Chapter 4

When Nayeli opened her eyes again, blinding white flooded her vision.

The sharp smell of disinfectant hit her nose. For a second, she was disoriented—convinced she'd somehow ended up back in that psychiatric ward from her past life.

Then her vision cleared, and she saw a stranger standing beside her bed.

He'd taken off his black baseball cap, revealing a face with sharp, defined features. His eyes were deep-set, his irises an unusually pale gray—like the surface of a frozen lake in winter.

He didn't look that old, but there was something cold and oppressive about his presence. An aura that made people instinctively keep their distance.

Nayeli recognized him.

He was the man who'd been standing beside Mr. Lawson at the training facility.

"You're awake." His voice was low and even, without inflection. "Low blood sugar combined with malnutrition. The wound on your knee got infected and inflamed. The doctor says you need at least a week of rest."

Nayeli pushed herself up against the bed and noticed her knee had been rebandaged—clean white gauze wrapped neatly around it.

She thought back to the last moment before she'd blacked out: the sharp pain that shot through her knee when she landed, then everything going dark. "Were you the one who caught me?"

Before he could answer, the door swung open. Zaiden walked in carrying a cup of hot water.

"You're up? You scared the hell out of both me and Yasser when you passed out." He handed her the cup, his tone slightly reproachful. "You didn't eat breakfast?"

Nayeli took the water, her voice quiet. "I was in a rush. I forgot."

Zaiden sighed and turned to the man. "Yasser, what do you think of her?"

Yasser Laurent.

Nayeli's fingers tightened slightly around the cup.

She'd heard that name in her past life.

He was the captain of the national figure skating team, a top-tier men's singles competitor. Three-time consecutive World Championship gold medalist.

Anyone who practiced figure skating knew who Yasser was. But in her past life, she'd never crossed paths with him—she'd only seen his competitions online.

She hadn't expected Zaiden Lawson's "friend" to be him.

Yasser's gaze settled on Nayeli with an assessing look. "Her technique is solid. Very strong fundamentals."

His tone was objective, devoid of excess emotion. "There's an issue with the landing angle on her back inner edge triple toe loop, but the fact that she managed to stabilize it while injured shows excellent core strength."

He paused, then added, "The triple Axel was beautifully executed. Clean landing, full rotations, good height. Among female singles skaters in this country, fewer than three can pull off that jump."

Zaiden chuckled. "If Yasser's giving you a compliment, I guess I didn't misjudge you."

Yasser didn't respond. His gaze shifted away from Nayeli as he picked up his baseball cap from the table and put it back on.

Zaiden turned to Nayeli, his expression serious. "The routine you just skated—technically, there aren't any major problems. But your stamina is way off. You couldn't even get through one free skate program. How are you supposed to compete at the Grand Prix?"

"I can train." Nayeli's tone was firm. "Stamina can be built back up. The knee injury won't affect me—I can add extra protection."

"I know you can train." Zaiden waved his hand. "I brought you here to see if you'd regressed over these three years. Your technique hasn't regressed, but your body has. I'll put together a training plan for you. There's less than two months until the competition. You follow the plan, and I'll check in on you once a week."

Nayeli was about to nod when Yasser suddenly spoke.

"Zaiden, didn't you say she used to practice pairs skating?"

Zaiden froze, then caught on, giving Yasser a meaningful look.

"Right. Three years ago, she competed in pairs at the junior level. Took second in the state." Zaiden turned to Nayeli. "Nayeli, I've seen your pairs choreography from the school team. The foundation is solid. Yasser's been looking for a pairs partner lately. Would you be interested?"

Nayeli blinked.

Yasser was looking for a pairs partner?

She'd never heard about this in her past life.

Then again, that made sense. At this point in her past life, she'd already been locked up at home, unable to even visit the rink—let alone keep up with national team news.

"What happened to Yasser's partner?" Nayeli asked.

"Retired." Yasser's answer was brief. "Old knee injury flared up. She quit three months ago."

Zaiden added, "The school's pairs program hasn't been doing well these past few years. Yasser switched to pairs to help boost the team's rankings. He's tried out several female skaters, but none were quite right."

Nayeli looked at Yasser. His expression was neutral, impossible to read.

"Why me?"

Yasser lowered his eyes. His gray irises looked even darker beneath the shadow of his cap's brim.

"I watched your training just now. You managed to land a stable triple jump while injured. That tells me you have grit and strong mental fortitude. Most importantly, your technical level is solid. But if you want to be my partner, you'll need to make it onto the national team first."

Nayeli didn't answer right away.

She looked down at her bandaged knee.

In her past life, her pairs partner had been Lucia. During one lift, Lucia had deliberately let go, sending her crashing down head-first—ending her skating career in one brutal moment.

Pairs skating meant putting your life in someone else's hands.

But Yasser wasn't Lucia.

Nayeli lifted her head, her gaze calm and steady. "I will win the junior Grand Prix championship. I'll join the national team and become your partner."

Yasser's eyebrow twitched slightly, as if surprised by her certainty. "Big talk."

"Didn't you just say my technical level is solid?" Nayeli's lips curved slightly.

Zaiden laughed. "Your personality actually suits Yasser pretty well."

Yasser said nothing. He reached into his pocket, pulled something out, and set it on the bedside table.

It was a piece of candy.

Wrapped in clear cellophane, the hard candy inside was amber-colored, catching the light with a soft glow.

"Take this when your blood sugar drops." He turned toward the door. "Don't pass out again. If you hit your head on the ice, it could be serious."

Nayeli stared for a moment, then picked up the candy. Her fingertips brushed the cool wrapper. "Thank you."

Yasser didn't stop walking. He pulled open the door and left.

Zaiden glanced at Nayeli and lowered his voice. "Yasser comes off cold, but he's actually very thoughtful. You were lucky he was there today."

Nayeli held the candy without saying anything.

Zaiden gave her a few more reminders about training, then got up and left.

The room fell silent.

Nayeli leaned back against the bed, slowly unwrapping the candy and slipping it into her mouth.

Sweetness spread across her tongue, followed by a hint of cool mint.

It had been a long time since anyone had treated her like this.

In her past life, she'd given her whole heart to everyone around her. All she'd gotten back was coldness and betrayal.

In this life, a stranger's casual gesture—a single piece of candy—brought a tiny flicker of warmth that made her eyes sting.

Nayeli took a deep breath and swallowed the candy. Her gaze sharpened with renewed determination.

She couldn't dwell on the past.

What was done was done. She couldn't let those rotten people and their rotten actions drag her down. In this life, she had one goal: win the championship, make the national team, and leave the McCarthy family behind.

She wouldn't waste her feelings on anyone or anything that didn't deserve them.