Broken Legs, Broken Heart

Elisabeth quickly shifted into victim mode. "Fiona, even if you don't like me, there's no need to shove me, right? My ankle's still not completely healed."

Reid immediately dropped whatever he was holding and rushed to her side, fretting over her as she took a seat.

I stood by, listening, feeling nothing but an empty void inside. This kind of scene had played out more times than I could count.

Time and time again, without any hesitation, Reid took Elisabeth's side and scolded me in anger. In the past, I used to argue back, but it always led to a heated argument that solved nothing. Now, I didn’t have the energy to defend myself anymore.

After they left, I called my uncle, Theo, overseas. He'd always wanted me to come over and help manage his business since he had no kids of his own. I had turned him down countless times before, wanting to stay with Reid. But now, I felt no ties holding me back.

Lying in the hospital bed, as the anesthesia wore off, pain started coming in waves. I shut my eyes, yet sleep eluded me as my mind replayed my last argument with Reid.

It had happened one afternoon when he was tenderly wiping Elisabeth's sweat after a workout, and my patience finally snapped. I confronted him, asking if something had changed between us.

Reid stayed calm, as though I was being irrational. With frustration in his voice, he said, "Fiona, have you been working too hard lately? When you're exhausted, you start getting ideas. Maybe you should take a break for a few days?"

I looked around, feeling the stares of people around us. Elisabeth had that innocent look and a knack for charming everyone with honeyed words. Since she arrived, she had gradually taken over my spot, and if I stepped away now, I feared there’d be no place left for me later.

I couldn't bear the thought that years of effort could be wiped away. With a competition looming, I didn’t want to stir up any unnecessary drama, so I swallowed my grievances. But these issues kept piling up.

I often clung to a small hope, wondering if maybe I was just imagining things. Until the time when he deliberately caused my injury. Only then did the truth hit me like a ton of bricks.

In the two weeks I spent recovering in the hospital, Reid—who once swore to take care of me forever—visited only once when I first checked in. At first, I thought he was simply busy, but later I found out he came to the hospital every day—to spend time next door in Elisabeth’s room.

The nurse, Malaya, looked confused when she asked me, "Didn’t the guy next door used to come see you? I just checked the room next door; they were all over each other, kissing like crazy."

"I thought he was your boyfriend. Guess not, huh?"

I didn't bother correcting her, feeling a bitter sting in my heart. Even with just a wall between us, Reid wouldn’t come to see me, his supposed girlfriend.

As I was about to be discharged, Reid suddenly called me again. Without bothering to ask what I thought, he issued a straightforward command: "I'm picking you up for the Thanksgiving party. Everyone's waiting for you."

Just two weeks ago, I was the team's shining star. Now, I was a shattered athlete who might never stand again. The gap between those realities was huge.

My chance had been taken away, yet they expected me to watch and cheer for someone else's victory.