Betrayed on Ice

1 Mark and Helen had just won the World Pairs Skating Championship, marking the close of the year’s biggest event. From the stands, the deafening chant of "Marry her!" grew. Flushed, I, Liam Noth, stood ready to propose under the glare of countless cameras. But Helen only smiled gently, removed the gold medal from my neck—the eighty-eighth time she’d done so—and placed it around our coach Adrian Vance's neck. “Adrian has sacrificed so much for us,” she said with sweet authority. “Tonight’s spotlight should be his.” She added, “It’ss not that I don’t want your proposal, Liam, but you made mistakes today. I want perfection. Let’s wait until next year’s National Championships, when we can deliver a perfect performance, and then talk about getting engaged.” My eyes lingered on the glittering medal as she and Adrian stood side by side, looking so perfectly matched. A chill settled in my chest. I bit my lip, tasting blood, forcing a civil smile. If she kept deflecting like this at every awards ceremony, then next time I won a championship, it wouldn’t be her I proposed to. The audience exchanged bewildered glances, a murmur of discontent growing into a few scattered boos. Many, for whom this was their first figure skating event, had come solely because of Helen’s pre-competition hype. I, however, stood to the side, a bitter smile playing on my lips, and started clapping. Other athletes on the ice quickly pulled out their phones, snapping group selfies to lighten the mood. Helen and Adrian were at the very center, heads close, a picture of intimacy and perfect harmony. I, the male half of the winning pair, wasn't even in the shot. After the awards ceremony, it was time for photos and interviews. All the other medalists were being interviewed and photographed in pairs. Only I, Liam Noth, stood alone, the target of sympathetic or probing stares from every direction. A reporter asked Adrian how he felt about our pair winning the championship again. Adrian simply smirked, the condescending curve of his mouth a painful jab. “Helen is the most gifted female partner in the world; her success is absolutely deserved.” “As for Liam…” He glanced at me with an undisguised sneer, his eyes full of contempt. “My New Year’s wish is to inherit his career luck.” His words, veiled and overt, thoroughly implied I was nothing more than a tag-along, winning only because of Helen. Adrian hadn't always been our coach. After Helen and I started to make a name for ourselves, our original coach tragically passed away, and she recommended her childhood friend for the role. Adrian went from obscurity to a championship-winning coach overnight. But Helen merely looked at Adrian with a doting expression, as if his words were entirely appropriate. Our teammates, the second-place winners, finished their interview and hurried over, linking arms with me to show support. Amidst the rapid-fire flashes of cameras, my teammate bit out in a voice only I could hear, "Isn't he just throwing you under the bus with that interview? Everyone knows he's just riding your coattails." I just smiled for the cameras and whispered back, "Don't say anything more. We're a team, after all. Someone might hear, and then they'll start making up stories." He grunted, frustrated, but said nothing further. Once the reporters dispersed, Helen gracefully approached. "Come on, let's go train. A championship doesn't mean we can slack off." She naturally picked up my gear bag, her other hand instinctively reaching for my shoulder. I subtly shifted, taking the bag from her. "I can carry it myself." She paused, then quickly regained her composure and nodded. We walked in silence to the training rink. I idly kicked loose pebbles along the path until I bumped into a soft embrace. Rubbing my head, I looked up to find Helen staring intently at me. "Are you mad?" Her directness was typical Helen. I pressed my lips together, saying nothing. She pinched my cheek, then burrowed into my chest, a muffled sound coming from above. "Didn't I say next year's Nationals? If you really wanted to get married, you shouldn't have made mistakes on the ice today... Our proposal ceremony has to be absolutely perfect." I forced back the sting in my eyes and took a deep breath, giving Helen one last chance. I pulled out my phone and scrolled to the International Skating Union's official account. "Show me one time, just one, after a competition, that you and I were together for an interview or a photo." "Do you have any idea how much flak I'm going to get because of what he said?" Helen paused, then after a long moment, chuckled dismissively. "You're seriously competing with Adrian over something like this?" "You're always in the spotlight during competitions, and everyone knows we're a couple. I just wanted our coach's behind-the-scenes work to be acknowledged." "Your career luck isn't bad at all. Isn't winning a championship with the person you love most the happiest thing?" Helen raised an eyebrow, her eyes full of confusion as she looked at me. My palm clenched tight, a bitter ache spreading through my chest. I knew these were her true feelings. She genuinely believed I should share my glory with Adrian. "Helen," my voice was hoarse, "I'll be 28 in three months. It's also our ten-year anniversary. Do you remember the promise we made when we first got together?" When Helen and I were 18, we had just moved up to the senior division. It was our first time on the world stage, and she had declared with bold confidence, "In ten years, we'll be the world's number one husband-and-wife team." I paused, then pressed Helen for an answer. "Do you know what 'husband and wife' means?" She