Chapter 18

“Snow’s coming down pretty hard,” Emma observed, peering through the windshield at the thickening white curtain. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Alek guided his SUV confidently along the winding mountain road. “The cabin’s only twenty minutes away. We’ll beat the worst of it.”

Two weeks had passed since Emma’s press conference addressing Jack’s accusations. Her direct, unapologetic approach had effectively neutralized the controversy—not eliminating it entirely, but reducing it from headline news to occasional commentary. Jack himself had gone oddly silent after Seattle management quietly reprimanded him for violating team media protocols.

With the immediate crisis managed, Alek had proposed a weekend getaway—”to breathe,” as he put it.

“I own a cabin about two hours from Boston,” he’d told her. “Completely private. No press, no players, no problems.”

After weeks of intense scrutiny, the promise of isolation had been irresistible.

“There it is