Chapter 1

Right before the Olympic gymnastics finals, I tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

I was kicked out of the stadium immediately and faced a potential lifetime ban from the sport.

While the entire internet was tearing me apart, I turned to my boyfriend for comfort.

But Gavin Brooks just looked at me with pure disdain.

"If you had just agreed to let Jasmine take your spot, I wouldn't have had to resort to this," he sneered.

"You knew she was fighting a terminal illness and didn't have much time left, yet you still tried to compete with her! I had to fulfill her final wish."

I let out a self-deprecating laugh. This was supposed to be the final competition of my career, too.

I had planned to propose to him after winning the gold and finally reveal my identity as the heiress to the Sterling empire.

But once I chose to walk away and agreed to an arranged marriage with another billionaire family, Gavin regretted everything.

He came crawling back, sobbing and begging me not to leave him.

1

As the captain of the national gymnastics team, I carried the hopes of the entire country.

But right before the team finals, I was suddenly accused of doping by an anonymous whistleblower.

The test results came back positive!

The officials disqualified me on the spot and issued a public statement while medical staff took fresh samples for a retest.

Representatives from the Athletic Integrity Unit arrived immediately to start an investigation.

"I swear on my life, I have never taken anything! I am extremely careful with my diet. The results must have been tampered with!" I shouted.

"I've pushed through injuries and pain for years just for this moment. This race is my life. Please, let me compete, and I'll prove my innocence afterward!"

I had worked harder than anyone to get here.

I loved this sport more than life itself.

Why would I ever destroy my dreams and my integrity with such a cheap trick?

The investigator just sat there, his face like stone.

"You've been disqualified. You will wait here for further questioning. An alternate will take your place on the floor."

On the television screen in the room, the athletes were finishing their warm-ups.

In the spot that belonged to me, I saw Jasmine Vance.

Looking at the fury on the faces of the spectators in the stands, I knew they had seen the news.

Insults and boos echoed through the arena that should have been filled with cheers for me.

In an instant, I had fallen from being the Queen of Gymnastics to a disgraced cheat.

In my suffocating despair, I thought of Gavin.

He was the one in charge of my nutrition and daily meals. Everything I consumed went through him.

He knew better than anyone that I would never dope!

Only he could prove my innocence.

After I begged the investigation team, the lead officer finally allowed me one phone call.

"Gavin, someone framed me... they're saying I used performance enhancers..." I sobbed into the phone.

Gavin's voice was cold and impatient. "Seraphina, you brought this on yourself."

"You've had enough glory in your life. Why did you have to keep competing with Jasmine?"

"If you had just stepped down when I asked, I wouldn't have had to take such drastic measures."

I froze, the phone slipping in my hand.

I couldn't believe the man who held me when I was exhausted was the one who pushed me into the abyss.

Was every moment of support and every encouraging hug just a lie?

Those sweet memories now felt like jagged glass cutting into my heart.

I collapsed to the floor as the memory of him pleading with me before the games flashed in my mind.

"Sera, you've dominated the gymnastics world for fourteen years. You've stood on that podium so many times. You don't need this one. Just let Jasmine have her shot."

When I didn't agree, he had pouted with tears in his eyes.

"You're totally misunderstanding me. There's nothing going on between Jasmine and me. If I had a secret, would I be asking you so openly?"

"I just think she's so tragic. She's so young and has such a scary terminal illness. Just help her fulfill her dying wish, okay?"