hesitated, then released me, her hand dismissively taking mine as she walked ahead. "Liam, in my heart, you're already my husband." "Don't get hung up on formalities." "For a champion, shouldn't you be striving for perfection?" "Alright, come on! We'll be late for practice!" With that, Helen let go of my hand and strode forward alone. She didn't explain why she’d broken a public promise, nor did she try to soothe my rapidly unraveling emotions. Instead, she reframed the problem as one of achieving perfection. And I, the flawed culprit, was apparently responsible for her refusal to accept my proposal. I watched her figure shrink in the distance, the fervent passion I once held for her now turning cold. Later, at the rink, while changing into our skates, other skaters training there saw us arrive one after the other and, as usual, teased Helen and me. Helen playfully cursed them, instinctively reaching for my hand. But I subtly moved away. Her hand hung awkwardly in the air. My face was expressionless. "I'm tired." 2 On the ice, Adrian, witnessing our interaction, scoffed and impatiently urged us to begin practice. Helen looked torn. Finally, she sighed. "You've just competed, so you must be tired. Get some rest." "I'll get on the ice first and work on the new routine with Adrian." But just as she was about to step onto the ice, her leg retracted. She turned, looking at me with a questioning gaze. Every time before we skated, I would meticulously check Helen's skates to ensure her safety, then give her a kiss. This time, however, I simply turned calmly, grabbed my bag, and headed back to the hotel. I dragged my heavy feet back to the hotel, mechanically scrolling through posts of Adrian's interview on social media. Without exception, the comments were full of mockery directed at me. "Coach Adrian is right, Liam's just being carried. Any male partner could win with Helen." "I remember Coach Adrian and Liam are about the same age. Maybe Coach Adrian should just replace Liam! It would even save on coaching fees." I’d been hearing variations of these words for ten years. Helen was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime talent. Countless boys dreamt of partnering with her. But she had chosen me, plain and unremarkable. I was overjoyed, almost in tears, and secretly vowed never to hold her back. I practiced relentlessly, losing sleep and feeling immense anxiety over every single mistake. Helen would tirelessly reassure me. "Enjoy the ice. I chose you because you're the best." "Pairs skating is a partnership; I can't do it without you." When people ridiculed me for being undeserving, Helen would be the first to defend me. Slowly, with Helen's support, I too became a top male pairs skater. But all of that ended when Adrian arrived. He would scrutinize every single one of my movements under a magnifying glass, and any slight imperfection would be met with harsh criticism and taunts. I complained to Helen. Her initial comfort slowly turned into sighs. "With that attitude, how can we become the world's number one husband-and-wife team?" For the sake of the promise we made at 18, I swallowed all my grievances, even secretly seeing a therapist and taking handfuls of medication. Even after Helen had gone to rest, I would still be on the ice, alone, repeating movements. Now, we were world champions, but our chance at being husband and wife seemed to be fading… The familiar "beep-beep" of the door unlocking echoed. My movements froze. I didn't stir, just kept replaying Adrian's interview video. I knew it was Helen. Adrian, to prevent us from getting too close, always insisted Helen and I have separate rooms during competitions. I would secretly slip her my key card. She had never once used it. But I could recognize her footsteps just by their sound. Seeing my screen, Helen's movements faltered. She feigned casualness, taking my phone. "Oh, no wonder our workaholic wasn't at practice today. These meanies got to you." "Don't look at these anymore. Practice more on the ice, achieve results, and really show them." I didn't answer her question. Instead, I asked, "How was practice today?" She paused, then offered a brief explanation. "Pretty good. Adrian and I reviewed things. A few moves might expose your technical weaknesses. We might need to adjust them later." I rubbed my neck, which had gone numb from holding the same position, and struggled to look up at her. "Helen." I let out a long breath. "Let's break up." She stopped, glancing at my phone screen, and wearily pinched the bridge of her nose. "What is this really about? Online comments? Or the fact that I didn't let you propose today?" Her tone softened considerably, almost a playful whine. "Don't be silly. If we break up, the team breaks up. You wouldn't really abandon a top partner like me, would you?" She patted my shoulder and turned towards the bathroom. "Within three months," I said to her retreating back, my voice low, "I want to propose after winning a gold medal." 