Page 51

KATERINA

The days leading up to Worlds pass in a blur of training, nerves, and stolen moments with Aiden. But before I board my flight to the biggest competition of my career, there’s someone I need to see. Sophia.

She’s waiting for me in her hospital room, grinning from ear to ear the moment I step inside. “Kat!”

I barely have time to brace myself before she throws herself into my arms, giggling as I spin her around. She’s still tiny in my hold, but there’s more colour in her cheeks, more life in her voice. Her numbers are up, and the doctors are optimistic. Aiden told me he’s been sleeping better since the news, even if he’d never admit just how scared he was before.

I set her down on the bed, ruffling her scarf-covered head. “Miss me, princess?”

She nods, swinging her legs. “Aidy said you were too busy training to come see me, but I told him you’d visit.”

I smirk. “You know me too well.”

She beams, then pulls something from under her blanket. “I made you a good luck charm!”

It’s a tiny bracelet, woven in blue and white threads. I stare at it, my heart squeezing in my chest.

“Do you like it?”

she asks, suddenly unsure.

I slide it onto my wrist immediately. “I love it, Soph.”

She claps her hands together, satisfied. “Now you have to win.”

I laugh, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll do my best.”

I spend the next hour with Soph. Her asking me about our final choreography and why mint chocolate chip ice cream, is the best.

I left her room a converted woman.

World Championships are chaos. The moment Alexei and I land, we’re thrown into nonstop training, press conferences, and the heavy weight of expectation. This is our moment. Our last shot before the Olympics team is finalized. And I refuse to let it slip through my fingers.

Alexei meets my gaze across the rink as we step onto the ice for the free skate, his expression determined. “You ready, Malyshka?”

I take a deep breath. “Let’s do this.”

I tighten my grip on Alexei’s hand as we step onto the ice. The crowd is deafening, but in this moment, it’s just us. My best friend. My partner. We take our positions, facing each other. A single breath passes between us. I nod and he nods back.

The music begins. Soft, delicate piano notes ripple through the arena, weaving through the tension in the air. We push off together, our blades carving perfectly synchronized arcs into the ice. Every movement is second nature. Every step, a heartbeat.

I exhale sharply, preparing for our first pass. We gather speed, skating in perfect symmetry toward our first element—side-by- side triple axels.

I take off, then—I land. Clean. Effortless.

Alexei lands half a second later, perfectly in sync, like he’s been doing this with me his entire life.

Alexei reaches for me. Without a shred of hesitation, I jump into his hands, and he lifts me into a soaring quad twist. The world tilts as I spin, his strength keeping me aloft. I spot the ice, knowing exactly when to prepare for the landing. Alexei’s hands catch me like I’m weightless, lowering me smoothly to the ice. The roar of the crowd spikes. But I don’t hear it. I only hear the music, the sharp glide of our skates, the familiar rhythm of us.

We build speed into our side-by-side triple lutz, landing in

perfect unison.

Alexei’s grip on my waist tightens. My body tenses. He throws me into the air. I twist.

One. Two. Three. Four.

I land. Solid. Unshaken. Perfect. The sound of the blades slicing across the ice is like music itself, smooth and endless. My heart slams against my ribs as I meet Alexei’s eyes.

We did it.

My heart is racing as we glide into our last sequence—side- by-side biellmann spins.

We push off into our edges, arms stretching toward the sky, bodies arching into impossible curves, the world blurring around us. Our final pose—his hand gripping my waist, my fingers clutched around his wrist, our breathing ragged but victorious—feels like the culmination of everything we’ve fought for.

The music ends and for a moment, there’s nothing but silence.

The arena erupts.

I can hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

The scoreboard flashes, bright and undeniable. Highest score of the night. Gold.

My knees buckle. The roar of the arena is deafening, the weight of the moment slamming into me all at once. We did it. I did it.

I press my hand to my mouth, my breath coming in sharp, disbelieving gasps.

Alexei lets out a shout of triumph, lifting me clean off the

ice, spinning me in a tight hug. His laughter rings in my ears, giddy and victorious. “You did it, Katerina!”

he yells, his arms strong around me.

I did it.

For a second, it doesn’t feel real. The fear, the doubts, the years of clawing my way back—it all led to this moment. I hear the cheers, the cameras flashing, the rush of skaters and officials flooding the ice, but all I can do is clutch my best friend, my partner, the one who never let me fall. Tears blur my vision, but I don’t care.

I hold onto Alexei, my body shaking with laughter, with disbelief, with something too big to put into words.

And then—I see him. My handsome boyfriend, standing at the rink barrier, hands gripping the railing, his eyes locked onto mine. Everything inside me stills. For a heartbeat, it’s just him and me. Then I move.

I don’t think. I sprint off towards him, still in my skates, nearly tripping as I leap toward him. Aiden catches me without hesitation, just like I knew he would.

His arms wrap around me tightly, lifting me against him, his face buried in my hair.

“You’re incredible,”

he murmurs against my ear, his voice thick with emotion. My hands fist into the fabric of his jacket, my chest heaving.

“I can’t believe it,”

I whisper, still trembling.

He pulls back just enough to look at me, his dark eyes searching mine.

“Believe it,”

he says, voice gruff and full of pride. I let out a breathless laugh, my forehead dropping against his. For years, I thought winning would be the thing that completed me.

But this moment, this man, his arms around me—this is the real gold. He cups my jaw, his thumb tracing my cheekbone. “You are—”

He shakes his head, as if he can’t find the words.

“I love you, Katerina.”

The noise, the cameras, the world—it all fades away.

I tighten my grip on him, my chest aching with something deep and certain.

“I love you too,”

I whisper and then his lips are on mine. The kiss is slow, deep, unshakably real. Not a victory kiss. Not a rush of adrenaline.

Something more, something that tells me he’s here, always.

When I pull away from Aiden, my mom is there, staring at me with a proud look on her face. Tears are streaming down her face, but she’s smiling.

“My baby,”

she breathes, pulling me into a tight hug, her hands shaking as they cup my face. I blink back my own tears, my throat tight.

For so long, I wanted to make her proud. To show her I could do this, that I could get back everything I lost. I don’t have to ask. I see it in her eyes.

“I’m so proud of you,”

she whispers. “So, so proud.”

A choked laugh escapes me as I nod, pressing my forehead to hers. Then—a voice I wasn’t sure I’d hear today.

“I knew you would do it.”

I turn, my heart stopping. My father. I grin at him as he stands a few feet away, hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. I walk toward him, my steps sure and when he hugs me, I let him.

The medal is heavy around my neck. The cameras are still flashing. Reporters are shouting questions, my coaches are crying, and Alexei is already talking about our next routine. But, all I can feel is this warmth inside me. Aiden is here. My mom is here and even my father is here.

For so long, I thought I had to win alone, that to be strong, I had to stand on my own.

But I was wrong, because this moment? It’s not just mine. It belongs to everyone who never stopped believing in me. To Aiden, who saw past my walls, to Alina, my sister in every way that matters, to Alexei, my partner, my best friend. To my mother, who fought battles I never even saw. Even to my father, who, in his own way, came back. I have everything I ever wanted.

And as I step onto the highest podium, lifting my face toward the ceiling, letting the weight of gold press against my skin—

I close my eyes.

And I breathe it all in. This is it.

This is happiness.