The Hockey Star’s Remorse

Chapter 157
TIMOTHY POT
The atmosphere in the car remained tense as Timothy drove toward the hospital.
They had a cake tasting appointment soon, but Timothy had promised his mother
that he would visit her at the hospital that day. It was a routine he had never
wanted to mi
Of course, this stop along the way displeased Stella. As they settled into the car.
Stella couldn't help but voice her irritation. Timothy, do we really have to go to the
hospital today? We have so much to do.”
Timothy sighed, his gaze fixed on the road ahead. “Stella, you know how
important it is for me to check on my mother. It won't take long, I promise.
Besides, I have to bring her fresh flowers
Stella squinted, her voice sharp with impatience. “Timothy, we've been planning
this wedding for months, and there's still so much to do. We don't have time for
these constant detours.”
Timothy's jaw denched, his temper flaring as he fought to keep his frustration in
check. “Stella, my mother is sick. She needs me, and I won't abandon her. This
won't take more than an hour”
She didn’t answer him, instead turning to scowl out the window. Timothy sighed,
shifting the car into reverse.
As they arrived at the hospital. Timothy steeled himself for the confrontation that
was bound to follow. Stella didn’t understand the depth of his and his mother’s
bond, and her impatience only served to widen the rift between them.
They made their way to his mother’s room, and Timothy's heart ached at the
sight of her frail form lying in the hospital bed. She looked up, her eyes lighting
up with a faint smile as she saw her son.
“You're here,” she said, her voice filled with gratitude.
He leaned down to kiss her cheek gently, placing the bouquet of fresh flowers he
had brought on the windowsill. “Of course, Mom. How are you feeling today?”
His mother’s eyes brimmed with affection as she looked at him. “I'm hanging on.
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Chapter 157
thanks to you.”
Stella, who had been standing by impatiently, couldn't help but voice her
annoyance. “Timothy, can we at least make this quick?”
Timothy's jaw clenched as he fought to contain his irritation. “Stella, show somet
respect. This is my mother.”
His mother intervened, her voice soft but tinged with sadness. “It's alright. I'm a
bit boring when I'miill.”
Timothy shot Stella a glare before tugging the silver bangs out of Lydia's eyes.
“No, Mom. You're the life of the party.”
T
Stella's impatience grew, her voice sharp. “This is ridiculous. We have things to
do.”
His mother smiled at Stella, her tone gentle. “Dear, don’t be so hard on him.
Family comes first, you know?”
Stella, however, seemed uninterested in making conversation with Lydia. She
looked away and folded her arms.
“Stella, how long have you and Timothy been together?” Lydia asked anyway.
Stella's response was short and uninterested. “Not long.”
Lydia tried to keep the conversation going, her tone polite. “So, how did Timothy
propose?”
Stella’s irritation with the questions was apparent, and she answered tersely.
“Romantically. We're having a baby, and he wanted to do the right thing by
marrying sooner rather than later.”
Lydia's expression turned thoughtful as she considered Stella's response. She
leaned in closer, her voice filled with a hint of sarcasm. “Ah, a baby. How
wonderful. It's always good to have a reason to rush into things.”
Stella's patience was wearing thin, and she responded sharply. “We love each
other, if that's what you're implying.”
Lydia couldn't resist pushing further, the sarcasm more abundant now. “Of
course, dear. Every act of love should be rushed into, especially when there's a
baby involved.”
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Chapter 157
Stella's eyes narrowed as she retorted, her tone biting. “Are you suggesting
something?”
Lydia's sarcasm only deepened as she continued to probe. “Well. I'm just
wondering how many of these “acts of love“ were actually Timothy's doing. I
mean, are you even sure it's Timothy's seed?”
Timothy winced at the implication, and it seemed to shock Stella as well.
Unfortunately, the accusation was off the mark.
“Actually,” he chimed in before Stella could start, “the paternity test confirmed that
I'm the father.”
Lydia was visibly distraught, her voice filled with disappointment. “Timothy. I
expected better of you. You're really following in your father's footsteps.”
Stella, stung by Lydia's words, defended their relationship with a riote of anger.
“How dare you suggest that there's no love between us?”
Lydia's judgment was unwavering. “I just hoped that you wouldn't make the same
mistakes your father and I did, bringing children into a marriage without love.”
Before he could respond, Lydia went on. “And you're condemning that child to a
life with that dreaded woman you've brought in here.”
