Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 1

Wed, Jul 15

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Hope’s POV

“Congratulations! We are calling back to inform you that you have been hired as the new Physical Therapist of the New York Glaciers.”

I nearly dropped my phone. My fingers went numb, my breath catching somewhere between disbelief and hope I threw my apron into the dirty linens while my best friend, Freya, stared at me, mouthing, ‘what’s happening?’

I held out a hand, my voice trembling. “Oh-this is unexpected. Thank you so much! Do I need to do anything for now

“The details have been sent to your email. Please head to the office by Monday for the contract signing.”

“We are pleased to welcome you to our team.”

“Thank you again. Really, really thank you.”

The call ended, and the silence lasted only a second before I squealed, jumping in place. Freya squealed with me, laughing even though she had no idea why.

“What’s happening?”

“I’m hired for the New York Glaciers!” I exclaimed, my chest feeling too small to contain the words.

Her eyes widened before she screamed louder than I did. “Oh my gosh! This is great news! You’ve been wanting to become the PT of a sports team since forever!”

I smiled, my cheeks aching from it. “Well, it’s hard getting hired in this economy, especially when you didn’t graduate within the strict timeline.”

She sighed, opening her arms. I fell into her embrace, letting myself feel it-relief, pride, something close to vindication.

“This is your big break, Hope. You can finally leave this fast food hell.”

I laughed softly, pulling away. “You have to leave it soon, too.”

“Don’t worry,” she grinned. “I’ll be a bigshot photographer soon.”

I nodded, feeding off her energy, before glancing at the clock. My heart skipped.

“I have to go tell Connor. He must be back from practice,” I said, the excitement bubbling all over again.

Her expression faltered. Just slightly-but I caught it.

“What now?”

“Nothing, nothing,” she said quickly. “I don’t want to ruin the moment, but Connor is the reason you started working in this hellhole in the first place.”

“You had to work just to pay for his hockey equipment and workshops, which then caused the delays in your graduation.”

I sighed, the words familiar, worn into me. “You already know the reason, Frey. His parents didn’t support him playing hockey. But they’ve finally accepted him after all these years.”

A small smile tugged at my lips. Connor, my boyfriend of three years, had wanted this his entire life. He only started playing in college, after years of being told to become a doctor.

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Chapter 1

I was the one who told him to chase it anyway.

And now, he was with the New York Glaciers.

35 voucher

Meanwhile, I took four years to finish a two-and-a-half-year degree. But I never regretted it. Not when it meant standing beside him.

“He’s a benchwarmer, though,” Freya muttered.

I ignored her, slinging my bag over my shoulder as I headed for the door.

“See you tomorrow! I’ll hand in my resignation letter.”

She smiled despite everything, waving. “Stay safe!”

I made my way to the apartment Connor and I shared, my steps lighter than they had been in years. The business district buzzed around me, but all I could hear was the echo of that call. Rent was expensive in central Manhattan, but Connor insisted we stay near the rink. Thankfully, my three jobs kept us afloat. Barely, but still.

I entered the old building, the familiar creak of the door greeting me. The elevator was broken again, as always. My legs ached, but it didn’t matter. I took the stairs two at a time, my heart racing for an entirely different reason.

I pushed the apartment door open, my smile unstoppable, my chest full.

“Con-”

The word died in my throat.

A sound slipped through the air. Soft. Breathless.

A moan.

“Ahh, Connor! Right there,” a familiar voice gasped.

My body froze.

“Fuck, you like that?”

Connor’s voice-low, rough, unmistakable-wrapped around me like chains,

“Yes,” the woman moaned. “You’re the best I ever had.”

Connor chuckled. I heard it-the wet, intimate sound of mouths colliding and skin slapping against skin.

“And you’re the best for me, too. No one else can compare.”

Something inside me cracked.

It felt like ice water flooding my veins, freezing everything in place. Still, I moved. One step at a time, even as dread coiled tighter in my stomach.

It couldn’t be.

It shouldn’t be.

After everything, he couldn’t do this to me.

The bedroom door was open. Connor lay on his back, a blonde bombshell riding him, her body moving like she belonged there. Like he belonged to her.

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Wed, Ju

Chapter 1

My throat went dry. Just like that, the happiness I carried home shattered into nothing.

35 vouchers

“Your dick is so big! It’s hitting all the right places,” she moaned, breathless. Connor gripped her hair, pulling her closer.

“You moan so cutely.”

“Cuter than your girlfriend?”

“Of course.”

The words landed harder than anything else.

She shifted on top of him, her sounds filling the small apartment-the same apartment I paid for. Cleaned. Built a life in.

I immediately recognized her. Delaney Rhodes. A famous courtside reporter for the national league, and also, the daughter of Dennis Rhodes, the very coach of the New York Glaciers.

My bag slipped from my shoulder, hitting the floor with a dull thud that shattered the moment.

Delaney gasped, scrambling off him, clutching the sheets-the ones I washed this morning.

Connor looked at me. Surprise flickered in his eyes, but only for a second. Then it was gone. It was quickly replaced by calmness.

“Hope,” he said, like this was nothing. “You’re not on night duty today?”

“No…” My voice felt foreign. “That’s Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It’s been like that for years, Connor.”

I watched something shift in his face before it eventually broke.

“Look, Hope, I’m sorry you had to find out like this, but it’s inevitable.”

“Inevitable?” My voice rose, sharp and disbelieving. “How is cheating on me inevitable?”

He scratched the back of his neck, like he was inconvenienced.

“Thank you for taking care of me all these years, but now that my career is finally kicking off, I need someone… worthy by my side.”

Worthy.

The word echoed in my mind.

I wasn’t worthy enough to stand next to me.

I glanced at Delaney. She looked almost sheepish, but not guilty. Not even close.

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