3 Her hand, which had just touched the bathroom doorknob, froze. After a few seconds, she turned around. The forced pleasantness on her face finally vanished completely. "Liam, stop messing around." "The new season is starting. We won't be in perfect shape within three months. Besides, in three months, it's the prestigious Four Continents Championship, and it's not even a sure thing we'll take first place." I just stared at her. "If you want to break up the team, I don't mind…" Helen's last shred of composure evaporated. "What's wrong with you now? Are you unhappy with Adrian's training plan?" She eyed me with a deep, mocking scrutiny, then let her true thoughts slip out with a cynical smile. "Liam. You should know. Without me, you wouldn't win any gold medals. But me, even if I partnered with Adrian, I could still win gold." A heavy stone seemed to press down on my heart. This sentence, after fifteen years of partnership, Helen had finally uttered. Her words struck me like stones. In the past, whenever she showed even a hint of negative emotion towards me, I would rush to prove myself. I had forgotten that countless top coaches and female partners had also extended invitations to me. She was indeed a top female partner, so top-tier that she allocated a significant portion of our training time to the coach, using the pretext of discussing choreography and training to be inseparable from him. She even disparaged me openly with Adrian. "Your hands are too heavy; every time you lift me, I'm terrified. You can't eat today; you need to reduce your strength." "How can you still not master this move? Practice for two more hours." If I showed any dissatisfaction, she would scoff, "My harsh words are to make you stronger. A top athlete needs a powerful mindset." I met her gaze and nodded. "Then you go partner with Adrian." With that, I grabbed my luggage and left the hotel, ignoring Helen's furious shouts behind me. Perhaps as punishment, she quickly finalized the process of disbanding our team and immediately announced her partnership with Adrian. Overnight, the number of people reveling in my misfortune exploded. "Four Continents in three months. Liam won't even make it to the podium!" "Hahaha, serves him right! Time for the fraud to be exposed! Waiting for Liam's retirement!" My teammate called me. "Dude! You're brave! But it was long overdue. Any insider knows you're the top male partner. Losing you is Helen's loss!" He paused, sighing. "But what about you? Are you not participating in Four Continents? You were the champion last year. Now, without a partner, defending your title is probably out of the question…" I offered a small smile. "If he can find a male partner, why can't I find a female partner?" "The competition hasn't even started. Who wins the championship is still up for grabs." 4 I avoided Helen and Adrian, choosing to train abroad. When I returned home to register my new partner, I happened to see that Helen and Adrian had recently won a domestic competition shortly after forming their team. The media swarmed them. This time, their coach wisely ceded the spotlight entirely to the pair. I twitched my lips. With a new coach, she couldn't be bothered to trot out those grand, self-serving speeches anymore. Adrian's performance hadn't been flawless, but Helen was beaming with pride and encouragement. I heard her say words that Helen had once spoken to me ten years ago. I never imagined I'd hear her say the same things to someone else in this lifetime. How things had changed. Spotting me, Adrian triumphantly draped his arm around Helen. "Liam, I hear you're here to register for pairs skating? Where's your partner? Too shy to show her face?" Helen didn't shy away from his closeness. Instead, she leaned in and whispered to me, "See? I told you so. I win championships no matter who I'm with." "If you behave yourself, I'll consider getting back together with you. Both romantically and as a team." Reporters, sensing a juicy story, swarmed closer, their eyes glued to me, as if I was about to do something scandalous at any second. I, however, simply and politely moved through the crowd, leaving Helen with a scowl on her face. The Four Continents Championship rapidly approached. Everywhere you looked, it was all about Helen and Adrian. My teammate sent me a video. After Adrian and Helen finished their routine, thunderous applause erupted. Many people congratulated them. "Helen is amazing, as always! So talented, she's perfect with any partner!" The person paused, seeing Helen’s pleased expression, and carefully shifted the topic. "I saw Liam's name on the registration list… but I haven't heard of his partner…" Adrian scoffed, a sneer on his face. "Any stray cat or dog can get on stage now?! Helen told me Liam was bragging about proposing if he won gold. He couldn’t possibly expect Helen to accept a loser's proposal, could he?" Everyone burst into thunderous laughter. Helen smiled faintly, but there was no warmth in her eyes. "I would never do anything so embarrassing." "Winning too many championships has gone to Liam's head; he's lost all self-awareness. I've been far too lenient with him, even making a fuss about marriage." Suddenly, someone spoke up. "So what's the deal with you and Liam now? No marriage? But you did promise to accept his proposal if he won, so you can't blame him for being upset…" "Oh, come on," Adrian said mockingly. "That was something Helen and I agreed on. It was just to test Liam's resilience, so he wouldn't complain to Helen all the time about how hard training was." My palm clenched tight. I had never imagined that Helen would use something as significant as marriage as an excuse for "pressure training." Everyone exchanged awkward glances. Someone laughed and changed the subject. "Whoa, so it looks like you and Liam are a thing of the past?" The speaker glanced at the intimately close Adrian and Helen, then suddenly slapped their forehead, realizing. "Could it be that if Helen wins gold, she'll ask Adrian to propose instead?!" Adrian pretended to be annoyed and playfully swatted the person, but Helen just watched their antics with a knowing smile, offering no explanation. I quietly turned off the video. I changed into my costume, waiting for the announcer to call my partner and my names. I smiled at my partner. "Ready to win?"