Contracted To The Beast novel Chapter 17

Chapter 17

PETA

“That fucking bastard,” I muttered under my breath as I walked to my car.

Who did he think he was? Barging into my office after fighting on the ice like an animal, saying he wanted to talk about us. only to pick up Bella’s call right in front of me.

Rage burned in my stomach. How dare he? For someone he claimed he did not want, Bella was always there. Always calling. Always touching him. And Maddox never stopped it. He kept making me look like a fool. Especially after the humiliation 1 suffered at that dinner.

I managed to pull myself together after crying beside Zara’s bed for hours last night. I left her room with a pounding migraine, thinking of all the ways I could have handled her paternity issue better. But nothing came to mind. I had been so convinced yesterday could not get any worse. Then Zara dropped that bomb on me this morning.

I hoped she was not being bullied at school. The thought alone broke my heart. I did not want my daughter to go through what I went through. And to think it might happen because of Maddox? What a cruel full circle.

It felt cruel.

Because where was this energy when I was the one suffering?

I did not want any harm to come to my baby. I would protect her no matter what. Apart from Mom, Zara was the only person I had.

I had to survive this fake relationship without letting Zara get caught in the fallout.

I arrived home, took a deep breath, and stepped inside. It was late. The game had ended around ten, but I left the arena thirty minutes later than usual because of Maddox and his drama.

Mom and Zara were already asleep, as they should be. It was past eleven. I quietly heated the leftover mac and cheese Mom made earlier. I carried the plate upstairs to my bedroom, took off my clothes and makeup, and changed into my soft house robe. I let my hair down, brushed it gently, and went back downstairs to eat.

I ate in silence, thinking about how badly my life had spiraled in just a few weeks kept running through my mind. A few weeks ago I was just a physiotherapist trying to survive. Now I was caught in a fake relationship with a man who brought nothing but chaos.

My phone pinged. It was a message from Coach Riggs.

“Good game today team. Take tomorrow off and be back in full capacity on Wednesday. Regards, Riggs.”

I stood up and walked to the small wine rack. I grabbed a bottle of red wine and a glass. Maybe drowning myself at the bottom of the bottle would clear my head. It was a good thing I did not have work tomorrow. I did not have the mental strength for it anyway.

“God bless you, Coach Riggs,” I said out loud to no one as I poured the first glass. I did not even pause to savor it.

“Ah,” I exhaled softly. That hit hard. I could not remember the last time I drank alcohol. It had been years.

The wine warmed my body. I decided to take a bath instead of my usual quick shower. I might as well turn tonight into some form of self-care. Maybe it was the wine talking, but for the first time in years, I wished I had someone to hold me through all of this. Someone I could run to when things got this hard. The last couple of days had been brutal.

Chapter 17

“Mama! Mama!”

I woke up to Zara jumping on my bed. Bright light hit my eyes and made my head pound

“Zara,” I groaned.

She was already dressed for school in a pastel blue flared dress, flowered socks, a light cardigan, and her Elsa backpack.

“Good morning!” she chirped excitedly.

“Did you sleep well?” I asked as I carried her downstairs. “Morning, Mom.”

“You look hungover,” Mom replied, looking at me with concern.

“My head is killing me.” I put Zara down and helped her with her shoes. Then I went to the refrigerator for water and an Advil.

“What is going on with you?” Mom asked. “You are not the type to drink.”

“Bye Mama!” Zara called as Mom took her to the school bus.

“Talk to me, Nia,” Mom said the moment she returned. “You may not want to, but you have to.”

I sighed and sat down. “I had dinner with Maddox’s family and it did not go well

“What exactly happened?”

“His father didn’t just dislike me. He looked at me like I was beneath him. And to make matters worse, Maddox’s ex was there. They are engaged.”

“Engaged?” Mom asked in shock.

“Yes. Although Maddox and Beck were not aware beforehand. Their father planned everything. I think he invited me there just to remind me I would never belong in their world.” I shook my head slowly.

“Is Maddox okay with the arrangement?”

“I do not even know. But whether he is okay with it or not, the news cannot come out until our contract expires. He cannot afford another scandal. Especially after last night.”

Mom walked over and placed her hand on my shoulder. “Do not worry, Nia. It will all be sorted out. Even if you do not trust Maddox, trust Mr. Hale to handle this quickly. Everything will be fine, okay? I have to run now. Take care of yourself.”

I hoped she was right.

My phone rang and pulled me out of my thoughts. It was Natalie.

“Hey Nia, where have you been?”

“Busy with work,” I said sadly.

“Why do you sound so down? What is the matter?”

“A lot has happened, my dear. You would not even believe it.”

“Try me,” she said, giggling.

“Maddox is engaged.”

Chapter 17

“What?”

“Yes. To Bella.”

“Girl. I am at work now but we need to see and talk. This is a lot.”

“Yeah.. because I honestly feel like I’m about to lose my mind.”

“Okay, love. We will see later. Bye.”

I ended the call and tossed my phone onto the bed before pulling the blanket over my head. My body felt heavy. Emotionally drained. I only meant to close my eyes for a few minutes.

The sharp vibration of my phone against the nightstand dragged me awake hours later.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

My heart sank instantly.

Too many notifications.

I grabbed the phone with shaky hands and squinted at the screen. Messages flooded in faster than I could read them.

Natalie: CALL ME NOW.

Unknown Number: Homewrecker.

ESPN Alerts: BREAKING-Maddox Kane and Isabella Laurent reportedly engaged,

Twitter mentions. Instagram tags. Hockey blogs. Gossip pages.

My stomach dropped.

“No…” I whispered.

Then I saw the photo.

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