Bailey POV

" I'm home!" I call, throwing my purse on the table and slumping on the couch, heaving a contented sigh as my ass connects with the soft, fluffy cushions.

I peer into the kitchen, expecting to see my boyfriend Nolan.

When I called him earlier to check on him, he said something about missing me and trying to bake something so as to feel my presence. Cheesy line, right? But I loved it.

I love baking. I started baking in my junior school and Nolan has always been glad to be my guinea pig. Not like I make inedible stuff.

He enjoys every new recipe I make. He often describes the taste as ' home' saying that my food and I always give him that homey feeling.

I blush every time he whispers those sweet nothings.

When I don't spot Nolan, a frown paints my face. Today is his birthday, and I rushed all the way here to surprise him. I didn't manage to bake him a cake, but I ordered one, especially for him.

I don't want him to feel that I am neglecting him on such a special day.

These past few months, I have been on and off between Michigan and Chicago.

My grandmother hasn't been feeling well, and since I am the only family she has, I have to take care of her.

On the other hand, there's Nolan – the love of my life.

Three years ago, we moved to Chicago after he was offered a spot on the Chicago Red Wings hockey team.

Initially, he was eyeing the Michigan Blackhawks but didn't qualify to join the team. I remember how he sucked for weeks before he eventually agreed to relocate here.

Seeing that he was moving to a new city, I agreed to relocate with him. It was hard leaving the town I grew up in and my family, but I did it - for Nolan and for us.

Over the years, I have been the backbone of his career, organising everything for him.

I plan his schedule, keep track of every game he is scheduled to participate i,n and arrange his interviews.

At some point, he even joked that I might as well fire his manager and take his position.

I love doing everything for him. It gives me a sense of accomplishment.

I decide to head upstairs. Maybe he decided to take a nap before venturing into the kitchen. A smile paints my lips as I imagine the look of surprise on his face when he sees me.

I had informed him that I wouldn't make it to his birthday yesterday but changed my mind at the last moment.

As I near our bedroom door, something halts me in my steps.

I freeze outside the bedroom, my hand hovering over the knob.

No. I must be imagining it. Nolan wouldn't... he couldn't.

The sound comes again. It's a low groan followed by breathless moans that send ice flooding my veins.

My chest tightens. My pulse hammers so loudly I can barely hear anything else. A sick part of me whispers to walk away, to go back downstairs and pretend I never came up here. Pretend I never heard this.

But what kind of woman would that make me?

A coward.

A fool clinging to a lie.

Images flash in my mind of every night I stayed awake managing his calendar, every time I chose him over myself, over Michigan, over my family. Every sacrifice I made just so I could make him 'comfortable'.

And this is what I am repaid with?

Anger surges insíde me, burning away the fear from earlier.

My hand grips the doorknob so tightly it bites into my palm.

If he's in there with someone else, I need to see it with my own eyes.

Before I can talk myself out of it, I slam the door open.

My heart shatters at the sight before me.

My boyfriend, Nolan and a blonde – tangled in our bed. The same bed we have been making love on for the past three years.

I clench my fists, my fingers digging into my palms as I stand frozen.

The sound of the door banging alerts them, and Nolan jerks upright, scrambling for the blanket to cover himself. His face is pale and his eyes wide with panic.

"B-Bailey, wait-this isn't what it looks like," he stammers, his voice cracking.

A bitter laugh tears from my throat. "Really? You expect me to believe that? What am I looking at then? Are you saying it's some kind of practice drill?"

Nolan flinches, shame flashing across his face. For a second, I almost think he is going to beg.

"I swear, I didn't mean for it to happen," he blurts, holding out his hands like that could erase the image imprinted into my mind.

"I was...I was just tempted, Bailey. I don't even care about her. It was a mistake, I swear."

I take a step back, disgust rising in my throat.

"A mistake? You fucking her right on our bed. You call that a mistake? That's a choice."

" I trusted you, Nolan. I gave you everything, and how did you choose to repay me? By bringing a woman into our house - our bed?"

His jaw tightens and the guilt in his eyes flickers as his expression hardens.

"You think you're perfect? You think you're not to blame here?" He snaps, irritation written all over his face.

" I never asked you to leave everything behind and fly all the way here. I was fine without you so if you feel betrayed, blame everything on yourself." Nolan shamelessly declares.

I stare at him, confused and feeling insulted at the same time.

"What are you talking about?"

"You suffocate me."His voice rises and there is no trace of guilt left. " You are always hovering, always controlling everything I do. I can't breathe with you on my back. You planned my entire life and called it love. That's not what I need."

The words hit me like a punch, knocking the air from my lungs.

"Everything I did-I did for you. To support you."

"Support?" he sneers, dropping the blanket and standing tall.

