A Figure Skating Queen Who Can’t Be Lifted But I Was Born To Fly Chapter 09

A Figure Skating Queen Who Can’t Be Lifted But I Was Born To Fly Chapter 09

The ice beneath me felt alive.

Every crossover, every glide, was loaded with raw power and beauty. I could feel every pair of eyes in the

arena locked onto me.

Without Ethan dragging me down, I could finally unleash everything I had.

The music surged toward its climax.

I drew a deep breath and accelerated.

The entire audience seemed to realize what was coming. The arena held its breath.

Quad toe loop. Takeoff.

One revolution. Two. Three…

Four.

When I completed that impossible fourth rotation in the air, the whole building seemed to freeze in time.

The blade cut into the ice. Solid as bedrock.

Not a tremor. A flawless landing.

The crowd detonated. Screaming, clapping, a wall of sound that shook the rafters.

The commentator’s voice cracked with excitement.

“Oh my God! A quad toe loop! A women’s singles skater in the U.S. just landed this in official competition!”

“Absolutely flawless! This is a historic moment!”

I glided to center ice and struck my final pose.

My chest heaved. Sweat blurred my vision.

But I could hear my own heartbeat, strong and steady.

I looked up toward the boards. Toward Damien.

He stood there, pride written across his face, clapping hard.

And not far from him.

Ethan gripped the railing so tight his knuckles had gone white.

He stared at me on the ice, his expression a wreck of shock, regret, and utter disbelief.

He finally understood. The one who’d been holding us back was never me.

It was him.

His fragile ego and his pathetic lack of strength had suppressed me for a full decade.

The scores went up.

First place by a landslide. Not even close.

I’d broken the Northwest Regional Championships women’s singles scoring record.

I stepped off the ice, and Damien was already there with my jacket, draping it over my shoulders.

“Hell of a job.”

His voice was low and warm.

I looked at him and smiled, the most genuine, unburdened smile I’d managed in ten years.

“Thank you, Coach Ashford.”

We were about to leave when rapid footsteps pounded up behind us.

“Chloe! Wait!”

Ethan came running, cutting off our path.

His eyes were red-rimmed, his breathing ragged, every trace of his old arrogance stripped away.

“Chloe, I was wrong.”

His voice shook.

“I was blind. I held you back.”

“Let’s be partners again. Come back, and the club will give you everything. Every resource, all of it.”

“I’ll step down as captain. I’ll be your training partner.”

Scarlett Brown trailed behind him. The moment she heard those words, the color drained from her face.

“Ethan! What are you saying?”

She rushed forward to grab his arm, but Ethan flung her off.

“Get away from me!”

His voice was a raw, furious shout.

“If you hadn’t played the helpless little victim every single day, I never would’ve been stupid enough to push

Chloe away!”

“You can’t even land a triple jump. What right do you have to compare yourself to her?”

Scarlett Brown stared at Ethan in disbelief, tears streaming down her face.

“You you told me I was the one with real talent!”

“You liar!”

She covered her face and ran off sobbing.

Ethan didn’t even watch her go. He turned back to me, his eyes desperate and pleading.

“Chloe, we have ten years together. Can you really just cut that off?”

“Give me one more chance. I swear I’ll do whatever you say.”

He even reached for the hem of my jacket.