Chapter Thirty-Five
Liam
I stir awake as I feel the bed shift. Blinking against the soft glow of early morning light streaming through the window, I catch sight of Maggie tiptoeing toward the door. My t-shirt drapes over her frame, brushing against her thighs as she reaches for the doorknob.
“Where are you going?” I ask, my voice heavy with sleep.
She freezes, glancing back at me, her face half-shadowed in the dawn. “I, uh,” she stumbles, her fingers lingering on the knob. “I have to head back today.”
A knot tightens in my chest. Sitting up, I rake a hand over my face, trying to wake myself up enough to process what she’s saying. “Come back to bed,” I say, my tone softer now, almost pleading.
She hesitates, her weight shifting from one foot to the other.
For a moment, I think she’s going to tell me no.
But then, with a small sigh, she walks back toward me.
I lift the covers, silently inviting her back in.
She slides under them, and the warmth of her body against mine instantly calms the storm that’s been brewing in my chest.
We both sink back into the mattress, and she rests her head on my chest, her hair spilling over my skin like silk. I run my fingers up and down her spine, savoring the quiet intimacy of the moment. I wish I could freeze time—hold on to this feeling for just a little longer.
“Do you really have to leave today?” I ask quietly, though I already know the answer.
She nods against my chest. “Yeah, I have to get back or… I might not have a job by the end of the day.”
The words hang heavy between us. I swallow down everything I want to say. Stay. Don’t leave. We’ll figure it out. We’ll figure us out. But I can’t say that—not when I know how much her career means to her, not when she’s worked so hard for it.
Instead, I press a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the faint scent of her shampoo. “I get it,” I say, though the ache in my chest tells me I don’t.
Her hand rests over my heart, her touch gentle, almost hesitant. “This doesn’t mean I don’t want to be here,” she says softly.
“I know,” I murmur, even though part of me wonders if that’s true.
And as we lie there in the fragile quiet of the morning, I realize I have no idea what’s going to happen next. But right now, with her in my arms, I let myself believe that this doesn’t have to be the end. Maybe it’s the beginning of something real and honest for the first time in my life.
“Tell me about your family,” I say quietly, my fingers brushing lightly up and down her arm as she nuzzles her face into the crook of my neck.
She stills for a moment, and I feel the tension ripple through her body. “Uh, there’s not much to tell.”
“What do you mean?” I prod gently, not wanting to push too hard but needing to know more about her.
She shrugs against me, her shoulders tight. “My mom passed away when I was in high school, and my dad left when I was little. He started a new family, and… I haven’t talked to him in years. I don’t even know him anymore. I have half-siblings, but I’ve never met them. We’re strangers.”
Her words hit me like a punch to the chest. My life is chaotic, messy, and sometimes overwhelming, but it’s filled with people—people who love me, support me, and rally around me no matter what. Maggie, on the other hand, has built a life entirely on her own, without that safety net.
I press a kiss to her forehead, hoping it can convey what I don’t have the words to say—that I wish I could take away that ache, that loneliness I hear in her voice. But some wounds are too deep for words to reach.
“I can come see you,” I offer, my voice steady, though my heart feels anything but.
She lifts her gaze to me, her blue eyes searching mine. “You have a lot going on here,” she says softly, her fingers playing with the edge of my shirt.
I tighten my hold around her. “It’s a short drive. And I have plenty of time these days.”
She nods, but there’s something in her expression that makes my chest ache. “I know,” she whispers, her voice catching slightly. “But…”
“But what?” I ask, tilting her face up so she can’t hide from me.
She stares at me, and it feels like she’s looking straight through to the core of who I am. “We both have things we have to do, Liam. Hard things. Things that make it impossible for us to physically stay in the same place right now.”
Her words settle over me like a rain cloud. “Kind of feels like you’re breaking up with me, Cooper,” I say, forcing a weak smile to cover the raw emotion threatening to spill over.
She smiles back, but there’s a sadness in it. “I didn’t know we had something here that required a formal breakup.”
