The Hockey Star’s Remorse

Chapter 118

The sun was dipping below the horizon as | walked out of the office building. | had endured another grueling day at work, battling nosy co-workers and an all too invested boss. As | approached the parking lot, | couldn’t wait to escape the suffocating atmosphere and head back to the sanctuary of my apartment.

But as | turned the corner and spotted my car, my heart sank, and my steps faltered. There, in bold and viciously red spray paint, the word “whore” adorned every inch of my car’s windows. Fury boiled up inside me like a volcano about to erupt, and | clenched my fists, my knuckles turning white.

“What the hell?” | muttered to myself, my voice shaking with anger and disbelief.

Without thinking, | stormed over to my defaced car, breathless, my heart pounding in my chest. As | stood there, my phone buzzed insistently in my bag. | pulled it out, and Aria’s name lit up the screen. | answered the call with a voice quivering with rage.

“Aria,” | spat out, “you won't believe what just happened.” Aria’s voice on the other end was laced with concern. “What happened?”

My voice shook as | struggled to contain my anger. “Someone vandalized my car, Aria. They spray—painted the word ‘whore’ all over it.”

There was a stunned silence on the other end, followed by Aria’s outraged exclamation. “Oh my god. Did you see who did it?” “No, | didn’t!” | practically shouted into the phone. “And they must have done it hours ago because it’s already dry.”

“Okay, okay. We'll figure this out. Just come home.”

| nodded, even though she couldn't see me. “Okay”

As | hung up the phone, | couldn’t shake the feeling of vulnerability that coursed through me. This wasn’t just a random act of vandalism; it was a targeted attack on my character, an attempt to smear my name and reputation. Why would someone do this?

When | arrived back at my apartment, Aria was waiting for me outside the building. She rushed over to give me a comforting hug, and | clung to her, my

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tears mingling with the anger that still simmered beneath the surface.

“How bad is it?” Aria asked gently.

| pulled away from the embrace and wiped my tears. “I'll show you,” | said, and she followed me to my car. Aria’s face twist in anger as she took in the hateful graffiti. “Those monsters,” Aria muttered under her breath.

As Aria and | walked back inside the apartment building, | couldn’t shake the anger and frustration that simmered within me. Who could have done such a vile thing, and why?

When we stepped into the apartment, | couldn’t hold back the torrent of questions that flooded my mind. | turned to Aria, my voice trembling with a mixture of anger and fear. “It’s not like | know what | did wrong.”

Aria hesitated for a moment, her expression conflicted. She reached for the magazine on the counter and placed it in my hands. Her eyes were filled with sympathy as | eyed the front cover.

“What's this?” | asked, the dread pooling in as | read the headline: “Sleeping her way to the top, accompanied by a photo of me and Mr. Erickson.

The anger that had been smoldering within me erupted like a wildfire. “What the hell is this?” | shouted, my voice rising with indignation as | threw the tabloid back on the table.

Aria bit her lip, her eyes brimming with compassion. “I picked it up at one of the stands in town. You might want to take another look.”

Hands shaking, | picked the magazine back up and flipped through the first couple of pages.

| could feel the anger rising within me as | scanned the article, my eyes narrowing in on the words that painted a false and damaging narrative. According to the tabloid, Jasper had tipped them off, claiming that | had been fired from my internship due to poor performance but had resorted to selling my body to Mr. Erickson in order to keep my position.

The accusations were baseless and infuriating, but what struck me the most was the image they had painted of me—a woman who would compromise her

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integrity for personal gain. It was a betrayal of everything | believed in and stood. for.

| turned to Aria, my voice shaking with anger. “This is outrageous!”

Aria nodded, her own expression filled with anger and disbelief. “I know, Evie. Jasper must have some ulterior motive for doing this.”

My mind raced with possibilities, but | couldn't dwell on Jasper’s motivations at that moment. | needed to address the situation head-on. “I need to find out what he’s up to,” | said, my determination unwavering. “And | need to set the record straight.”

With that, | rushed to the television, flipping it on to see if there were any updates on the situation. The news had already picked up the story, and Jasper was front and center, speaking to a reporter with a self-satisfied smirk.

“We have evidence to support our claims,” Jasper declared, his voice dripping with smugness. “I have here a recording and a photo that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Evie and Mr. Erickson are involved in an inappropriate relationship.”

My heart sank as | watched Jasper produce a recording and a photo. The image showed Mr. Erickson and me in a seemingly compromising position, though | knew | never would've kissed him. He was merely standing in front of me, though the camera angle tried to suggest something else.

The recording, however, was even more damning. It was my voice, unmistakably, saying that Mr. Erickson had kissed me and that it had felt good. | had gone on to declare that | was going to be the “boss lady” of the firm.

| was shocked to hear my own voice making me even more was that | didn’t recall all tch statements, but what disturbed

| had told Jasper. He had to have been close enough, and get me to say the right things. That night at the bar was a blur, but Jasper’s intentions with meeting me there were clear as day.

The recording was clearly edited to paint a false narrative, and | couldn’t understand how he had managed to obtain such damning material. He’d made my words sound seamless and intentional, as if me ever sleeping with my boss was something that | would casually discuss.

Aria watched the news alongside me, her expression a mix of concern and frustration. “This is a disaster.”

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| clenched my fists, unable to contain my anger any longer. “Aria, | swear to you, none of this is true. | would never compromise my principles for personal gain.”

Aria placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “I know that, Evie. | just don’t know how we'll fight something this bad.”

Aria’s words echoed in my mind as we sat down on the couch and scrolled through our phones. “Evie, your reputation seems to be taking a hit,” she said, and | couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of despair.

Aria showed me her phone screen, her expression somber. “Take a look at this, Evie,” she urged.

| reluctantly took the phone and opened the app, revealing a world | had been a part of, a world that had once celebrated my achievements and my partnership with Timothy in the form of the #TEVIE fanpages. But now, as | scrolled through the posts and comments, | was met with a stark and heartbreaking reality.

The once-—adoring fans of #TEVIE had turned against me. They had taken to the online chatroom where | had once gone undercover to interact with them, and their perceptions of me had shifted dramatically.

One comment after another, the fans expressed their disappointment, anger, and even disgust at my alleged behavior. They called me a “whore” for supposedly betraying Timothy, accused me of selling out my principles, and questioned my integrity. It was as if the very foundation of my online support system had crumbled beneath me.

Tears welled up in my eyes as | read the hurtful comments, the weight of their accusations pressing down on me like a crushing weight. These were the people who had once championed me, who had believed in #TEVIE, and now they saw me as a traitor.

Aria placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, her voice filled with empathy. “Evie, | know it’s tough to read those comments, but remember that they don’t know the truth. We'll find a way to clear your name.”

| placed my head in my hands and sighed. “I can’t believe how quickly they turned on me, Aria. It’s like I’ve lost everything.”

The only worse than being invisible to the world was being hated by it.