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Page 167 of The Striker (Gods of the Game 1)

Her collapse wasn’t the result of one bad day; it had to be an accumulation of them. I wasn’t sure what hurt more—the fact that she hid it from me or the fact that I hadn’t been there to notice.

My schedule was always packed during the season, and we’d been prepared to spend more time apart than over the summer, but dammit, I should’vebeenthere.

“I’ll always take care of you.” I cupped her cheek, my chest aching. “But promise me you’ll also take care of yourself.”

Scarlett’s eyes gleamed with emotion, and she responded with the tiniest of nods.

“I’ll leave so you can get some rest.” I leaned down and brushed her lips with mine. If I had the choice, I’d stay by her side until she was discharged, but that would only distract her. She needed to sleep. “I’ll be outside if you need me.”

I stood and turned to leave.

“Wait. I just saw the time.” Scarlett’s voice gained a modicum of strength along with panic. “Your match. You have to go. It’s starting in?—”

“I’m not going.” I’d already instructed Sloane to call Coach and tell him what happened. He would give me absolute hell for it later, but I’d deal with that when the time came.

“What?” Her eyes widened. “But it’s against Holchester. It’s…Asher. Youhaveto go. I’m fine.” She coughed again, her breathing growing labored. “There’s no point in you staying here when I’m sleeping.”

“There is a point.” My jaw tightened. “When Brooklyn called and told me you were in the hospital…there are no words to describe how I felt. It was like the world had collapsed and buried me beneath its rubble. And even though she told me you were alive and that you weren’t in serious danger, I couldn’t think, couldn’t even fuckingbreatheuntil I saw it with my own two eyes.” I shook my head, my throat taut with emotion. “If I left now and went to the match, it wouldn’t matter. I’d spend the entire time thinking about you. I’d be a liability more than anything else.”

Prior to Scarlett, I would’ve crawled through a sea of broken glass before I missed a match. Football was the most important thing in my life. It always had been, and I thought it always would be.

But I’d finally found something—someone—that I cared about more.

It didn’t matter that I’d spent weeks anticipating today’s match against Holchester or that my pride was on the line. It didn’t matter that Coach was probably furious with me and that the fans would be too.

Scarlett was more important than all of that, and I couldn’t,wouldn’tleave her side as long as she was here.

A tear slipped down her cheek. “I’m sorry,” she said, her voice small.

My heart squeezed for the millionth time that day. “Don’t be sorry, darling.” I rubbed the tear away with my thumb. “It’s not your fault.”

“But—”

“No. Ichoseto come here, and I chose to stay here. Do not feel guilty about me missing the match. That’s my problem to deal with. You just focus on resting so we can get you out of here as soon as possible. I’d hate to subject you to hospital food for longer than necessary.”

Scarlett’s laugh came out as a wisp of a sound, but it was enough for me.

Our conversation must’ve spent her energy because she didn’t protest further. Her eyes fluttered closed, and I waited until her breathing settled into a steady rhythm before I stepped into the hall.

Brooklyn and Carina were huddled over the former’s phone, wearing identical masks of apprehension.

They raised their heads when they heard the door open, and my temporary relief from seeing Scarlett morphed into fresh concern.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

They exchanged glances.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news twice in one day, but…” Brooklyn handed me her phone. “You should see this.”

I took it, and my skin immediately went ice-cold.

Someone had captured a video of me arriving at the hospital and sprinting toward the entrance. Going through the side was more private than going through the front, but I guess it still wasn’t private enough.

Whoever took the video had uploaded it to social media seven minutes ago, and it already had over fifty thousand views and hundreds of comments.

Once the paps picked up on this, it wouldn’t take them long to figure out who I was here to see. After that, it’d take an even shorter leap for them to connect the dots of our relationship.

I’d missed a huge match against Holchester for her. There was only one reason why I’d do that.




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