You believe her,” I said.
His silence confirmed it.
My chest caved in.
“You didn’t even give me a chance to figure it out with you.”
“I need clarity,” he said.
“And I need you,” I snapped.
That hit him.
I saw it.
Felt it.
But he still stepped back.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
And just like that…
He walked away.
No explanation.
No reassurance.
No promise.
Just gone.
I stood there long after he disappeared.
The cold biting into my skin.
The silence louder than anything.
And for the first time since all of this started…
I didn’t feel strong.
I didn’t feel brave.
I didn’t feel ready.
I felt lost.
Because this time…
I didn’t know how to fight for him
When he wasn’t fighting for me.