Timothy's stalled at his mother’s words. “I'm doing the right thing,” he said slowly.
hoping he’d convince himself. “You would've wanted me to take responsibility
before.”
Lydia's tears continued to flow, her voice filled with sorrow. “I want what's best for
you, Timothy, above all else.”
Suddenly, she reached over, grabbing his wrist and tugging him closer with a
surprising amount of strength. “You have to tell me. There's someone else, isn't
there?”
Timothy shut his eyes. “Mom...”
“You couldn't stop talking about her,” she continued anyway. “It was always about
finding Evie again, making things right with her.”
Her words echoed in Timothy's mind and he couldn't help but recall those
desperate days. When Evie had told him that she'd used him for fun, it had
A
Chapter 157
actually affected him. He had yet to meet someone that would grip his heart like
that again.
He doubted he ever would.
Stella's impatience reached its peak, and she abruptly turned to Timothy, her
voice laced with irritation. “We should leave, Timothy. There's nothing more to be
said
here.”
Timothy kept still, feeling a profound sense of disquiet. Somehow, he couldn't.
move beneath his mother’s mournful gaze.
Stella's anger flared, and she marched over to Timothy. “I said, let's go!”
She grabbed Timothy's arm and pulled at him, but he didn’t give. Instead, he
pulled himself free from her grasp and placed a hand over his mother’s.
“I'll be back later this week,” he told her gently, though she was still in tears.
When it didn't seem like she would give him a response, he decided to leave her
alone.
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As they walked back to the car,
2 5
Stella's anger was fierce. She
mumbled something iesielodil
at . St ,
visiting {yer again an oping he'd
tds his mother in a nursing home if
she recovered. Once they had
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« . dl)
She has no idea what love is,” Stella
hissed, her voice dripping with scorn.
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Her own marriage id’ wWorkdut, I
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mean, 1DOKATYOUr father. She'd
probably have him caring for her
instead of her able-bodied son if she
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content is on Novelxo.org! Read
the latest chapter there!
Timothy's heart ached as he listened to Stella's cruel words. His mother lay in
that hospital bed, frail and vulnerable, and Stella had no sympathy whatsoever.
The amount of cruelty in just one person still astounded him.
“God, I hope she drops off soon,” Stella grumbled. “We'll both be better off.”
Suddenly, as if snapped back into reality, Timothy felt a surge of anger rising
within him. He came to a halt, turning to face her with determination in his eyes.
“Stella, enough!” Timothy's voice was firm, commanding her attention. “Don’t you
ever talk about my mother like that.”
Stella's eyes blazed with defiance, her anger undiminished. “She’s the one who
started this, Timothy, with her judgment and criticism.”
Chapter 157
Timothy couldn't deny that his mother had played a part in the argument, but he
couldn't let Stella's behavior go unchecked. “That may be true, but you've taken it
to a whole other disgusting level.”
Before Stella could retort, Timothy seized the opportunity to address a painful
truth that had lingered between them, unspoken for far too long. “And let's not
forget, Stella, that you had to bribe me into marrying you in the first place.”
Stella's anger faltered, her words caught in her throat as the weight of Timothy's.
accusation sank in. Her face paled, and for the first time in their heated
exchange, she was left speechless.
Timothy pressed on, his voice unwavering. “You drugged me, pulled me in bed,
and we made a baby. Now you're using that baby as leverage to get me to marry
you. That's not love. That's manipulation.”
The truth hung in the air for a long minute, and for once, Stella had been stunned
into silence.
He turned away, his resolve firm. He couldn't bear to look at Stella in that
moment.
“I still love her, you know,” he said, keeping his eyes forward. “It probably pisses
you off just knowing that, but Evie is special.”
He didn’t spare Stella a glance, but he could see her shifting uncomfortably out of
the corner of his eye.
“And she’s the woman I would marry,” he added softly, his jaw clenched. “In a
heartbeat.”
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Without another word, Timothy
peeled out of the hospital parking lot.
Even after lashing yaRen mM
, & . .
iol Noel Butte "empty inside.
The choices he had made, the
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responsibilities he couldn't shirk,
were driving a wedge between him
and his mother now. The content is
on Novelxo.org! Read the latest
chapter there!
She could be dying in that bed as he was walking away, and the last thing she
would have seen was how much he had become like his father.
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