Chapter 2

The Olympic training camp was supposed to be my fortress, the place where I sharpened every edge for gold.

Instead, it became my nightmare.

Days before the individual finals, where I was the favorite, the pressure was immense.

Grandma Rose called every night, her voice full of hope. "Our dream, Ellie. It's almost here."

I tried to push the memory of that locked room away, the sting of Ethan' s betrayal.

He' d been so apologetic afterwards, full of excuses. "Tiffany was desperate, Ellie. I just wanted to help her calm down. I never thought they'd actually cut you from synchro for one missed meeting."

I was out of the synchronized team. Tiffany got my spot.

I tried to focus on singles. That was the real prize.

One evening, I went for a run on the secluded outdoor track at the Olympic facility.

The air was crisp, the sky dark. I needed to clear my head.

Suddenly, a figure stepped out from the shadows.

Ethan.

"Ellie, we need to talk," he said, his voice low.

Before I could answer, two more figures emerged from the darkness behind him, big and menacing.

Fear, cold and sharp, pierced through me.

"Ethan, what is this?" I whispered.

He wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Tiffany needs this Olympic spotlight more than you do, Ellie," he said, his voice flat, rehearsed.

"Her mother made the ultimate sacrifice for my family. You remember, the organ donation? It saved my sister."

One of the thugs grabbed my arm. I tried to pull away.

"Ethan, no!" I pleaded. "Think about Grandma Rose! Her whole life, she' s dreamed of this! The country is counting on me!"

He flinched, a flicker of something in his eyes, then it was gone.

"You're strong, Ellie," he said, his voice hardening. "You can make a comeback in a few years. Tiffany can't."

Desperation clawed at me. "I'll withdraw from the synchronized team! Oh, wait, you already took care of that. But I' ll publicly say it was my choice, give Tiffany all the credit! Just let me skate in the singles, Ethan. Please."

A shadow detached itself from a nearby tree. Tiffany.

She' d been watching.

She walked towards us, a slow, deliberate pace.

She heard my offer.

"Make sure Ellie can't skate at all, Ethan," Tiffany said, her voice a sliver of ice.

Ethan looked at me, his face a mask of conflicted agony, but his eyes were cold.

One of the thugs held up something heavy, metallic. An iron discus from the track and field equipment.

My breath hitched.

"I'll take care of you, always, Ellie-baby," Ethan whispered, a chillingly soft promise.

Then he nodded at the man.

The discus came down.

A sickening crack echoed in the silent night.

My leg exploded in pain.

I screamed, a raw, animal sound.

I crumpled to the ground, the world tilting, blurring.

Through a haze of agony, I saw Tiffany watching, a small, satisfied smile on her face.

"What if she just pops some painkillers and tries to skate anyway, Ethan?" Tiffany sneered.

Her voice was like nails on a chalkboard.

This pushed Ethan. He gestured. The man raised the discus again.

"Oh, Ethan, will it hurt her too much?" Tiffany cooed, feigning concern, but her eyes gleamed.

The second blow landed.

White-hot agony ripped through me. My vision went black for a moment.

"The Cole family fortune can provide for her," Ethan stated coldly.

Tiffany nodded, then turned and walked away quickly, establishing her alibi.

I lay on the cold track, my leg a mangled ruin.

My dreams, Grandma Rose' s legacy, a nation' s hopes – all shattered with my bone.

Ethan knelt beside me, his face pale.

"Don't worry, Ellie-baby," he said, his voice thick with something I couldn't name. "I'll be by your side forever."

His touch on my hair made my skin crawl.

He then delivered his ultimate, twisted justification.

"You have to forgive me. Tiffany's mother's sacrifice is why my family is what it is today. In a way, she's the reason we even met."

Rage, pure and hot, surged through my pain.

"I wish your family had never been saved!" I screamed, my voice hoarse.

His face twisted into a mask of narcissistic fury.

"I only allowed your leg to be ruined!" he spat. "How can you say such a thing? You're just jealous of the sacred bond I have with Tiffany!"

He took a shaky breath. "But don't worry, I still love you. We'll get married. Just don't expect to bring your sickly grandmother to live with us; she's depressing."

Through the searing pain, through the tears blurring my vision, I found a sliver of strength.

"We," I choked out, "are over. Irrevocably."