I Bought the Team That Betrayed Me

Summary

The late-night training room glowed cold. I entered, notebook in hand, just to tell Jackson to rest. The scene stopped me cold. Daisy, the new support, was on his lap, their hands over the keyboard. "Relax. With me here, Sierra won’t take your spot," Jackson’s voice was honey-sweet. She kissed his cheek. "You’re the best!" My phone dug into my palm, knuckles white. A text from my brother lit the screen: "Dream over, princess? I’m waiting at home." It stung, throwing me back to that day’s review. Our ninth straight loss. My first outburst, aimed at Daisy, the rookie support. I’d barely listed her mistakes when she teared up. Jackson stood, shielding her. "That harsh? The loss isn’t all on her." Stunned, I asked what he meant. Handing her a tissue, he stared coldly. "Your tactics are outdated." "When did you last play? That old championship won’t feed us now." "Clearly, this losing streak is your fault." Rage shook me. As my boyfriend—as a pro—he shouldn’t have crushed me publicly. Yet after, he sneaked to my office, apologizing. Alone, he turned sweet again. "She’s a rookie. Needs time. Didn’t mean to upset you." "Forgive me?" He tried to kiss my cheek. I turned away. "No. Go train." Now I see: his gentle words were just sick, careful lies.