Hands Off The Ice King novel Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Hope’s POV

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Nothing was more disappointing than waiting for delicious cheese pizza only to be greeted by the sight of your cheating ex- boyfriend standing outside your apartment.

“What are you doing here?”

Connor didn’t answer. Instead, his eyes slowly traveled over my body, lingering far too long on my bare legs before moving upward toward my chest. His jaw flexed slightly, and I caught the way he bit his lip like he was remembering something

I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him harder.

“What are you doing here?” I repeated.

Connor finally looked at my face again.

“You seem to be doing well,” he said casually. “So this is how you dress when you’re alone, hmm?”

His gaze flickered downward again.

“You should’ve done it more often when we were together.”

The audacity.

Actually hearing his voice again’made my blood boil in ways I hadn’t expected. Alongside the anger came something worse -a dull ache in my chest from memories that still refused to disappear completely.

Four years.

I guess forgetting someone that quickly had never been realistic.

Still, that didn’t mean I wanted him here.

“I asked what you’re doing here.”

A small smirk appeared on his lips, and I instantly wanted to slam the door on his face.

“Relax,” he said. “I still have some stuff here, don’t I? I’m just getting them.”

I bit the inside of my cheek.

God, he really had the nerve to show up here after cheating on me.

Part of me wanted to tell him to ask Delaney to buy him new things instead since their relationship seemed to be going so

well.

But I stopped myself.

I didn’t want him staying here longer than necessary.

So I stepped aside stiffly and let him enter.

The faster he got his things, the faster he could leave.

I shut the door behind him and watched carefully as he walked farther into the apartment like he still belonged here.

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Chapter 24

Connor headed toward our old bedroom before stopping abruptly at the doorway.

“You already packed my stuff?”

I straightened my posture, arms still tightly crossed.

“I needed space in the closet,” I replied flatly. “So just take your things and leave, okay?”

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He stared at the neatly packed bags for a moment. Something unreadable crossed his expression before he finally bent down and grabbed them.

For a second, silence filled the apartment. Then he turned around and looked at me again.

“You’re still mad.”

I almost laughed at how ridiculous that statement was.

Instead, I closed my eyes briefly and took a deep breath.

“You cheated on me after everything I did for you,” I said quietly. “What exactly do you think I’m supposed to feel?”

Connor looked around the apartment slowly, his gaze lingering on little things that used to belong to both of us.

The couch we bought together. The framed photos I hadn’t had the time to remove yet. The kitchen magnets from random places we’d visited.

His eyes returned to me.

“You still love me too.”

My breath hitched—not because he was right, but because he said it with so much confidence.

I glared at him harder.

“What are you even talking about?”

“Isn’t that the reason you joined the team?” he asked, raising a brow. “You can tell everyone you like Levi all you want, but that’s impossible, Hope.”

I stared at him in disbelief.

“You never cared about Levi personally before,” Connor continued. “You only know him because I look up to him as a player. You’re doing all this to make me jealous.”

The fact that those words were actually coming out of his mouth felt insane.

Not once had he apologized since arriving. Not once had he shown remorse. And somehow, he still managed to make himself the victim.

I felt sick.

“But I know you,” he continued, taking a step closer toward me. “You love me too much to even think about liking someone else.”

Every word irritated me more.

“You delayed your studies for me,” he said softly. “You went to every practice. Every game. You were always there to watch me fail and succeed.”

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Chapter 24

His voice almost sounded nostalgic.

Meanwhile, mine came out cold.

“That was before, Connor.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat.

“Things changed.”

“They don’t change that easily.”

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He stepped closer again until he was directly in front of me. He then lifted a hand and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear the same way he used to when we were together.

His eyes dragged slowly over my face before lowering toward my chest again, where my cleavage had become more visible because of how tightly I was crossing my arms.

I immediately stepped back.

“What do you really want, Connor?”

Something dark flickered across his expression before he sighed.

“I need you to leave the team, Hope.”

“What?”

“I don’t know how you got hired,” he continued, “or if you were just desperate enough to take the opportunity because I’m there, but your presence is distracting me.”

I stared at him in complete disbelief. He actually sounded serious.

“I think that was already proven during the practice game,” he added. “I couldn’t even play properly.”

I wasn’t even there watching the rest of the damn game! Yet somehow his bad performance was still my fault?

“Are you short on money?” he suddenly asked.

My brows furrowed.

“Is it because Harley’s coming here soon for school?” he continued. “You probably need money for his dorm and expenses, right?”

He sighed like he was some kind-hearted savior.

“I can help with that.”

Before I could respond, he reached into one of the bags and pulled out a thick wad of cash.

My stomach dropped.

“Think of it as repayment,” he said. “For covering the apartment expenses all this time.”

He extended the money toward me.

“This should cover your expenses for a month. You can look for another job somewhere else in the meantime.”

I stared at the cash silently.

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Chapter 24

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“And if you do this,” he continued, “I’ll help Harley adjust here too. I’ll talk to him more. Make things easier for you.”

Something inside me snapped.

Every word coming out of his mouth made me resent him more. He genuinely believed I would throw away my dream job for him. He thought my entire world still revolved around him.

I looked down at the money in his hand then back at him.

Disappointment washed through me harder than anger ever could.

“Get out.”

Connor frowned immediately.

“What?”

“I said get out.”

My voice came out louder this time.

He looked stunned. Probably because I rarely raised my voice during our relationship.

“I don’t think you understand-”

“No,” I snapped. “I understand perfectly.”

Before he could react, I grabbed his collar tightly and started dragging him toward the front door with every bit of strength I

had.

“Hope-”