The Hockey Star’s Remorse

Chapter 180

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When Timothy and | returned to the party, Aria greeted us with a smile as bright as the candles she was about to light. “The girls are ready to cut the cake!” she announced, her excitement more pronounced now that she was comfortable.

Timothy looked atand whispered, “I think I'd better head out,” then made his way over to Duke. The dog looked burnt out, like the girls did a number on him. Timothy grabbed his leash and practically had to coax him to move from his place of comfort.

Timothy then walked over to Olive and knelt down to her level, wishing her a heartfelt, “Happy birthday, sweetheart,” before embracing her tightly. “Goodnight!” Olive told him. “Don’t let the bedbugs bite.”

“I'll keep an eye out for ‘em.” As he pulled away from the hug, | noticed his gaze linger on me. It was an intense, lingering look, filled with a depth of emotion that | couldn’t quite place. My heart raced as our eyes locked for a moment, and then he turned and headed for the door.

“Night, Aria. Night, Evie.” He smiled atas he passed the threshold and shut the door behind him. For sreason, | felt more affronted by the

gesture.

| couldn't deny the way his gaze had affected me. It was a mixture of curiosity and frustration, leavingtorn between wanting to know what he was thinking and being furious with him for what he had done. | had no intention of letting him off the hook easily. There was unfinished business between us, and that gaze had only added to the growing pile of questions in my mind.

Once Timothy had disappeared from sight, | turned my attention back to Aria, who was now ready to light the candles on Olive’s cake. The girls fell

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silent as the flames flickered to life, casting a warm, golden glow on Olive’s delighted face. We all sang a heartfelt rendition of “Happy Birthday.” and Olive beamed as she made a wish before blowing out the candles.

As the

party continued, Olive began opening her birthday presents, a chorus of excitement accompanying each unwrapping. After reaching her last friend’s gift, Olive turned to me, her eyes shining with gratitude. “Thank you, Evie. This -

an amazing birthday!”

| smiled at her, my heart swelling with affection. “You're welcome, sweetie. But don’t thankjust yet.” | reached into my bag and pulled out the wrapped gift. “This is fromand your Uncle Timothy.”

| handed Olive the gift bag, her eyes widening with curiosity. She eagerly tore open the wrapping, revealing the toys inside. Olive’s face lit up with. delight, and she hugged the action figure to her chest, a wide smile on her face.

“Thank you, Evie!” Olive exclaimed, her gratitude overflowing. | returned her hug, feeling a sense of happiness. “You're welcome, Olive. I’m glad you like it.”

“This is the best present ever,” she said, holding up the toy. “At least Uncle Timothy’s nice. Maybe him and Aunt Stella should get married after all.” My heart sank at her words. | glanced at Olive, unsure of how to respond. Her innocent remark had touched on something that | hadn’t expected. | leaned down to Olive’s level, my voice gentle. “Olive, what do you mean by that? Did someone say something to you?” Olive shrugged, her young mind not fully comprehending the weight of her words. “Aunt Stella can be pretty mean, but Mommy says that Uncle

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Chapter 180

Timothy is the best thing that ever happened to her. He keeps her calm.” 021% 13:3

| couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions as | listened to Olive’s innocent perspective. Even if Timothy kept Stella calm, he certainly couldn’t convince her to be loyal at any capacity.

But Olive was too young to understand the complexities of adult relationships, and it wasn’t the tor place to dive into that conversation. Instead, | gave her a soft smile and said, “Well, sometimes, people find silver linings in the most unexpected places.”

As the party continued, | found myself lost in thought. The celebrations had brought a mixture of emotions, from anger and confusion to understanding and empathy. The intricacies of family dynamics and the complexities of human relationships had taken center stage, and | couldn’t escape the feeling of being drawn into a world of unanswered questions.

The celebration eventually cto a close, the apartment growing quiet. Aria and |, both worn out from the day’s festivities, set about the task of getting the girls to sleep. We shared stories and bedtrituals, gradually coaxing the young ones into slumber.

Once the girls were finally asleep. Aria and | retreated to the living room, where the warm glow of the table lamp cast soft shadows on the walls. We settled onto the couch, emiting sighs.

“| knew seven kids in one apartment would be a handful, but that was another level,” Aria said, and she shota glare. “And you abandonedtwice. by the way, Miss Ill be by your side all day‘!”

| scoffed. “I didn’t say that at all. | just said I'd take care of the big stuff, though | appreciate you chaperoning.”

Aria rolled her eyes, though they held a hint of humor. “Man, it’s been so long since I've even seen a big birthday like that. My last one was my sweet

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Chapter 180

sixteen and that ended with a cheating boyfriend and a torn dress.” 021% 13.31

| laughed along with her, but it didn’t seem possible to share my own birthday anecdotes. “That’s awful. | guess I’ve never really had a birthday, per say, so it was hard to have a bad one.”

Aria looked atwith concern, her eyes filled with empathy. “No birthdays? Was it because you didn’t want any?”

| sighed, the frustration and anger of my past resurfacing. “I could never really get one, though | did want them.”

Her eyebrows creased with concern, and | started feeling troubled. She didn’t need to indulge in more of my life story, though I've told her very little throughout the years..

“Ugh. I’m angry for you,” she said with grunt.

| looked away, drawing my attention to the confetti littered all over the coffee table. “I think this birthday made up for all of them, but now I’m scared that Scarlett, who wants to actually be there for her daughter, won't recover from this.”

Aria reached out to place a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Evie, | understand your fears, but you can’t control these kinds of things. All you can do is be there for Olive and be the best caregiver you can be. Scarlett’s a strong woman, and | can tell she loves her daughter. She'll push through.”

Her words were a balm to my troubled heart. | want to believe you're right, Aria. It’s the only think we can hope for

Aria smiled, her warmth and understanding shining through. “We're in this together, Evie. And if you think about it, we're living under the sroof. We can have all the sleepovers we want!”

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| couldn't help but grin. “That sounds perfect.” 021% 13.33

As we exchanged goodnight wishes, Aria headed to her room for the night, leavingalone with my thoughts. Hope was all that was pushingto move forward these days.

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