Zoey's POV

On competition day, I woke up early.

I rarely wore makeup, but today was different—I put on some light cosmetics.

At the venue, I warmed up, familiarized myself with the rink, and waited.

Everything went according to schedule. Octavia was reminding us about competition protocols, but my eyes kept drifting toward the spectator seats.

I spotted Ophelia and smiled at her. Three empty seats sat beside her.

Those were meant for my parents and Lawrence.

Whatever. I refocused on the competition. Soon enough, it was my turn.

Spins, jumps, footwork—every movement was ingrained in my bones. I swayed and glided with the music.

When the final note dropped, I completed my last move. The arena erupted in applause. I saw satisfaction on Octavia's face.

I'd done it.

When the scores came out, my name sat at the top of the regional qualifiers. I smiled and turned toward Ophelia's direction, wanting to share my joy.

Ophelia waved her rally stick enthusiastically. I looked at those empty seats, still disappointed, though I didn't show it.

Octavia walked over and patted my shoulder approvingly. "Great performance. You're definitely through to qualifiers."

"Thanks."

I returned to the locker room and received a text from Mom: [Zoey, is the competition over? We just finished up here. How did it go?]

[First place.]

My reply was flat. Another message quickly followed: [Mom knew you could do it]

I'd seen compliments like that countless times. All I wanted was for them to actually attend my competitions.

While I sat there feeling lost, Ophelia suddenly burst in and threw her arms around my neck.

"Zoey! You were amazing! Even better than your practice runs."

I gave her a helpless look. "You're the only one who'll praise me."

"Your parents had work, but what about Lawrence? Did he forget about your competition today?" Ophelia glanced around as if searching for Lawrence's figure.

Lawrence. I lowered my head. I hadn't replied to his last message, and he hadn't sent any new ones today.

Seeing my silence, Ophelia immediately suggested, "Since the competition's over, let's celebrate at that dessert shop on Main Street! Their hot cocoa is supposed to be incredible—I've been dying to try it!"

"Dessert shop?" I frowned. Even though I didn't have training tomorrow, I rarely ate anything this sweet in the evening.

"When's the last time you relaxed? You passed qualifiers—what's wrong with celebrating?"

I thought about that video of Lawrence and Florence at the party, and a hint of defiance crept in. "Fine!"

Maybe I really did need something sweet.

Ophelia's taste was always on point. Since I wasn't familiar with this place, I waited for her recommendations.

"Their caramel pudding and marshmallow hot cocoa are signature items. Trust me, you won't be disappointed."

I took a sip of the hot cocoa. Sweet, with hints of cream and cinnamon—no wonder Ophelia liked it.

With the sugar kicking in, our conversation topics grew increasingly random and bizarre.

That's when my phone buzzed.

The screen lit up, displaying Lawrence's name.

I hesitated, unsure whether to respond. Ophelia leaned over, saw the contact name, and snatched my phone away.

"Stop looking at that. Just enjoy your dessert." Ophelia stuffed my phone into her own bag.

I froze for a moment, then realized her approach made sense. If Lawrence wanted to stay with Florence, then not replying to him wasn't a problem.

"Okay. I'll listen to you."

I raised my hot cocoa cup and clinked it with Ophelia's.

After a few more sips of hot cocoa, I felt warmer, but then a wave of exhaustion crashed over me.

Probably from the competition fatigue, combined with that huge dose of sugar—my blood sugar had spiked and crashed like a roller coaster, leaving me feeling even more drained.

"I placed first in qualifiers. I'm happy!" I leaned back against the chair, my voice somewhat floaty. Thinking of Lawrence made my mood dip again. "Whatever—if he doesn't want to watch my competition!"

My voice trailed off. Ophelia quickly helped me outside. She immediately spotted the convenience store nearby.

"Wait here. I'm going to grab some water from that convenience store. I'll be right back."

She helped me sit on a bench along the street, then ran toward the store.

The night breeze hit my body. I shivered from the cold, and with the wind exposure, my stomach started feeling uncomfortable too.

Just as I looked down, a pair of running shoes stopped in front of me.

I looked up questioningly and recognized the person.

"Gavin..."

Gavin's expression was serious, his eyes showing confusion. "Why are you sitting here alone? You look terrible."

"I'm... a little dizzy. My blood sugar might be too low..."

My voice came out soft, my lips somewhat pale.

Gavin's face darkened. "Don't you normally pay attention to your energy intake? Competitions drain you that much—why didn't you eat something beforehand?"

He crouched down to eye level with me. "How are you feeling right now? Can you stand?"

I tried to nod, but the moment I moved, everything went dark, and I started sliding down.

Gavin caught my arm, his tone turning urgent. "Your blood sugar's this low and you're still trying to tough it out? Where's Ophelia?"

That tone again. I'd already held back when we first met at the Ashcroft mansion, but Lawrence's behavior had drained my patience with the entire Ashcroft family.

"You're always like this! Do you know what other people have been through, what they're facing? You just immediately judge them. You don't understand anything."

After speaking, my eyes stung. I finally looked down.

"You have no idea... how much I wanted them to see my performance, but only Ophelia was in those seats..."

My voice grew quieter. Those few shouted sentences had made me even dizzier.

Just then, Ophelia came running back with a convenience store bag. Seeing Gavin holding onto me, she immediately rushed over and pulled me into her arms protectively.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Ophelia glared at Gavin warily.

Gavin glanced at her and said calmly, "I'm her boyfriend's brother."

Ophelia realized who he was and quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, Gavin. Zoey was exhausted from today's competition, and she just drank too much sweet stuff—her blood sugar couldn't handle it. Don't take what she said to heart. I'm taking her home now."

Seeing Ophelia's familiar face, I relaxed all at once and leaned against her. "Ophelia's back."

Gavin glanced at my condition, then at Ophelia, and finally nodded. "Don't leave her alone next time. With her blood sugar this low, she could pass out at any moment. It's dangerous."

Ophelia nodded repeatedly as she helped me up. "Right, I understand."