Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 110

Chapter 110

Hope’s POV

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The game had started between the Glaciers and the Pucks, and my eyes were glued to Levi. It was projected to be the toughest game they would face during the playoffs before they could qualify for the semis, but Levi didn’t look nervous at

all.

In fact, he was playing even better than he had with the Thunders, which was saying a lot since he had played hella well with the Thunders.

Margaret said that Levi was made to play hockey, and even though those words held some truth, I wanted to say it was truly the opposite.

Levi was born to play on the ice.

Suddenly, those words felt more painful than they already were.

If he was really born for this… then how could I be the person to destroy it?

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Although I couldn’t see his face clearly from where I sat, I could tell from his body language that he truly enjoyed the sport. The ice welcomed him every time his skates touched it.

It was a very close game, and during the first period, neither team managed to score. The second period began, and still, neither team had found the back of the net. They were proving to be worthy rivals on the ice, matching each other at every opportunity.

However, with just a minute left on the clock, it felt like Levi’s skills had somehow been amplified because he seemed to be flying across the ice.

As the countdown to the end of the game began, people were on their feet, waiting for the final seconds to unfold.

I had stood too, my eyes completely locked on Levi as he glided through the rink.

And then, in a single second, he stole the puck, cut through the defense, and sent it flying straight into the goal.

There was a split second of stunned silence before everyone realized what had happened.

Everyone shot up from their seats as they erupted into deafening cheers for the Glaciers’ victory.

Lia, Aiden, and I turned to each other.

“They did it!” Lia exclaimed.

“We just secured our place in the semis with this win,” Aiden added, sounding just as thrilled.

The overwhelming wave of joy that filled me couldn’t be replaced by anything.

Levi removed his helmet right then and there, and the sight before me was unlike any beauty I had ever seen in my life.

His hair was damp with sweat, his cheeks flushed from exertion, and that breathtaking smile spread across his face as he stood in the middle of the rink while his teammates surrounded him. Forest even rushed over and lifted him off the ice like they had already won the championship.

He really looked… happy. Truly happy.

And I was happy for him.

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Jul 16

Chapter 110

I really was.

But there was an ache buried so deep inside my chest that I hated myself for feeling it.

It sat there quietly, growing heavier with every second that I watched him smile.

My own smile didn’t disappear because he really did look happy.

I wanted to protect that smile.

I wanted to be the reason he kept smiling.

But maybe… maybe loving him also meant becoming the reason I had to walk away.

He had worked so hard for everything he had now.

Who was I to risk taking any of that away from him?

Just then, my phone vibrated inside my pocket.

I fished it out as the crowd continued celebrating around me, the roar of thousands of voices blending into one overwhelming sound.

I stepped back just a little and stared at the screen.

It was an unknown number.

I usually didn’t answer calls from unknown numbers.

However, something deep inside me told me that I should.

With trembling fingers, I accepted the call.

The voice on the other end rang clearly despite the deafening noise surrounding us.

“You see it now, right?”

There was no mistaking it.

It was Margaret.

A chill ran down my spine.

I slowly looked around, suddenly overwhelmed by the suffocating sensation of being watched.

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There she was. Standing at the end of the tunnel, nearly swallowed by the darkness surrounding her while everyone else celebrated beneath the bright arena lights.

We stood frozen while the crowd flowed around us, everyone rushing toward the ice or celebrating the victory.

She looked at me with a knowing smirk.

“Do you want Levi to lose all of this… just because of you?”

My lips pressed together. My throat tightened until it hurt to breathe.

I wondered why she was doing this.

Why she couldn’t have simply fired me in the first place if she thought I was such a nuisance. Why drag this on?

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Chapter 110

Then it hit me.

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Margaret wasn’t doing this because she had to. She was doing it because she enjoyed it. She enjoyed watching me struggle. Watching me choose between myself and Levi.

My phone vibrated again.

Without taking her eyes off me, she sent another message.

I lowered my gaze to the screen.

Several files had come through. Each one had a different name, but they all shared one thing in common. Every single le was about Levi.

His family. Complaints. Reports. Records.

My fingers tightened around my phone until they hurt.

I looked back at Margaret and swallowed the painful lump in my throat.

Then, against my own will, my eyes drifted toward Levi again.

He was looking around the arena. Looking for someone.

Was it me?

I didn’t know.

Maybe I was only hoping.

But the smile on his face was still there. Still so bright and beautiful.

He truly loved playing.

Somewhere along the way, he’d found that love again.

Compared to the man he had been before, he looked a lot happier.

I forced my expression to remain blank and turned my attention back to Margaret.

That irritating smirk was still resting on her lips. I wanted nothing more than to wipe it off her face.

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