Chapter 3

Vivienne's pupils constricted as she grabbed the coach's sleeve.

"What do you mean?"

The coach, his eyes red, wrenched his hand free from her grasp.

"You know damn well what I mean. I never thought you'd be this heartless. The biggest regret of Levi's life was falling for a cold-blooded snake like you!"

He violently shoved through the crowd, snatched up the backpack I had dropped earlier, and stormed off.

I've known the coach for ten years. He's always treated me like a son. Learning of my death, he must be the most heartbroken of all.

Watching the coach's figure slouch away, a pang of sorrow struck my heart.

Vivienne finally snapped back to reality. She stared at the flowers and cake before her, her expression wavering for a moment.

She made to walk towards the medical room, but Nash held her back.

"I haven't done my champion interview yet. Where are you going?"

Vivienne pressed her lips together. "I'm going to check on Levi. We can do the interview later."

Hearing this, Nash's face cooled slightly, before he softened his expression and spoke in a low voice.

"What could be wrong with Levi? He just took some stimulants. Those drugs only give a brief high, they don't do any real damage to the body."

He glanced at the media, lowering his voice even further, with a hint of guilt.

"Didn't we try them out before? Levi's in such good shape, he never even catches a cold. How could he suddenly end up in the ER?"

Vivienne's expression twisted for a moment before slowly calming down.

"You're right. When I saw him go into the ER, it felt like an act. I can't believe he even got his coach to play along."

As she spoke, she became more convinced she'd uncovered the truth, and let out a cold laugh.

"I almost fell for it! I guess he thought the steroid scandal was too embarrassing, so he decided to fake being sick to avoid the media?"

Nash carefully observed her expression before finally relaxing.

"I'm glad you've figured it out. Shall we go do the interview now?"

Vivienne's eyes flickered, scanning the meticulously prepared proposal scene before her, including the wedding planner, and spoke coldly.

"Tell Levi to stop playing these stupid games!"

"I said I wouldn't break up with him, and I won't go back on my word. If he behaves himself, I might agree to the proposal."

"But if he's still playing dead after the interview, then we're through for good!"

Without further hesitation, she stepped over the bouquet on the ground, crushing my intentions along with it.

When we reached the interview area, many people were already waiting.

For years, I had been the reigning champion of rock climbing competitions, with Nash always waiting on the sidelines.

Now, he has finally stepped over my corpse to claim the title.

During an interview, someone mentioned me.

"How do you feel about the news that Levi died from using performance-enhancing drugs?"

As soon as those words were spoken, both Vivienne and Nash were stunned.

Then, a flash of wild joy erupted in Nash's eyes. From now on, the mountain that had been weighing on him was finally gone.

Vivienne, however, seemed to have lost her soul. She gripped the reporter's sleeve tightly.

"What did you say? Levi is dead?"

The reporter looked at her curiously.

"Aren't you Levi's girlfriend? You didn't know? He passed away right after the award ceremony."

"I heard it was a severe allergic reaction to the performance-enhancing drugs. They couldn't save him."

Vivienne stared at the reporter, her face as white as paper.

"How is that possible? How could he die?"

"You're all lying to me, aren't you? Did Levi put you up to this?"

She suddenly became agitated, startling everyone.

Nash quickly tried to comfort her, pulling her into his arms.

"Levi's death was an accident, Vivienne. Don't get upset."

I saw a flicker of panic in Nash's eyes, fearing Vivienne might blurt out something she shouldn't in her emotional state.

Those around us chimed in with their consolations.

"Don't be upset, he's not worth getting worked up over."

"Exactly, he brought this on himself. You should be grateful you're free from that mess."

I smiled bitterly, watching as everyone treated Vivienne like the victim, freely disparaging me.

In front of the cameras, Nash couldn't say much, but his hand on Vivienne's shoulder tightened slightly.

"Vivienne, you've always known how I feel. No matter what, I'll always be by your side."

Meeting his gaze, Vivienne bit her lip and spoke softly with a trembling voice.

"Yes, it was all an accident. He's the one who messed up..."

"You're lying!"

A voice suddenly rang out from the crowd, shattering the tense atmosphere.

The coach, clutching my backpack, his eyes bloodshot, stared intently at Vivienne.

"I have a recording. You're not innocent in Levi's death!"