Claimed By My Ex's Rival Hockey Captain

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.