Part 1The Blade Betrayal

On the eve of the speed skating finals, my boyfriend, to secure a spot on the national team for his childhood sweetheart, broke my leg.

He'd done it before. He once locked me in a bathroom so I’d miss the initial team tryouts. When I finally arrived, breathless and frantic, the selection was over.

“You’re a natural talent,” he’d said with infuriating nonchalance. “What’s one more year?”

Now, it was the Winter Olympics. His precious sweetheart, Hailey, needed a chance to shine, to make a name for herself in the relay. So he decided to create one for her. By shattering my future.

...

A fierce wind howled across the hospital rooftop. I was surrounded, trapped.

“Barry, please,” I begged, my voice swallowed by the gale. “Let me go. The finals are tomorrow. My legs… I can’t get hurt.”

I was on my knees, pleading with the man I loved.

My parents died when I was young, leaving me with my grandmother. She had been a speed skater, a rising star whose career was cut short by injury. Her dream, the one she never achieved, was to win a gold medal for our country.

She saw her dream reborn in me. I had her talent, her passion for the ice. She poured everything she had into my training, shaping me into a short-track speed skater. Now, even with her own health failing, she never missed a single one of my races.

It felt like fate, like the universe was rewarding her devotion. I excelled on the ice, surpassing even her own legacy. The national team had been in a slump, but my arrival reignited the nation’s hope. I was the favorite to win gold.

Tomorrow’s final wasn’t just a race. It was everything. I couldn’t bear the weight of a nation’s disappointment. Even more, I couldn't bear to see my grandmother’s dream die with me.

And now, my boyfriend, Barry, was about to break my leg so his childhood sweetheart, Hailey, could take my spot in the relay. Even though it meant I would miss the individual finals, too.

Barry’s expression was unreadable. He looked at me with a sort of weary patience, as if I were a child throwing a tantrum.

“Anita, don’t be like this,” he said, his voice maddeningly calm. “With you in the lineup, how is Hailey ever supposed to get her moment in the spotlight?”

“You’re a prodigy. Winning gold a few years from now won’t make a difference for you. But Hailey’s not like you. She’s been waiting four years for this. An athlete’s career is short. She needs this chance.”

I stared at him, my mind reeling. The absurdity of his words was a physical blow. An athlete’s peak is fleeting. No one, not even a prodigy, can stay at the top forever. Her four years were precious, but mine weren’t?

My mind raced, searching for an escape. As Barry raised the hammer he was holding, a desperate idea struck me.

“Barry, wait! Listen to me!” I cried out. “If you want Hailey in the relay, I can do it! I’ll tell the coach I need to focus on the individual final. I’ll withdraw. She can take my place!”

Tears streamed down my face as I looked at him, my voice thick with sincerity.

He hesitated, the hammer lowering slightly. A flicker of hope ignited in my chest.

“The roster isn’t set yet! We can still change it!” I pressed on. “All I want is the final tomorrow. I’ll even retire after the race, I swear. You know I always keep my word, Barry. Please, just let me go.”

He was wavering. The hammer was almost down.

Then, Hailey appeared at the rooftop entrance.

“Barry, are you done yet?” she whined, her voice laced with impatience. “I need to get back and rest. I have to be in top form.”

He didn’t even flinch at her tone. Her presence was all it took. The hammer in his hand rose again.

“I can’t risk it, Anita,” he said, his voice hardening. “Hailey’s mother was very good to me. I owe it to her to help Hailey achieve her dream.”

His eyes met mine, a flicker of something that might have been regret, or maybe just pity. “It’s okay, babe. Even if your leg is too injured to skate again, it doesn’t matter. I’ll take care of you.”

He nodded to the two burly men standing behind me. They grabbed my arms.

“To make her dream come true, you have to break my leg?” I screamed, struggling against their grip. “Hailey, you’re a coward! You can’t win on your own, so you resort to this! And you, Barry… I hate you!”