Chapter 2

When I woke up, I found myself in the hospital.

The doctor came through the door with a grave expression. He hesitated for a long time before finally choosing his words carefully.

"Mr. Wilson, the condition of your legs is very serious."

I opened my mouth, but my throat was so dry that I couldn't make a sound.

"The crush injuries, combined with tissue death caused by the extreme cold, and the fact that treatment was delayed for too long, leave us with only two options now. We can operate, or we can amputate."

He handed me a document. The surgical consent form was clearly printed across the top. "Please sign it. The sooner we operate, the lower the risk."

I stared at the paper, my fingers trembling. I couldn't even manage to pick up the pen.

The doctor added, "The surgery and your subsequent rehabilitation will cost a great deal of money. You'll need to raise the funds as soon as possible."

Just then, the door opened, and Irina walked in. When she saw that I was awake, her expression barely changed.

"Good. You're awake."

I looked at the face I'd known for as long as I could remember, and suddenly, she seemed like a complete stranger.

My voice choked with emotion. "Irina, the doctor says they might have to amputate my legs."

Irina responded with an indifferent hum. "I'd considered that possibility."

My mind went blank with a deafening roar.

I grabbed the pillow beside me and hurled it at her with all the strength I had left. I screamed, tears pouring uncontrollably down my face.

"You were only a few steps away from me! Why didn't you rescue me first?"

The pillow landed softly against her before falling to the floor.

Irina looked irritated as she bent down to pick it up. "Robert, you're being incredibly selfish. Given the circumstances, I had to rescue the person who needed help more urgently.

"Blake is an orphan. He has no family to rely on. I only rescued you a little later. Can't you try to understand my position?"

Her words made my tears flow even harder. "The doctor said I would've been fine if the rescue had come sooner! You're the reason I ended up like this!

"I was about to compete! Do you have any idea how much I sacrificed for that opportunity? Ten whole years! Training every day until my legs could barely hold me up, pushing through injuries all over my body because I couldn't afford to stop!"

"But now it's all over. I'll never be able to ski again. You've destroyed my entire life!"

Irina furrowed her brows, looking at me as though I were a three-year-old throwing a tantrum. "If you can't compete, Blake can. Are you really that confident you would've won the championship? In competitive sports, does it really matter who takes the spot?"

I froze, every word I wanted to say caught in my throat. The air between us hung motionless for several minutes.

Suddenly, a group of reporters barged into my hospital room. They had clearly been listening outside for some time. Now, their faces were alight with the excitement of having stumbled upon a juicy scandal.

"Mr. Wilson, do you resent your sister for choosing to rescue Blake Dawson first?"

"You've always been ahead of Blake. Some people have mocked him as the perpetual runner-up. Do you think your success made you arrogant and caused you to look down on your rival?"

One sharp question after another came flying at me.

I shook my head frantically. "No! That's not true! I was clearly closer to the rescue team. They should've rescued me first. That's common sense!"

Irina interrupted me in a firm voice, then turned to the reporters with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry. My brother is emotionally unstable right now, and he's saying things he doesn't mean. He may simply be in so much pain that he's trying to gain sympathy."