The way she says it—lighthearted and teasing—only makes it hit harder. I chuckle, even though it feels hollow. “Fair enough.”
She reaches up, cupping my face in her hand, and pulls me into a kiss. It’s slow, steady, and real, like she’s pouring all the words she can’t say into it. It’s everything I never knew I needed, and the thought of letting her go feels unbearable.
“I have to go,” she whispers against my lips.
I don’t let her pull away completely, not yet. “I want you to know,” I start, my voice rough with emotion, “this isn’t just some fling to me. It’s…” I trail off, struggling to find the right word. What do you call it when someone walks into your life and changes everything?
She smiles softly, her fingers tracing my jaw. “I know, Liam,” she says, her eyes full of understanding.
She kisses me once more, a lingering, tender kiss that feels like both a goodbye and a promise. Then, she pulls away completely and stands, leaving me feeling hollow and untethered as I watch her go.
The room feels colder without her in it, and the silence is deafening. I sit there for a long moment, staring at the spot where she stood, before finally getting up and pulling on my clothes. The emptiness in my chest follows me with every step.
***
I show up to my training session with Zach, my stomach churning despite the calm I try to project.
Maggie’s gone, but she left me with everything I need to confront the person I once trusted.
The proof is undeniable now—Zach, and maybe Lyla, have been the ones feeding those doping allegations and fueling the rumors spreading like wildfire.
“Hey, man!” Zach greets me with an outstretched hand, his tone as casual as ever. He pulls me in for a half-hug, like everything’s fine. Like we’re still on the same team. It takes every ounce of self-control not to shrug him off. “How’s it going?”
I step back, folding my arms across my chest. “Good,” I say flatly. “How about you?”
“You should feel great,” he says with a grin. “You won. You’re still on top, man. That’s all that matters, right?”
I nod slowly, the muscles in my jaw tightening. “Yeah… except for one thing.”
Zach raises an eyebrow, his grin faltering slightly. “Oh? What’s that?”
“Someone’s been lying about me,” I say. “Spreading rumors, trying to ruin my reputation. That kind of thing really pisses me off.”
He hesitates for a fraction of a second, but recovers quickly. “Lying? About what? You mean the doping stuff? Don’t let that garbage get to you, man. People love to hate on winners.”
I stare at him, my expression unyielding, and pull a folded piece of paper from my back pocket. “Take a look,” I say, handing it over.
Zach’s smile wavers as he takes the paper from my hand. He unfolds it, his eyes scanning the words on the page. It’s my drug test results—proof that I’m clean, that I’ve always been clean. I watch his face closely, noting the subtle tightening of his jaw and the way his lips press into a thin line.
When he finally looks up, his expression is carefully neutral, but I see the flicker of something else in his eyes—panic, maybe. Guilt. “Well, uh, that’s great news, man,” he says, forcing a grin. “I knew you were clean. Always knew it.”
“Did you?” I ask, low and sharp. “Because, funny thing… my family did some digging. Turns out, the rumors started around the same time you and Lyla got cozy on social media.”
Zach’s grin falters completely, his face paling. “What are you talking about? I don’t know anything about that.”
“Don’t you?” I step closer, my voice rising slightly.
“Because it sure as hell looks like someone close to me—someone I trusted—was feeding stories to the press. Stories about my personal life, my training, my struggles. And let me tell you, Zach, that narrows the list down to a pretty damn small circle.”
He takes a step back, holding up his hands. “Whoa, whoa. You’re not seriously accusing me of… whatever this is. I’m your trainer, man. I’ve been with you through everything.”
“Yeah, you have,” I say. “Which is why it hurts even more that you might be the one stabbing me in the back.”
Zach’s eyes dart around the room, as if looking for an escape route. “Look, I don’t know where you’re getting this, but I’d never do that to you. You’ve got this all wrong.”
“Do I?” I ask, my tone icy. “Because I’ve got proof, Zach. Proof that someone close to me is leaking information. And if it’s not you, you better start talking. Because the clock’s ticking, and I’m done playing nice.”
