Chapter 3
778 Words
After ending the call, Flora went straight to the hospital.
Her adoptive mother was scheduled for a kidney transplant the next day. Once the surgery was done, Flora planned to take her away.
Flora was the abandoned illegitimate daughter of the Keenan family. Back then, her adoptive mother had worked as a servant for the family. She secretly took Flora in and raised her herself.
Before Jonathan came into their lives, the two of them had always depended on each other to survive. Without her adoptive mother, there would never have been the Flora everyone knew today.
Now her adoptive mother was seriously ill. Without a kidney transplant, she could lose her life at any moment.
The matching donor kidney had been found through the Lane family's connections. Jonathan had gone through endless trouble to secure it from an overseas medical institution.
Her adoptive mother could not afford to wait for another donor.
Flora first went to check on her adoptive mother in the ward. After that, she headed to the doctor's office to ask about the surgery preparations.
"Ms. Keenan, don't worry," the doctor said with a smile. "Everything is ready. The moment the donor kidney arrives tomorrow, we'll begin the surgery immediately."
Only then did Flora finally let out a breath of relief.
Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly heard Nina's voice coming from the room next door.
"Jon, stop staying here with me. I'm really okay," Nina said softly. "Go comfort Flora instead. I'm scared... maybe we should apologize to her together."
Jonathan's voice was unusually gentle.
"Nina, you're hurt this badly. How could I leave you alone? Flora pushed you. That's why your injury became so serious. She's the one who should apologize."
Nina shyly leaned into his arms and slowly lifted her delicate face.
"Jon, you're so nice to me," she whispered sweetly. "As long as I can stay by your side and continue skating with you, I won't be mad at Flora."
Then she leaned closer and softly kissed the corner of his lips.
Flora's fingers shook as she gripped her phone and secretly took a photo of the scene inside the room.
The next second, she sent the picture to several media outlets.
[I have a story,] she typed. [Pairs skating world champion Jonathan cheated on his fiancée right before the wedding.]
The media moved terrifyingly fast.
The scandal exploded across the trending charts almost instantly. Right beside it was yesterday's headline about Jonathan publicly announcing their wedding date. The contrast was painfully obvious.
The internet completely exploded.
A: [Oh my gosh. Who is this woman? How dare she seduce our Ice Prince? Shameless.]
B: [Flora deserves so much better. Someone find out who this woman is.]
It did not take long for netizens to uncover Nina's identity. Angry comments flooded every platform.
C: [Someone like her doesn't deserve to stay at the national rink. Kick her out.]
D: [Exactly. Jonathan and Flora were perfect together. Who does she think she is?]
That afternoon, Flora returned to the rink to hand in her resignation.
While packing up her things in the office, her fingers brushed against a pendant hidden deep inside the drawer she treasured most.
It had been made from a broken skate blade they used during the first international championship they won together. Jonathan had personally melted the metal, reshaped it, and turned it into a pair of matching necklaces.
His pendant was shaped like an iceberg. Hers was shaped like a flame.
You are in me, and I am in you.
The memory suddenly rushed back into her mind.
Jonathan had rented out the entire ice rink just for her. Laser lights painted stars across the ice while he held her hand and skated beside her.
Then he carefully placed the pendant around her neck.
"Flora," he had said softly, "this is the world I've conquered for you."
That memory had been real.
But the scene between him and Nina had also been real.
In the end, every beautiful promise became nothing more than a passing dream.
Flora forced herself to stop thinking about the past. Without hesitation, she threw the pendant straight into the trash can.
Holding her resignation letter tightly, she headed to find Bryan.
The moment she reached the door, she saw members of the team running toward the office building in panic.
She immediately followed after them.
Nina was standing on the rooftop, hanging dangerously close to the edge. A huge crowd from the training base had already gathered downstairs.
Jonathan's face was pale with fear as he desperately tried to talk her down.
"Nina, please just come down," he pleaded.
- Writer
