Chapter 5

The nurse turned the screen toward me. The transaction records showed that the money had been transferred out just ten minutes earlier.

I recognized Irina's account as the recipient immediately.

My hands trembling, I called her. She answered with obvious impatience. "What is it?"

My eyelid twitched. "Did you transfer the money out of my account?"

There was a brief silence on the other end.

"I did. The international competition is coming up, and Blake needs a new ski suit and skis. I have to make sure he's in the best possible condition."

My head began to ring.

"But that was the money for my surgery..." I pleaded desperately. "Irina, the doctor said the infection will get worse if I don't have the surgery soon."

She cut me off, her voice icy. "Robert, your surgery can wait, but Blake's competition can't. Can't you tell which one matters more? That's enough. I'm busy. I'm hanging up."

The busy signal beeped in my ear.

The nurse looked at me cautiously. "Mr. Wilson, what about the surgery fee...?"

Suddenly, the whole thing struck me as absurd. All the money I had would only cover the amputation. It was the only option left.

"Forget it. I’m going to have an amputation."

Back in my hospital room, I signed the consent form for the amputation.

...

When I woke up, the lower half of my body was gone, leaving an empty space beneath the blanket.

But it wasn't just my lower body that felt empty. My entire heart did, too.

During my hospital stay, I kept seeing Irina and Blake on television.

During an interview, Blake smiled sweetly. "Thank you for taking such good care of me, Irina."

Irina insisted that Blake be trained by the best coach on the team.

As a result, Coach Henson was reassigned to him. Although Coach Henson was somewhat reluctant, he eventually began training Blake.

With me no longer standing in his way, Blake naturally became the country's number-one skier. His fan base grew larger and larger, and the number of people insulting me grew along with it. They called me an obstacle and said I deserved everything that had happened to me.

I read the comments, but my numb heart no longer stirred.

On the day I was discharged, the caregiver took me home.

Sure enough, Blake's luggage filled my room. My belongings had been carelessly stuffed into cardboard boxes in the corner.

With great effort, I brought over a blanket and spread it across the sofa.

When I was done, I took out my phone. My fans' warm messages were still there.

I stared at their words for a long, long time.

In the end, all I could do was repeat the same apology to myself over and over.

'I'm sorry. I'm a coward who wallows in self-pity. I've let down all the people who believed in me so wholeheartedly.'

On the day of the international competition, I still couldn't resist watching the live broadcast. After all, skiing had once been the passion I loved and the career I'd been willing to devote my entire life to.

Blake was in excellent form. When the final scores came in, he'd taken first place.

Irina personally handed him the trophy.

He accepted it, then turned around and leaped straight into her arms. She held him, smiling so tenderly.

As I watched that familiar smile, I felt strangely disoriented.

Just then, I caught a strange, pungent odor.

A masked woman stood outside the window, cursing viciously. "You little brat! You're the reason it took Blake so many years to finally make it to the top. Today is my boy's big day, and I'm sending you to your grave!"

Flames shot upward, and the woman turned and ran.

People throughout the entire building were fleeing.

I struggled to get up from the sofa, but with nothing to support the lower half of my body, I fell straight to the floor.

The smoke grew thicker and thicker, making me cough violently.

I lay on my stomach and slowly dragged myself toward the door, inch by inch.

The television was still on. On the screen, Blake stood surrounded by reporters, clutching his trophy. Irina stood beside him, her face glowing with pride.

The fire grew larger, and waves of heat engulfed me.

Suddenly, I no longer felt pain or sadness. I even felt warm.