" Did I ever ask for such toxic support? You are everywhere, clinging on to me. You never gave me the space to breath freely so I took matters into my hand." He says and gestures to the blonde, lounging smugly in our bed.

" This is what happens when you push a man too far."

For a moment, I just stare.

The betrayal cuts deeper with every word.

His words feel like a punch in the gut, stealing my breath away.

I never thought everything I did out of love and my concern for him was nothing but nuisance in his eyes.

" If that's what you felt, why did you never say anything? Was my love so cheap in your eyes?" I ask, fighting not to break down.

" Babe, can you get her out of here? You always said she was annoying, I never knew she was delusional too." The blonde finally says with a scoff.

Her words rub me the wrong way.

" Always?" I repeat, dread filling me.

" Nolan and I have been seeing each other for the past six months." She declares haughtily.

Six months? Nolan has been cheating on me for six months? It's the same time my grandmother's health started to deteriorate and I frequented Michigan to check on her.

" She is lying, isn't she?" I turn to ask Nolan, my voice breaking. Nolan doesn't say a word, only giving me a blank stare. The answer is however very clear with his silence. They have been making a fool out of me for six months.

No.

I have been making a fool out of myself instead.

"Now that you know about us, you should walk away with the little dignity left in you. You are nothing and nobody to Nolan. You can't help his career. On the contrary, I have a lot to offer him." She declares, sneering.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, my voice shattering.

"Nolan needs connections to stand a chance at the national hockey team. I am the connection; you were always just a placeholder, so fuck off. Staying with you will only drag his career down. You don't expect him to throw away his future for some stupid puppy love, do you?"

Every word feels like a poisoned dagger stabbing me right into my chest.

I always thought, as long as I was there for him through thick and thin, everything would be fine and Nolan would recognise my efforts.

Now it seems I was only deluding myself.

Taking a deep breath, I square my shoulders and face him.

"For three years I was your career, Nolan. You never had a manager who actually cared about you. No connections that mattered and nobody covering your private life before it ruined things. I did that. All of it." I declared.

"Don't be ridiculous..." Nolan starts.

"I scheduled every game," I cut him off. "I negotiated every sponsorship deal you signed. For every interview that shaped your image, I guided you through it.

You didn't have a team behind you or a blonde with connections. You had me, doing a team's job for free, because I loved you."

His jaw works, but nothing comes out. He knows I am right.

"So no," I say, looking at the blonde now.

"I'm not a placeholder. I am the reason there's a career left for him to fight over. Thank you for opening my eyes. You've shown me exactly who he is.

A cheating coward and a leech.

And starting tonight, you can both find out exactly how much of it keeps standing without me."

I don't wait for a response. I turn, walk out, and shut the door behind me.

Outside on the staircase, my hands finally shake. My heart's still hammering. Tears burn at the corners of my eyes.

But I don't let them fall.

Bailey

The flight back to Michigan felt endless. My body was in the seat, but my mind was stuck in that bedroom in Chicago... the sounds, the smirk and the way Nolan looked at me like I was nothing.

Seven years of dating and three years of devotion. All reduced to an ugly joke in one afternoon.

I'd grabbed my bag, booked the flight with shaking hands, and didn't look back. There was nothing left to look back to.

By the time the plane landed, it was morning. I walked down the aisle with nothing but the bag I'd grabbed in my rush to escape.

Stepping out into the cool Michigan air, the familiar scent of home wraps around me. For the first time in months, I let myself breathe.

I hail a cab and give the one address I know will get me what I need... comfort.

Minutes later, I'm standing outside Talia's apartment, ringing the bell like my life depends on it.

The door opens fast and Talia blinks at me.

Her hair is disheveled and eyes still heavy with sleep.

"Bailey..." Her voice cracks as she takes me in.

I don't say anything.

I know I look like a mess.

I am still wearing the same clothes from yesterday, no shower, nothing. Talia doesn't ask. She just steps aside and allows me in.

"You look like you've been through hell," she points out behind me.

That's what breaks the dam. I sniff hard, fighting my tears back.

I don't want to fall apart in front of her, even though it's all I want to do.

"Can I take a shower?" I ask instead.

"Of course. You don't need to ask." Talia replies.

I take the familiar path to her bathroom, strip down, and step under the water. It streams over me, rinsing off the stench of heartbreak.

I press my forehead to the tile and let the tears I have been forcing back to finally slip free, muffling the sobs with my hand.

By the time I step out wrapped in her fluffy robe, my limbs are still trembling but I feel human again.

The smell of coffee pulls me into the kitchen. Talia is seated at the table with two mugs of steaming coffee waiting. She pats the seat across from her and I take it without another word.

Talia takes two sips before she sets her cup down.

