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Gnawing my bottom lip, I type a reply.
ROXY
Me too.
“Congrats, Roxy,” gushes Sebastian, the accessories editor, as he taps me on the back.
“She did it!” Lina says to him. She’s standing right next to me, beaming.
Melanie exits the room and pauses next to us. “Well done.” Her tone is as cold as ice.
“Thanks.”
Her fake smile transforms into a sneer. “Too bad this little romance of yours is coming to an end.”
“What are you talking about?” I say, eyebrows drawing together as panic courses through me. Could she have somehow learned about our fake-dating contract?
“Well, our magazine doesn’t have offices in Madrid.” She tilts up her chin haughtily, spins around, and stalks off.
“What the hell was that about?” My frown deepens as my heart hammers in my chest.
“I don’t know,” Lina says, twisting her long brown hair into a braid. “Probably just the jealousy talking.”
A wave of warmth ripples through my body, followed by a bitter cold. Something doesn’t feel right. “Why would she say that, though? It was oddly specific.”
Lina shrugs. “Why does she do anything? That’s just Melanie.”
“No, Madrid again,” I whisper as my chest tightens like it’s being squeezed by a bench vice. Grabbing my phone from my pocket, I type in Wade’s name followed by “Madrid” in the search engine. Dozens of articles pop up in the news section. I tap on the first link.
FOOTBALL TRANSFERS: Wade Hunter Signing Over to Real Madrid?
The transfer season has barely begun, and we might already have the biggest move of the season.
After beating the Spanish team in a gripping Champions League finale, rumour has it Wade Hunter is ready to hang up his blue kit.
Sources close to both teams report that meetings are taking place between the English forward and Spanish club representatives. They were also spotted leaving a Parisian building together this morning, and they shared a brief conversation on the pitch after yesterday’s game.
That's one too many breadcrumbs.
Wade Hunter has been with the London Regents FC for five years now, and it feels like the right time for this big move. One that will certainly take his career to the next level.
My arm falls to my side. I almost drop my phone, but Lina swipes it from me just in time.
What the hell is happening?
“Did you know?” she murmurs, glancing up from the screen after reading it for herself.
I shake my head, trying to clear the fog from my mind. All at once, it’s like a puzzle is piecing together inside my head. Wade asking me if I ever thought about living somewhere else. Andrew asking about offices in Madrid. Emily talking about how nice it would be to bask in the sun. Everything makes sense now.
“He’s moving to Spain?” Lina asks, incredulous.
I nod as my eyes fill with tears they can’t contain. Looks like the other shoe just dropped.
I can’t help myself. I open every article about Wade’s possible transfer and study each word, hoping one of them would contradict the first. But the rest are even worse. Some actually say how many millions have been discussed, and that he would keep his number nine. This is really happening, I know it. I still ask Wade, just in case this is all one big misunderstanding, but his answer only twists the knife a little deeper in my wounded heart.
WADE
It’s true, but nothing has been decided yet. We’ll talk when I get back. I miss you. X
