Chapter 9
489words
"Is that really you? What are you… doing here?"
His eyes dropped to the crumpled flyers in my hand, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Weren't you supposed to get into university on athletic scholarship? How did you end up…"
I swallowed the bile rising in my throat as I faced my destroyer.
"How dare you even ask?"
"You think a banned athlete still qualifies for athletic admission?"
The color drained from his face, his lips quivering.
"I'm sorry…" his voice cracked, "I never thought it would end like this. I knew you had that scholarship lined up, so I thought… that's why I…"
"That's why you what?"
I demanded, enunciating each word.
Lucas's eyes darted everywhere but my face.
In all these years, I never discovered exactly how he'd tampered with my test.
I'd replayed every moment of that day countless times.
He'd only visited my room briefly before the competition.
He hadn't touched my water, hadn't touched anything, then left.
But the timing was too perfect.
He suddenly spoke with urgency.
"Sophia, how's your father been? Now that I've won the championship, I can announce in interviews that he was my first coach. Everyone will know—"
"Less than six months after your abuse allegations, the club shut down."
I cut him off coldly. "With that stain on his record, how could he ever coach again? You think acknowledging him now helps, or just twists the knife deeper?"
Lucas blanched further.
"I'm sorry, Sophia. I never thought it would go this far…"
His voice trembled, eyes reddening.
"I thought it would blow over like when your mom was reported. I never imagined…"
His words drew a bitter laugh from me.
"Does 'sorry' fix anything?"
I shoved past him and walked away.
Behind me, his voice called my name tearfully, but I refused to hear another word.
The truth is, I had feelings for Lucas Lane once.
In my mother-dominated childhood, he was the only light that broke through.
After school, other kids went to playgrounds, ate ice cream, ran wild with friends.
While I practiced endlessly on the ice.
Only he would sneak me candy during breaks, quietly hold my hand when Mom scolded me, awkwardly try to cheer me up when I cried.
He'd say, "Sophia, you're so beautiful when you smile."
He'd say, "When we grow up, we'll stand on the highest podium together."
He'd say, "You're the most amazing girl I've ever known."
I treasured those words for years but never confessed my feelings.
I knew my mother would never approve.
In her eyes, romance would derail training and destroy my future.
So I buried those feelings deep, believing that silence would preserve them forever.
But now, looking at this man I once cared for, I felt only disgust.
He was rotten to the core.
Completely and utterly rotten.
If he truly cared, he could have discovered all this with minimal effort. Why play innocent now?