"Bailey. What the hell happened? You were fine yesterday, excited about surprising Nolan. Why are you back already, looking like this?" She asked. I could feel the concern in her voice despite the sharp tone.

So I tell her. Every sickening detail.

By the end, my voice is shaking with anger and grief. Talia slaps the table so hard I feel it on her behalf.

"That prick did what?" she growls.

"I caught him balls deep in another woman. He didn't even look sorry and said I was suffocating him." I take a sip of coffee.

Saying it out loud, i realised it sounded even more ridiculous than it felt.

"Six months, Talial. Six months he's been with her."

That's the part that guts me most. He should have just ended it, if he didn't love me anymore.

He should have been man enough and spared us both the wreckage.

"Love?" Talia scoffs. "Men like him don't care what you offer them. They cheat regardless."

She'd warned me about him once and told me not to put everything into one basket. I never listened because back then, Nolan was my everything.

Maybe Talia saw it coming all along.

"I gave him everything, Tal. I moved cities for him." Just thinking about it makes me feel miserable.

"That fucking prick," she spits. "Somebody should mutilate his junk and hang it at the hockey rink."

I almost laugh, despite everything.

Talia's anger is its own kind of comfort.

"As satisfying as that sounds, it's illegal. I'm not going to prison for him." I replied.

"You don't have to do it yourself. We could find someone." She suggests.

I can tell that she is dead serious about her revenge plan but it's absurd enough that I just stare at her.

She sees the look on my face and grins.

"What? I'm brainstorming," she defends herself.

. "Quality revenge takes planning."

Something in her ridiculous suggestions cracks the weight in my chest.

She is furious on my behalf and protective in the way only Talia is.

I can also tell that underneath it, she is trying to pull me back to myself.

I set down my mug and meet her eyes.

"No, Talia. I'm not wasting another second on him. He doesn't get my time, my energy, or my tears. I've already given him enough." I point out. Seven years is way too long to end up with a broken heart and humiliation.

Her expression softens. "So what are you going to do?"

I take a breath, and for the first time in months, my head feels clear.

"I am going to focus on my life. Grandma needs me, and it's time I choose myself for once." I declare.

For years, my whole world revolved around Nolan. I thought we were building something together. Now I can see I spent it all on a man who never actually cared.

Talia's smile turns blinding. "There she is. I'm so proud of you."

She pulls me into a hug, and I let myself sink into it.

It's not too late, I tell myself.

Over the next three months, I throw myself into rebuilding my life.

I split my time between taking care of my grandma and bringing the dream of owning a bakery shop to life.

Talia helps me hunt for a perfect shop, and after making sure it met my standards, I put down a six-month down payment for the rent.

I polish the recipes that were half-developed and set on getting the menu ready.

" See! This is what happens when you choose yourself." Talia whispers as we stand outside the shop, lease contract at hand.

A smile paints my lips at that.

I seem to see the bakery bustling with customers, their faces glowing with delight at the first taste of my pastries

-and that vision alone tells me I'm exactly where I belong.

My healing journey was going well until I received an alarming call after a week.

Bailey POV

" Miss Dawson, can you come to the hospital immediately?"

I had been in the middle of arranging my small bakery shop when the call came.

At first, I was confused and then dread followed.

When I arrived at the hospital, my grandmother was already laying in the ICU.

That's when my world started cracking again.

" Your grandmother's condition worsened and she needs a heart surgery as soon as possible."

I trembled and took a step back as I felt like my world was running in circles.

A heart surgery? When I had drained my savings to set up my bakery?

Desperate, I pleaded with the landlady to give back the six months down payment I had made but my efforts were proven futile.

I mortgaged the house my parents left me but it was not enough. That's how I found myself here, in a club serving drinks to earn money.

The bass thumps so hard through the velvet-lined walls I could feel it in my bones. I clutch my tray a little tighter, reminding myself for the hundredth time: This is just temporary. Just until I scrape together enough money for Grandma's surgery.

The smell of liquor and smoke curl around me as I weave between tables, keeping my head down.

Every step screams humiliation. If Nolan could see me now... No. I shove the thought away. Nolan has already taken enough from me. I can't think about him right now.

My grandmother is very important to me and that's why I took this humiliating job. Anything as long as she can get well.

"Table twelve," the floor manager hisses, shoving another order slip in my hand.

I grab the drinks, arrange them on the tray and make a beeline to the assigned table.

My heart stutters when I see where table twelve is.

It's a corner booth filled with laughter and testosterone - jerseys and leather jackets everywhere.

Then I see him. At the center, lounging like he owns the damn place... Orion Kane.

Of course. Out of all the gin joints in Michigan, he had to walk into mine. How unlucky can I get?

From Nolan's everyday tale in the past, Orion is a prick and a bastard who doesn't lose an opportunity to act cocky.

