Chapter 4 A Hand Worth More Than a Championship

Knowing he had misunderstood, I could not be bothered to explain. I simply nodded.

As Ethan recalled one of our rare happy memories, even his glacier-cold expression softened into a smile.

"It was just a stuffed animal. It's not like I can't afford one. Stop dwelling on it and come see the gift I got you."

He snapped his fingers. A moment later, several people carried in a solid gold trophy and placed it in front of me.

"Claire, here's to another championship next season. And I'm sorry about the ring. Consider this my apology."

Everyone around us stared in envy.

My reaction, however, was lukewarm. "Put it in the display room."

Ethan looked surprised that I was not happy. "Isn't this what you've always wanted from me? That trophy alone is worth enough to buy a mansion. What do you have to be upset about?"

I looked up at him, disappointment washing over me.

So that was how he saw me. He thought I had stayed by his side for his money. No wonder every gift he gave me was more expensive than the last.

If he had paid even a little attention, he would have noticed that I had never used any of the things he bought for me.

Some people might enjoy a life of luxury. All I ever wanted was to be with the person I loved.

Ethan waited for a long time, but he never got the response he wanted. In the end, he let out an irritated scoff and left with Chloe. Neither of them came home that night.

Throughout the night, Chloe bombarded me with photos and videos. Every one of them was meant to show off and provoke me.

I simply silenced my phone and slept soundly.

Early the next morning, Ethan coldly sent me an address and asked me to meet him.

He had stayed out all night, and for once, I had not gone looking for him. He was probably furious.

I knew the meeting could not be anything good, but this would be the last time. Once it was over, I would finally be free.

Without wasting any more time, I called a cab and headed over. The location he had chosen was remote and far from the city.

When I arrived, he was nowhere to be seen.

I was about to call him when Chloe appeared with a group of men dressed in black. "Don't bother looking. I'm the one who asked you here."

I raised an eyebrow, a bad feeling settling in my stomach. "What is this supposed to mean?"

"I didn't just want your starting carry position. I want your captain title too."

"Ethan will give it to you."

Ethan loved her so much that he would have plucked the stars from the sky for her. Would she really need to drop the act and threaten me over a captaincy? The whole thing felt ridiculous.

I turned to leave. But the men blocked every possible escape route.

"Claire, if you don't retire, I won't be able to sit comfortably in that position, even if I get it."

The men forced me to the ground. A wooden club came crashing down on my right hand.

Gritting my teeth through the agony, I demanded, "Chloe, have you lost your mind? If you ruin my hand, how are you going to explain it to Ethan?"

She stepped directly onto the shattered bones in my hand.

"Ethan won't believe you. Besides, once your hand is ruined, you'll lose the only value you have. What makes you think Ethan would keep you around after that?

"Keep hitting her."

The men focused solely on my hand.

I did not know how much time passed. By the end, the pain had faded into numbness. Only then did they finally scatter.

In front of me, Chloe rolled around in the dirt until she was covered in dust. Then she bit open a fake blood capsule and coughed blood all over herself.

Not long after she finished staging the scene, the sound of rotor blades filled the air. A helicopter circled overhead before descending.

The moment Ethan jumped out, he ran straight toward me.

When he saw my blood-covered right hand, a tear slipped from the corner of his eye. "Who did this? Does it hurt? I'm taking you to the hospital right now."

Just as he reached out to help me up, Chloe suddenly crawled to his feet and spoke weakly. "Ethan, this is all my fault. Those men were after me. Claire got hurt trying to save me.

"Take Claire for treatment. Don't worry about me. Even if I die here today, I have to protect the hand that helped Claire win all those championships."