Chapter 1

The night Ethan won the NCAA Championship, he celebrated by kissing the head cheerleader in front of the entire arena.

Everyone waited for me to lose my mind.

Instead, I was wearing his teammate Logan's jersey, lying in his bed.

Later, I became Logan's girlfriend.

Ethan didn't realize he'd lost me until it was too late.

When he finally saw us together, he crushed a whiskey glass in his bare hand, his eyes red with regret.

"Chloe... you were supposed to be mine."

The final buzzer sounded, and the entire ice arena erupted into chaos.

Ethan was about to confess his love to that gorgeous cheerleader.

He had warned his teammates beforehand, making sure everyone kept me in the dark.

What he didn’t know was that some drama-loving bystander had already DM'd me the whole plan on Snapchat.

After all, everyone on the varsity hockey team knew I was head over heels for Ethan. My biggest dream was to be his girlfriend.

So, the moment Ethan fell in love at first sight and confessed to another girl...

I was supposed to rush down to the ice, crying, screaming, and making a total fool of myself.

The crowd in the stands was practically drooling, waiting for me to lose my mind and crash the party.

Too bad for them. Even after their high-profile kiss ended,

I still hadn’t shown up.

The crowd outside the rink started to lose interest when no drama happened.

Even Ethan’s face didn't look all that happy.

He wrapped his arm around his new girlfriend and pulled out his phone.

Not a single call. Not a single text.

Ethan frowned slightly.

He slid his phone away and held the trophy high above his head.

"Tonight, we celebrate! Afterparty at the bar, on me!"

The players and students in the arena instantly cheered.

I pushed open the glass door of the players' tunnel and walked out.

Someone with sharp eyes spotted me and immediately yelled.

"Look, it's Chloe! Chloe's here!"

"I knew it! There’s no way Chloe could resist coming!"

Ethan snapped his head up. The moment he saw me, the corners of his lips twitched into a smug, barely noticeable smirk.

I ignored the crowd waiting for a show.

With Logan's jacket barely covering my thighs, I walked straight up to Ethan.

"Chloe."

Ethan, still in his full hockey gear, held the trophy in one hand and pulled his new girlfriend tighter with the other.

He looked down at me, his voice flat.

"You can't force feelings."

"We’ve known each other for over ten years, and I don’t want to say anything too harsh to ruin our history. We can still be friends."

"If you ever need help, you can still come to me."

Then, he lowered his voice, leaning in:

"Everyone is watching. Don't make a scene. Go home."

"Go home and change. What the hell are you even wearing?"

"Ethan."

I cut him off, taking a slow step forward.

He frowned again. "Chloe, be reasonable."

I smiled, pulled out my phone, pulled up a billing page, and turned the screen toward him.

"This is the money I advanced for your custom hockey sticks and protective gear."

I stared straight into his eyes.

"Pay me back. Now."

Ethan’s face instantly darkened as he stared at the screen.

"Chloe, what kind of game are you playing now?"

"You really will do anything to get my attention, won't you? Digging up old receipts?"

Ethan stared at me, convinced I was just throwing a tantrum.

"I don't care about this pocket change. If you're that desperate for money, I’ll Venmo you double."

He pulled out his phone.

"No need for double. Just the original amount is fine."

"I'm blocking you after this."

"From now on, your new girlfriend can handle all your annoying chores."

With that, I didn't give him another glance. I turned around and walked away.