Chapter 2

I left the repair shop and wheeled myself home.

My rental wasn't far from where I worked. It was a tiny place, less than 100 square feet, and it was incredibly cramped for two people to live together in it. And because of my paralyzed legs, it was always a struggle for me to get through the front door.

The dim, yellow light flickered on, dazzling me momentarily.

My tattered racing suit hanging on the wall seemed to mock me every time I looked at it. I touched my legs, and still, I couldn't feel a thing.

Six years ago, I had been a high-spirited race car driver. I had won countless awards, and every club was vying to sign me on.

However, on the day of the World Racing Championship, Giselle came to me and asked me to throw the race.

"This is a crucial opportunity for Deniis. You've already got so many accolades. Can't you just let him have this one?"

I had been smoking at that time. The swirling smoke made it hard for me to read her expression.

In our five years of marriage, Dennis had always come between Giselle and me. I didn't answer Giselle's question but instead followed up with a question of my own.

"You're only thinking about Dennis. Have you stopped to consider what would happen to me if the truth about me throwing the race were to come out?"

I watched as her face darkened, and a sharp, stinging pain spread through my chest.

"Who is Dennis to you anyway? Why are you always so protective of him?"

Giselle pursed her lips and said impatiently, "I told you that he's the only family I have left! Isn't it a given that I just want to treat him well?

"What about you? We've been married for five years, and you still refuse to accept him. How many times do I have to tell you that he's just my—"

"Just your nephew," I said, cutting her off in a trembling voice. "A nephew with no blood relation whatsoever to you.

"Giselle, do you seriously think that I'm stupid? You stayed up all night by his side when he was sick. You even stole a kiss from his lips while he was asleep. Did you think I never knew about it?"

Her expression grew darker with every word I said. Her lips trembled, but ultimately, she had no comeback for anything I said.

"You disgust me."

Giselle and I got into a heated argument after that. As I was leaving, she spoke to me in a sinister tone, "You'll regret this, Craig Dorsey."

I ignored her and pulled away even more from her.

I would never throw a race for anybody's sake. However, I never expected what would happen next.

On the day of the race, while taking a sharp corner, my handbrake failed. I lost control and plunged off a cliff. I had been a professional racer for years, and I immediately knew it was a mechanical failure.

My heart sank.

So, this was what Giselle meant when she threatened me that day.

My survival instinct drove me to call out to her for help, but she deliberately ignored me and instead celebrated Dennis' win as he claimed the championship that should have been mine.

As for me, I was left half-dead in this wretched state.

A sudden, searing pain shot through my entire body. I braced myself as I collapsed onto the floor, gritting my teeth as I crawled toward the medication on the table. I quickly poured out a handful of the pills and swallowed them dry.

As the tablets slid down my throat, the bitter taste barely managed to bring me back to my senses.

I was lucky that I survived, but I was left permanently disabled.

I sighed and tossed the ratty racing suit into the corner of the closet.

Six years had passed since then, and Dennis was no longer the rookie he used to be. His posters were everywhere on the streets, and everyone always hailed him as a genius all-kill racer.

However, none of that had anything to do with me.

The dim screen of my phone lit up again with another text message from Giselle. This time, it was just an address.

"This is the address. You can come over anytime."

At the same time, I got another call from a debt collector.

My meager income was nowhere near enough to pay off the massive debt I owed them. I clenched my fists and remained silent for a long time.

Ultimately, I tapped out a reply on the keyboard and sent it out.

"Fine."