Chasing the puck

Chapter Nineteen

The morning sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a warm glow on the apartment, but the air inside was thick with tension. Sarah sat on the edge of the bed, staring at her phone screen, her heart sinking with every word she read. “Breaking: New Sources Claim Ford’s Involvement Deeper Than We Thought.” The headline felt like a punch to the gut.

She couldn’t believe this was happening—again. Just when she thought things couldn’t get worse, the media found a way to twist the knife deeper. Tyler had told her everything—every detail about the allegations, about his past, about what he knew—and she believed him. But the world outside didn’t. And now, it felt like they were being swallowed by the storm.

Sarah glanced at Tyler, who was pacing in the living room, his hands running through his hair, his jaw clenched. He hadn’t said much since the news broke, but the tension in his body spoke volumes. She could feel his frustration, his anger, and it scared her. The man she loved was under attack, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

“We’ll get through this,” Sarah whispered to herself, though the words felt hollow. She didn’t know how they would get through it, but she had to believe they would. She couldn’t afford to doubt him—not now.

Tyler stopped pacing and looked at her, his eyes wild with frustration. “This is bullshit,” he muttered, his voice low and angry. “They don’t care about the truth. They just want a story, and I’m the easiest target.”

Sarah stood up, crossing the room to him, her heart aching at the sight of his pain. “I know,” she said softly, reaching for his hand. “But getting angry won’t help. We need to figure out a way to fight this.”

Tyler shook his head, pulling his hand away as he continued pacing. “Fight it? How? Every time I try to defend myself, it just makes things worse. I feel like I’m losing everything, Sarah. My career… our relationship… everything.”

The raw emotion in his voice made Sarah’s chest tighten. She reached for him again, this time pulling him into a hug, her arms wrapping around him tightly. “You haven’t lost me,” she whispered fiercely. “I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere.”

For a moment, Tyler didn’t respond, but then his arms came around her, holding her close. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take,” he admitted, his voice muffled against her hair. “I feel like I’m drowning.”

Sarah’s heart ached as she held him. She had never seen him like this—so vulnerable, so broken. It scared her to see him this way, but it also made her more determined to fight for him. “We’ll figure it out,” she promised, pulling back just enough to look into his eyes. “We always do.”

Tyler sighed, his hands resting on her waist as he looked down at her. “I hope you’re right,” he said quietly, though there was a flicker of hope in his eyes that hadn’t been there before.

Later that night, after the initial shock of the breaking news had worn off, they sat on the couch in silence. The weight of the allegations hung between them like a dark cloud, suffocating and heavy. Sarah knew they couldn’t keep avoiding it—they needed to talk about it, to figure out what they were going to do.

“We need to talk,” she said softly, turning to face him. “About all of this. We can’t just ignore what’s happening.”

Tyler sighed, leaning back against the cushions, his hands resting in his lap. “What is there to talk about, Sarah? I’m screwed. The media’s already made up their minds, and now this… it’s just more fuel for the fire.”

Sarah shook her head, refusing to accept that. “We can’t give up, Tyler. There has to be a way to fight this, to prove that you didn’t do anything wrong.”