The Hockey Captain’s Unwanted Wife (Blair and Grayson) novel Chapter 3

Chapter 3

~BLAIR~

I found him at the Southbay practice facility, exactly where I knew he’d be.

Chase was leaning against the wall outside the locker room, phone in hand, still wearing that same smile he used to save for me.

The same smile that was now shining across every sports site next to photos of his new wife. He looked up when he heard my footsteps, and for a split second something like guilt flickered across his face before he locked it down.

“Blair.” He straightened. “I was going to call—”

I slapped him hard across the cheek before he could even finish that sentence.

“Don’t.” I snapped harshly. “Don’t stand there and lie to me. I saw everything.”

He glanced around, clearly checking who might have just seen him get slapped.

A couple of equipment staff lingered near the end of the hall. He jerked his head toward an empty meeting room and walked in without waiting to see if I followed. I did.

The door clicked shut behind us.

“How could you?” I asked. “Six years, Chase. Six years of me standing next to you, believing we were building something. And you marry her without even a conversation with me first? Without a warning?”

He ran a hand over his jaw, looking uncomfortable. “It happened fast. Sophie and I. . .it just made sense.”

“Made sense?” I let out a bitter laugh. “I supported every single one of your dreams. When you couldn’t afford new skates, I bought them. When your rent was short, I covered it. When you needed someone to believe in you before anyone else did, I was there. And the second you became captain, it was like I suddenly wasn’t good enough anymore.”

His expression hardened. “That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it?” I stepped closer. “I was good enough when you had nothing. I was good enough when you needed someone to hold everything together. But the moment the spotlight hit you, you decided you needed an upgrade.”

And did he truly think she was an upgrade over me?

Chase exhaled sharply and looked away for a second before meeting my eyes again. “I needed someone who looked the part, Blair. Someone who fit the image of a captain. You’re. . .you. You’re quiet. You stay in the background. Sophie understands this world. She grew up in it. She knows how to stand next to me at events and make me look like I belong at the top.”

The words landed harder than I expected.

“And she told me something else,” he continued, voice lower. “She told me she’s the reason I got the captaincy. That her father pushed for me because of her. That I owe her for where I am now.”

I stared at him.

The irony was so sharp it almost made me dizzy. Sophie Preston had taken credit for the one thing she had nothing to do with. The captaincy he was so proud of had come from my father. From Monroe Athletics. From me quietly asking for favors I never wanted him to know about.

And he believed her.

A short, disbelieving laugh escaped me. “You really don’t know what you’re losing, do you?”

His brows pulled together. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Before I could answer, the door opened.

Sophie Preston stepped inside like she owned the building. Her blonde hair was perfectly straight, her expression already quite territorial. She took one look at me and let out a soft, mocking laugh.

“Oh, look. The unimportant ex.” She closed the door behind her and moved to Chase’s side, sliding her arm through his. “I thought I made it clear this was over. What are you still doing here, bothering my husband?”

“Sophie—” Chase started.

She ignored him. Her eyes raked over me with open disdain. “You always were a little desperate, weren’t you? Hanging around for years, hoping he’d eventually see something special in you. Newsflash—he didn’t. He settled until something better came along. And now that something better is wearing his ring.”

I didn’t flinch. I had already been humiliated in the most public way possible. Her words were just noise to me.

“You two deserve each other,” I said with a forced smile.

Sophie’s smile turned mean. “We do. Which is why you need to back off. Chase doesn’t need his old charity case lingering around, reminding everyone where he came from. Stay in your lane, Blair. It suits you better.”

I held her gaze for a long moment, then looked back at Chase. He wasn’t defending me. He wasn’t even uncomfortable anymore. He just looked like he wanted the conversation to end.

That told me everything.

I reached into my bag and pulled out the thick ivory envelope I had brought with me. My hands were steady as I held it out.

“I actually came to give you this.”

Chase frowned, taking it automatically. “What is it?”

“An invitation.”

He tore it open without wasting any time. His eyes scanned the card. Then they froze.

I watched the exact moment he processed the names.

Blair Monroe

&

Grayson Shaw

His head snapped up. “What the hell is this?”

“My wedding invitation,” I said calmly. “I’m getting married this weekend. Since you were so rude and chose to get married without inviting me, I wanted to show you how it’s really done. The proper way.”

The color drained from his face, then rushed back in a wave of disbelief and something that looked a lot like anger.

“This is a joke.” He held the card up like it might change if he stared hard enough. “Grayson Shaw? The captain of the Blackridge Wolves? You’re marrying him? Come on Blair, you know how unbelievable this looks. You and someone like Grayson? You only got someone as popular as me because I knew you for years. . .Grayson doesn’t even know you exist.”

I try not to take his words too personally.

“It’s true.”

“Bullshit.” He laughed once, sharp and humorless. “You expect me to believe you’re suddenly engaged to my biggest rival? What, is this some kind of revenge stunt? You trying to get a reaction out of me? How much did this fake invitation even cost you? Do you want me to pay for it?”

“It’s not a stunt.” I kept my voice soft even though I wanted to scream at him. “The wedding is real. This weekend. You’re invited. . .though I understand if you and your new wife are too busy celebrating your own marriage to attend.”

Sophie snatched the invitation from his hand, reading it quickly. Her lip curled. “This is pathetic. You’re so desperate for attention that you’re announcing a fake engagement to the one man you know will get under his skin. It’s hilarious that you think someone like Grayson will ever marry you. Or to even think that we would believe something that’s so obviously fake.”

I looked at her, then back at Chase.

“Believe whatever you want,” I said. “I just thought you should hear it from me instead of the press. The same way I had to hear about your wedding.”

Chase’s jaw was tight. He kept staring at the invitation like it had personally insulted him.

“You’re serious.”

“I am.”

Silence stretched between the three of us. The same man who had spent years telling me I was his future was now looking at me like I was a liar.

I didn’t wait for him to find more words.

I turned and walked out of the room, leaving them standing there with the invitation and whatever twisted version of the truth they wanted to believe.

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