His gaze snaps to me the second I approach. A smirk curls on his lips, slow and sharp.

"Well, well. Look who we have here.

Bailey Dawson. I didn't think you knew how to hold a tray." He says, each word laced with mockery.

I wish the floor would open up and swallow me whole. Instead, I square my shoulders and look him in the face.

"Didn't think you knew how to speak without bragging. Guess we're both full of surprises."

My retort is followed by a low whistle from one of his teammates. Orion just chuckles, his eyes glittering with something unreadable.

I set the drinks down carefully, but as I turn to leave, a hand reaches out and rough fingers graze my thigh.

"Hey sweetheart, how about you stay and give us a little show, huh?" one of the guys jeers and I fight with everything inside me not to slam the tray on his face.

Disgust stirs inside my stomach and before I know it, I push myself away.

The tray tilts in my hand and the liquid splashes over the edge of a glass.

It spills down his expensive jacket and amber streaks soak the fabric.

The man shoots up, his face twisting with anger. "Are you fucking kidding me?" His voice booms, drawing the attention of the onlookers.

"This jacket costs more than your entire paycheck, you stupid..."

"Sit. Down."

A voice cuts through the rising tension.

It's low, dangerous and laced with authority that silences the table.

In one fluid motion, Orion stands, towering over the guy. His hand clamps down on the man's shoulder.

"If you so much as look at her again, you'll be picking your teeth off the floor."

The threat lingers in the air, I even taste in my lips.

The guy's bravado from earlier wilts instantly. He mutters something under his breath and drops back into his chair.

Slowly , Orion turns, his eyes locking on mine.

For a split second, I see something different in them. Not arrogance. Not rivalry.

I see possession. Like he damn owns every part of me. I swallow hard, heat forming and spreading across my body.

"She's with me," he announces, loud enough for the whole damn lounge to hear. "Nobody is allowed to touch or humiliate her. Only I can do that."

Heat surges to my cheeks mixed with something else I can't quite pinpoint.

My eyes remain locked on his and for a fleeting moment, we gaze at each other.

I see imaginary sparks flying between us. Eventually, I look away.

I can't help but wonder what the hell he is playing at?

I want to snap at him, to scream that I am not his but the way every pair of eyes in that booth shifts off me, I just stand there, trembling.

Orion leans closer, his smirk returning but it's softer this time.

"Relax, sweetheart. I don't bite." Then his gaze flicks to my lips. "Not unless you ask nicely."

My pulse hammers.

I hate him but a weird sensation erupts from deep insíde me and spreads all over my body.

I glare at him. " Asshole." I murmur before walking away.

The rest of the shift runs smoothly. Nobody bothers me and while I don't exactly appreciate how he claimed ownership over me, why does a small, treacherous part of me feel like he is cool?

When my shift is over, I grab my bag and head out. When I step outside the club, the harsh night air slaps my body and I wrap my hands around myself.

I walk towards the bus stop hoping I don't have to wait for long. I don't make it far when a black motorcycle pulls up before me.

The scent of his cologne hits me before he removes the helmet covering his face.

" Hop on, I'll drive you home." Orion offers.

" No need. I can find my way home." I retort. Just because he helped me earlier doesn't mean I suddenly like him.

"Hop on, Bailey." His tone leaves no room for argument. "It's late and I am not letting you ride a bus with creeps after what just happened inside." Orion presses on.

I cross my arms tighter. "I don't need saving."

His mouth curves, equal parts smirk and challenge. "Funny. It looked like you did about an hour ago."

I glare at him in defiance but when a couple of rowdy men spill out of the club behind us, laughing too loud, my resolve wavers.

It's almost ten and the streets can be unsafe, especially for a woman like me.

With a sharp exhale, I swing a leg over and settle behind him.

The engine roars to life, and the world blurs into shadows and neon lights. My hands grip the edges of his jacket, and even when I try to resist it, the warmth seeping through steadies me.

When he finally slows near my street, he doesn't kill the engine right away. Instead, his voice cuts through the night.

"So. You and Nolan...?

The sound of that name feels like a slap.

" It's none of your fucking business." I snap. Orion's jaws suddenly tighten.

"Everyone in the hockey world knows he has been screwing around with the daughter of the club patron. He left you for her? What an asshole." His tone feels heavy, like he is mad about something.

So that's how it is? The connection the dumb blonde was talking about?

My throat works, but no words come out.

Then he turns to me.

" I know you need money urgently. I have a proposal.

Be my girlfriend and I'll take care of everything you need."

I laugh bitterly.

" You really are delusional. You think I would date you? My ex's rival?"

"Exactly," he says, lips curving into that infuriating grin.

" This makes it even more interesting. Don't you want to get back at your cheating ex? What better way than to be with me- the man he hates the most?"