Hailey’s POV
Roy didn’t answer immediately.
That pause...barely a second long, was enough.
Enough to tell me that whatever he was about to say had already been rehearsed in his head. Enough to tell me this wasn’t a misunderstanding born out of coincidence or bad timing.
It was a choice.
“Hailey,” he finally said, stepping toward me, his voice low, careful. “It’s not what it looks like.”
I let out a small, broken laugh.
“Do you know what’s funny?” I asked quietly. “Every man caught in a lie says that exact sentence. Like it’s written somewhere. Like you all attend the same class.”
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration flashing across his face. He looked tired. Still wearing his team jacket. Still smelling faintly of ice and adrenaline and a life I was no longer part of.
“She
