Chapter 2

I met Vivienne, a journalist, during a rock climbing interview.

Female rock climbers are rare, which piqued my interest in her.

After we got together, she mentioned that she became interested in rock climbing because someone she cared about loved it.

At the time, I thought it was a confession of her feelings for me, but I later found out the truth.

The perennial runner-up in our team, whom I'd always outperformed, was Vivienne's childhood sweetheart.

Every competition she attended wasn't to support me, but to capture glimpses of someone else!

Swallowing my bitterness, I watched as Nash frequently appeared in her camera roll.

After five years together, surely she must have had some genuine feelings for me?

During the holidays, she agreed to meet my parents for the first time.

Overjoyed, I thought our relationship was finally seeing a glimmer of hope. I planned to propose after winning the World Championship.

But what I received instead was betrayal.

At this moment, under numerous cameras, Vivienne is interviewing Nash with her microphone.

"Nash, how do you feel about winning the World Championship title?"

Nash clutches the trophy tightly, his gaze lingering on her face, his tone intimate.

"I'm most grateful to the person who has always been by my side. Without her, I wouldn't have won this championship."

Under his gaze, Vivienne's face slightly flushed.

People nearby noticed something and teased:

"I heard Vivienne and Nash have known each other since childhood. They seem to have quite a good relationship."

Upon hearing this, Vivienne's face turned even redder.

Someone who knew the situation quickly intervened:

"Don't say that! Vivienne has a boyfriend - it's Levi."

At this moment, everyone remembered my absence.

"Where's Levi? He said he wasn't feeling well before the competition, but where is he?"

"I heard he was taken to the medical room. They're running tests now. Apparently, he took stimulants before the competition."

Upon hearing the words "stimulants," everyone in the front row erupted.

"Stimulants? Is that true?"

"He's always been so skilled, why would he need to resort to such methods? That's impossible, right?"

Camera shutters clicked rapidly as Nash’s expression slightly changed, and he sighed in front of the cameras.

"To be honest, I can sometimes understand where Levi is coming from. For elite athletes like us, even the tiniest shift in our condition can dramatically impact our performance. Levi cares about winning and losing the most, so it's normal for him to be confused for a moment."

As soon as he said this, the wind changed direction.

It seemed like he was speaking up for me, but in reality, it indirectly confirmed the rumors.

However, among the reporters present, there were quite a few of my fans who didn't believe Nash's words at all.

They turned to Vivienne and asked:

"Vivienne, you're Levi's girlfriend. Can you tell us what's really going on with Levi? Is he feeling unwell or having some kind of injury flare-up?"

"Yeah, you can't just throw around accusations about using stimulants. It could ruin an athlete's career!"

Vivienne bit her lip, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face.

Just as she was about to speak, Nash took her hand gently and said:

"Vivienne, I know you're torn and in pain, but they need to know the truth."

I saw Vivienne's eyes quiver slightly as she took a deep breath. This was her little habit when she had made up her mind to do something.

"Yes, Levi tested positive for stimulant."

As soon as these words left her mouth, the crowd below erupted into chaos.

Many people couldn't believe I would do such a thing, but there were also those who put more faith in Vivienne's position.

"Vivienne is a rock climbing columnist, and as a journalist, she couldn't possibly lie!"

"Exactly, and she's been with Levi for five years. I heard they were even planning to get married. Who would slander their own boyfriend?"

"I must have been blind before. How could I ever have liked such a cheater with no sense of sportsmanship?"

Amidst the commotion, a group of people rushed into the arena carrying bouquets and ribbons.

As a hot air balloon rose into the sky and flowers rained down, the arena fell silent.

A man in formal attire hurriedly walked over, standing in front of Vivienne.

"You must be Miss Vivienne? Mr. Stone said you love lily of the valley, so we specially air-freighted the freshest ones from Finland. We hope you're pleased with this proposal."

"Proposal? You're saying Levi wants to propose to me?"

Vivienne was stunned, her face tightening slightly.

The man nodded, looking around curiously.

"Is Mr. Stone here? We tried calling him earlier, but he didn't answer."

I smiled bitterly. He didn't know.

That phone call, I'll never receive again.

This proposal will never be completed.

As Vivienne wavered on whether to reveal the truth, I saw the coach push through the dense crowd and toss the bouquet of flowers to the ground.

"You don't need to agonize over this anymore! Levi is already dead, so this proposal has lost its purpose!"