Chapter 1The Ice King's Downfall: How I Destroyed My Cheating Fiancé

My boyfriend, Liam Sterling, was hailed by the media as the "God of the Ice."

As his assistant coach, I had been by his side from his days as an unknown rookie to his meteoric rise to superstardom.

He once promised me that the moment he secured a Grand Slam, he would retire and we would finally get married.

But five years passed. He remained one medal short, and our engagement was delayed over and over again.

Until his very last race before retirement.

I went to the locker room to swap out his skate blades, only to hear the unmistakable, heavy breathing of a couple hooking up in the bathroom stall.

"Mia, you're making my knees weak with just one kiss. You really are a little succubus."

"You threw away so many races for this little succubus, Liam. You better make sure you lose this one too. I'll give you a real reward tonight."

Liam laughed, agreeing easily, his arms clearly wrapped tight around her waist.

"We have time. Let's go another round."

I stood outside the stall door. The razor-sharp edge of the spare ice blade sliced into my palm, drawing blood.

Loving someone for five years, only to realize they are rotten to the core... so this is what it feels like.

I turned around and walked out of the locker room.

The exact moment Liam Sterling officially announced his retirement, I publicly, unequivocally blew the whistle on his five-year career of match-fixing.

I stood outside the stadium, taking several deep breaths.

The freezing wind rushed down my throat, finally calming the boiling rage in my chest.

My phone rang. It was the bridal boutique.

"Hi, Ms. Hayes! Just calling for a final confirmation—your wedding date is still the 8th of next month, correct? We're ready to send the invitations to the printer."

A massive roar erupted from the stadium behind me.

I turned my head and looked at the giant jumbotron displaying the final rankings for the Men's Speed Skating Championship.

Fourth place: Liam Sterling.

He missed the bronze by exactly 0.1 seconds.

Exactly as planned.

I let out a bitter, cynical laugh, speaking directly into the phone: "The wedding is canceled. You don't need to print them."

When I walked back into the stadium tunnels, Liam ran up to me, drenched in sweat. He pulled me into a crushing hug, his voice dripping with fake, manufactured guilt.

"I'm so sorry, Evelyn. I swear I gave it everything I had. If I had just been a fraction of a second faster..."

I forcefully shoved him away. Meeting his confused, slightly panicked eyes, I spoke with absolute, freezing calm.

"It doesn't matter."

"I've already canceled the wedding. We're done."

He stared at me in pure shock, his voice spiking an octave in defensive anger.

"I can't control whether I win or lose! Do you think I'm not devastated right now?! You're my fiancée! Instead of comforting me, you're breaking up with me?! Evelyn, do you have no heart?!"

I suddenly thought back to five years ago.

Liam had absolutely crushed the competition at the Winter Olympics, taking home his first gold medal and becoming an overnight sensation.

In front of a wall of flashing cameras, he wildly, ecstatically announced our relationship to the world, swearing that the moment he secured a Grand Slam, he would retire and marry me.

Over the next three years, he shattered record after record, hailed as a once-in-a-century speed skating prodigy.

Just as everyone assumed he was about to become the youngest Grand Slam champion in history, he hit a catastrophic, inexplicable slump. He lost race after race.

That final gold medal...

He dragged it out for two entire years, intentionally throwing eighteen separate competitions.

Just last night, before we went to sleep, he was still enthusiastically looking at wedding floral arrangements with me, debating whether we should walk down the aisle to Ed Sheeran or John Legend.

And like a complete idiot, I actually thought he had finally found his rhythm again.

"Alright then. Let's go to the courthouse right now and sign the papers. Do you have the guts?"

Liam instinctively frowned, stepping back.

"I told you I'm going to marry you! Why are you always pushing me?! You've waited five years, can't you just wait a little longer?!"

Before the words fully left his mouth, Mia Foster sauntered over and possessively linked her arm through his.

"Evelyn, you are so incredibly unsupportive. Liam has sacrificed his entire youth for speed skating, and the second he retires, you're trying to force him into a shotgun wedding?"

I let out a cold, sharp laugh.

"Did he sacrifice his youth for speed skating, or did he sacrifice it for you? Do I really need to spell it out?"

Mia waved her hands in mock innocence, but her eyes were gleaming with toxic, triumphant vanity.

"You can't just make up lies like that! Liam and I are completely platonic! If he hadn't sponsored my education, I never would have made it out of my hometown. I've always looked up to him as my savior!"

"If you're so insecure about me being near him, fine, I'll leave! Don't ruin your relationship over me! Or, if you need to vent, you can hit me! I promise I won't fight back!"

She grabbed my hand and forcefully dragged it toward her own face, trying to stage a slap.

Just as my hand was inches from her cheek, Liam violently smacked me across the face.

"Evelyn, that is ENOUGH! What right do you have to complain?!"

"So what if I lost?! Who can guarantee they'll win first place forever?! Just because I didn't get the gold, you're canceling the wedding?! You are a materialistic, gold-digging bitch!"