Snowbound With The Enemy Hockey Alpha

Episode 4

Desiree's POV

It had been Ethan's idea, having a Christmas —New year cruise as a pre-wedding getaway.

“One last holiday before real life behind,” he'd said with his usual smile and I knew he was right.

I was exhausted. Exhausted from work, wedding planning, and when he suggested it, it took me no time to agree to his plans. I needed to escape after all. I needed a breather, a stretch of days where I wasn't fixing athletes’ joints or arguing with the florist.

And my yes was a yes!

And for a little while, it felt like the right decision.

The ship was massive, twelve decks, a winding glass staircase in the atrium, two swimming pools, five restaurants, and endless Ocean views in every direction. At night, the lights flickered on the water as if the ship was floating through a galaxy.

During the first few days, Ethan was busy, very busy emailing contractors, finalizing prints for a luxury residences project he wouldn't stop talking about and I didn't even mind.

I enjoyed my solitude more than I expected. I read on the balcony, listened to the waves, and allowed myself the rare luxury of doing absolutely nothing.

By sunset, the s**t was buzzing with preparation and the crew had decorated the atrium with garlands and shining gold ornaments.

Two giant Christmas trees stood on either side of the main staircase and everywhere was all set.

I should have felt swept up in it, instead, I felt very off. Maybe it was wedding stress or exhaustion or anxiety of what would happen at the pre-wedding getaway without my parents.

Ethan met me outside our cabin before the gala. I was dressed in an off shoulder burgundy dress and Ethan looked charming in a fitted baby suit and burgundy tie, just like my dress.

For a moment, seeing his familiar smile, I pushed aside the uneasiness and focused on the good sides of things.

“Is my fiance ready?" He asked with a wink while I chuckled.

“As I'll ever be.”

We walked into the gala together. The ballroom was breathtaking, covered in white drapes from the ceiling like cascading snow.

A live band played jazz renditions of Christmas music. Couples danced. Waiters passed trays of champagne. It should have felt like a dream.

But after an hour of smiling and making small talk while Ethan mingled with complete strangers as if auditioning for a new circle of wealthy friends, I felt drained.

Ethan hardly stayed by my side. One minute he was laughing at the bar with an engineer he’d just met. The next he was scribbling ideas on a napkin with an architect he bonded over “modernist challenges.” Every so often he’d glance at me with a reassuring smile.

Still, I told myself it didn’t matter.

He was social. I was tired and not used to this hefty social lifestyle but needed it for his business and I wouldn't be the one to stop his progress.

I was still feeling sick in my head.

By ten o’clock, my head ached, my feet throbbed, and all I wanted was to find Ethan, tell him I was going to bed early, and escape the noise.

So I slipped out of the ballroom.

The hallway outside was even more quiet as I walked slowly, listening to the soft hum of the ship vibrating under my feet, trying to shake the strange feeling that had been following me all night.

I pulled out my phone and texted Ethan.

“Hey, where are you? I’m heading to the cabin.”

But there was no single reply from me.

I waited a moment and still nothing.

I knew he wasn't like that. At this kind of party, his phone was always in his pocket and ringing loudly.

I tucked my phone into my purse, took a steadying breath, and headed down the hallway toward the mid-deck bar—Ethan’s favorite spot since the cruise began.

As I approached, I heard voices.

It started with a soft laugh and then a familiar baritone of my fiance. Ethan.

I sped up slightly, relieved to have found him so quickly, until I turned the corner and froze.

Ethan stood near the side entrance of the bar, his back angled toward me and he wasn’t alone.

He was with a waiter. A young lady stood inches from him and they were talking quietly, bodies getting too intimate.

I stopped right in my tracks and before I could process what I was seeing, the waiter leaned in.

And Ethan, he didn't step back to stop her. Instead, he kissed her back.

He kissed her!

My breath left my body in one violent exhale, as though someone had punched me directly in my lungs. For a moment, I could r move, I could feel my heart beat the world around me seemed to stop functioning and the music around me became faint.

Ethan pulled back first and the waiter laughed quietly, brushing Ethan’s tie with her fingertips.

It was obvious that they knew each other before this cruise.

And then Ethan said, clear as crystal and painfully casual.

“She’s just my travel companion. She’s too… intense to marry. But it’s easier this way. My parents will stop asking questions.”

A shocking sound escaped from my lips. Something between a gasp and a choke as my knees buckled.

I stepped back instinctively, my heart slamming so hard it was difficult to breathe. My stomach twisted, bile rising in my throat. My hands trembled violently, clutching my purse until the edges dug into my palm.

Travel companion?

Too intense?

Easier this way?

He had proposed to me. He had put a ring on my finger. He had planned an entire wedding with me. He had told me he loved me. I never asked for this. I didn't force myself on him. I wasn't the one who suggested a pre wedding.

And yet, he was there, calling me a travel companion?

Trashing away the three years of my life like it was just some joke to him?

My steps wavered and I struggled to stand still again as I heard his voice come in.

“Don't worry, I'm also trying to secure a company for US.”

My vision blurred, tears burning rapidly behind my eyes. I didn’t dare wipe them and If I made even the smallest sound, I knew I would collapse.

So I ran like I always did.

I wasn’t even looking at where I was going, too busy trying to outrun the ache clawing up my throat, when I slammed into something hard.

The scent hit me first, and time seemed to stop.

Ronan?