Zach’s shoulders slump, and he exhales sharply, as if the weight of the confrontation has finally broken him. “Fine,” he mutters, his voice low. “I might know something about it.”
Disgust rises in my chest like bile. I take a step closer, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. “Talk. Now,” I demand, my tone cold and unrelenting.
He hesitates, his eyes darting away from mine. “It all started when you broke up with Lyla,” he admits quietly.
I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head as the anger churns inside me. “Of course it did,” I say, the words dripping with sarcasm. “Lyla’s starting to feel like the worst mistake I’ve ever made.”
Zach looks down at the floor, unable to meet my gaze.
“She was pissed, man. She felt like you humiliated her. She started venting to me when we’d run into each other in town, asking me for details about your routine, your struggles…
your life. At first, it seemed harmless.
Just her trying to process the breakup.”
I cross my arms over my chest, narrowing my eyes at him. “And when did it stop being harmless, Zach? When did you decide to use everything I trusted you with against me?”
He flinches at my words, his shoulders hunching as if trying to shield himself from the weight of his guilt. “It wasn’t like that,” he insists, his voice rising defensively. “She… she offered me money. A lot of money. Said she wanted to set the record straight and expose the ‘real you.’”
I take a step closer, my glare cutting into him like a knife. “And you just went along with it? For what? A payday? You sold me out for some cash?”
“It’s complicated,” he snaps, his voice cracking under the pressure.
“It was about… My mom’s medical bills… they’re expensive.
She can’t afford them and living on this mountain is expensive.
I… I felt like I had no choice, so I sold a false story or two about you to get some extra cash to make her life easier. ”
His confession lands like a punch to the gut. I stare at him, my heart pounding as the betrayal sinks in. “I trusted you and you sold me out.”
“I didn’t think it would get this far,” Zach stammers, his hands trembling as he gestures wildly. “I didn’t think it would blow up like this. Lyla… she just kept pushing for more and I didn’t know how to stop.”
My chest tightens, the mix of anger and hurt almost suffocating. “You didn’t know how to stop it?” I repeat, my voice rising. “You stop it by saying no, Zach. You stop it by not betraying the one person who’s had your back through everything.”
He looks up at me, his face pale and drawn. “I’m sorry, Liam. I messed up. I know I did. But… you’ve got to believe me, man. I never wanted it to come to this.”
I stare at him, my emotions a chaotic swirl of fury and disappointment. “If you had money issues or needed help with your mom’s medical bills,” I say firmly, “you should have come to me. I would have helped.”
Zach opens his mouth as if to say something else, but I raise a hand, cutting him off. “In the future, when your mom needs some help, you don’t sell false stories to Lyla. You come to me.”
“Liam,” he starts, his voice pleading. “I am truly very sorry.”
I stare at him, feeling a mix of anger and sympathy. He needed help, and he went about it all wrong. What’s done is done.
“You won’t be training me anymore.” I shrug. “But, uh, I won’t be snowboarding anymore. So, you’re going to have to build up your clientele. All on your own.” I pause briefly before adding, “If I catch wind that you’re selling stories to pay medical bills, I will make your life very miserable.”
He hesitates for a moment, his eyes searching mine for any trace of dishonesty. But there’s none. With a defeated nod, he grabs his bag and slinks out of the room, the door clicking shut behind him.
As the silence settles around me, I let out a shaky breath, the weight of the confrontation pressing down on me.
Betrayed by someone I thought I could trust, I feel the sting of his actions deep in my chest. But I also feel something else—a flicker of relief.
The truth is finally out, and for the first time in weeks, I feel like I can start to take control of my life again.
I grab my phone and scroll to Maggie’s name, my thumb hovering over the screen. I need to tell her what happened. I need her to know the truth. And, more than anything, I need to hear her voice.
Because even in the middle of all this chaos, she’s the one thing that feels steady. The one thing that feels real.