Chapter 4The Ice King's Downfall: How I Destroyed My Cheating Fiancé

The entire street erupted into absolute, chaotic shock.

Even I froze, my brain completely short-circuiting. "What did you just say?"

Liam didn't even look at me. He stared directly into the cameras.

"It is a well-known fact that Evelyn's father was a highly respected, elite rock-climbing coach. But years ago, while leading a team during a major competition, he became so obsessed with speed and breaking records that he illegally unclipped a climber's safety harness, causing the athlete to plummet off a cliff to his death. And he covered it up, claiming it was a tragic accident."

"YOU'RE A LIAR!"

I roared, lunging forward to tear his throat out, but Mia physically blocked me.

"I can testify under oath that every single word Liam is saying is true! Because the athlete who died that day... was my biological brother."

"My brother fought so hard to make it out of our impoverished town. My entire family believed he was going to be a world champion. We never imagined his coach would murder him. After the 'accident,' Coach Hayes gave my family a massive payout as hush money, threatening to slaughter our entire family if I ever tried to leave my hometown."

"Assistant Coach Hayes, isn't that the real reason you declined the offer from the International Skating Union? You were crippled by guilt! You didn't dare show your face on the global stage, so you hid here as a pathetic, low-level assistant!"

My brain felt like a grenade had just detonated inside it.

She knew damn well that the only reason I stayed in the States was so Liam and I wouldn't have to do long distance!

And the climber who died that day... he died because he was a psychotic, hyper-competitive narcissist! Realizing he was about to lose the race, he intentionally unclipped his own safety harness so he could lunge across the rock face and sabotage the climber in first place!

The resulting fall was entirely his own fault. My father pitied the boy because he came from severe poverty, so he secretly sent his family a stipend every single month.

Even on his deathbed, my father made me promise to check in on Mia's family from time to time!

I was shaking with apocalyptic rage. I grabbed Mia by the throat.

"YOU LYING, VENOMOUS BITCH! MY FATHER NEVER HURT ANYONE!"

But my screams were instantly drowned out by the chaos of the press.

The story detonated like a nuclear bomb, dominating the #1 trending spot on every single social media platform for three straight days.

[No wonder Liam has been losing ever since he announced their relationship! Evelyn is a literal curse!]

[The daughter of a murderer! The sociopathic gene is probably hardwired into her DNA! She should be locked in a federal prison for the rest of her life!]

The athletic commission immediately issued a formal suspension notice. My career, my reputation, and my entire life were completely, catastrophically annihilated.

Radical, deranged fans doxxed my home address. They ambushed my mother while she was walking to the grocery store, throwing dead rats and trash at her, screaming death threats.

The sheer terror triggered a massive heart attack. She was rushed to the ER in an ambulance.

Standing outside the ICU doors, people walking past were still pointing at me and whispering.

"That's the murderer's daughter. Honestly, the hospital shouldn't even treat her mother. The wife of a killer can't be a good person anyway..."

My fists were clenched so tight my nails drew blood from my palms. I was shaking uncontrollably.

"MY DAD WAS NOT A MURDERER! I AM NOT THE DAUGHTER OF A KILLER!"

But no one cared. No one listened.

Liam called me right at that moment.

"Evelyn, as long as you behave, come to my office, and publicly apologize to Mia on camera, I'll hire a PR firm to scrub the black PR against you."

Mia's voice immediately echoed in the background.

"Honestly, I just wanted justice for my brother. Evelyn, if you come to my brother's grave and kowtow to apologize, we can just let this whole thing go."

I laughed. A bitter, hollow, freezing laugh.

"Why the fuck would I apologize? For you inverting reality? Or because you let him knock you up?!"

Liam barked aggressively through the phone, "SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"

"I'm offering you an out, and you're spitting in my face! Fine! You just wait!"

The call disconnected. Just then, the red light above the ICU doors turned off. My mother had temporarily stabilized, but she was still in critical condition.

She lay exhausted and frail in the hospital bed, weakly gripping my hand.

"Evelyn... your dad... he didn't kill anyone... he didn't..."

I nodded forcefully, hot tears finally breaking through my lashes and soaking my face.

"I know, Mom. I promise you, I will clear his name! I will get justice for Dad!"

I didn't know what sick, twisted move Liam was planning next, but I knew one thing for absolute certain.

I was done playing the victim. I was done staying silent.

Liam delusionally believed he could manipulate the media and control the narrative, but he forgot one crucial detail: his biggest, most catastrophic vulnerabilities were sitting right in my hands.

I spent the entire night compiling the evidence.

The very next morning, I walked flawlessly, confidently into the grand ballroom of Liam's official Retirement Gala.

In front of the blinding flashes of every major sports network and news outlet in the country, I plugged a flash drive into the main projector and displayed the security footage from the locker room.

"Ladies and gentlemen. I am officially, publicly blowing the whistle on Liam Sterling. For five years of premeditated match-fixing, bribing medical staff to falsify pre-race drug tests, and engaging in illicit sexual relations with a fan, resulting in pregnancy..."