My Fiancée and Best Friend Wanted Me Dead At the World Racing Championship finals. My fiancée and navigator, Scarlett, deliberately called out the wrong turn. It cost me the title, the championship. Right there on the track, she announced she was breaking off our engagement. Then, she just walked straight over to the champion, Max, and started cozying up to him. I was reeling, lost in a haze of heartbreak and defeat. That’s when Chloe, my childhood friend, found me. She looked at me with such raw sincerity, then asked me to marry her. “It’s okay,” she whispered, her voice a balm to my shattered soul. “To me, you’ll always be number one in the world.” Seven years later, I’d rebuilt myself, ready to shatter Max’s championship record. But during a training session, my brakes failed. The car plummeted, tumbling down a steep cliff. Lying in the hospital, drifting between consciousness and a nightmare, I heard voices from just outside my door. It was Chloe and Scarlett, the woman who’d abandoned me. “You’re absolutely ruthless,” Scarlett hissed, a hint of admiration and fear in her tone. “How could you even *think* of doing something like that? Weren’t you afraid he’d actually die?” Chloe’s response was chillingly calm. “So what if he died? Max is the only man I’ve ever loved. My only regret is I didn’t get to him first, that I couldn’t marry him back then. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had to endure all these years pretending to be with Ryan.” My eyes flew open, wide with a terrifying clarity. All this time, I thought her love was profound, a true lifeline. But it was all a twisted fantasy, a one-sided delusion. If Max is truly all that matters to both of you… then fine. I’ll just disappear. 0
“What’s the big deal with Liam? What do you have to be so upset about? If he wasn’t Cole’s rival, he’s… well, alright, I guess, outside of racing.” Chloe’s cold voice drifted in from outside the hospital room, and for a moment, I was disoriented. My head throbbed, making it feel like a hallucination. “Is that so? If you were married to a man you didn’t love for seven years, wouldn’t you be upset?” Seraphina shot back, clearly annoyed. Chloe seemed to fall silent for a second, then her tone shifted, a hint of triumph in her voice: “That’s why I married Cole, isn’t it?” I closed my eyes, my heart sinking. How could Seraphina even say that? For seven years, what exactly did she feel was so ‘wrong’ for her? Just because she didn’t love me, every aspect of her life was apparently a sacrifice. Seraphina’s next words were filled with fury: “Without me, could you have married him so smoothly?! I only married Liam back then because I sensed he was out to ruin Cole, to get back at him, so I sacrificed myself!” She claimed she couldn’t bear for anything to happen to Cole, that sacrificing herself to ease the conflict was better than me doing something drastic. I let out a bitter laugh, a dull, throbbing pain spreading through my chest. Seraphina didn’t realize I was awake and continued, saying my expression back then really looked like I was desperate, and that the years she’d spent with me had been utterly repulsive. “As for sabotaging the brakes this time, do you still not get it? I couldn’t let Liam shatter Cole’s record, his legacy!” At her words, not only was I stunned, but even Chloe took a sharp breath. “You’re truly…” “Enough! Just go. But I’ll tell you this too: even though I married Liam, I’ll never give up on Cole!” Seraphina urged Chloe to leave, her final sentence filled with bitter resentment. But I felt only an utter shattering inside. Seven years of marriage, and this was the result. The redemption I’d once believed in with all my heart, it was all just a scheme. “…Liam? You’re awake? When did you wake up? Are you still uncomfortable anywhere?” After Chloe left, Seraphina pushed the door open and met my eyes. Her face immediately tightened, feigning concern. I pushed away her hand as she reached to touch my forehead, my voice cold. “I really don’t understand why, every time I compete against Cole, something goes wrong.” “Maybe… it’s just a coincidence, fate’s work, who can say?” Seraphina wasn’t bothered by me pushing her away, just responded hesitantly. “That’s quite a coincidence.” I scoffed, my gaze drifting to the dark night outside the window, feeling as if my dreams had set with the sun. “Maybe Cole has a lot of fans who don’t like to see their idol’s record broken? Your brakes definitely had an issue; the event organizers are investigating.” Seeing my low mood, Seraphina thought for a long time before offering those few words of comfort. I closed my eyes, a subtle, bitter laugh welling inside. “Seraphina, what about you? Do you treat him like an idol too?” “I…” Seraphina froze, stammering for a long time, unable to deny it. Finally, she just threw caution to the wind, frowning at me. “Liam, what are you implying? Are you actually suspicious of me? I’m your wife!” “I just asked casually, why are you getting so worked up?” I watched her calmly, like a cornered cat. Seraphina’s face was pale, and after a long moment, she scoffed. “You’re just not good enough, and you’re here doubting everyone. Is it so hard to admit you’re not good enough anymore? Stop using Cole for cheap stunts and making a spectacle of yourself!” Watching her grow more agitated with every word, her face contorting into something almost monstrous, I finally believed everything I’d just overheard. Seraphina had never loved me. These seven years, utterly meaningless. 0
I fell silent, but Seraphina wasn’t satisfied. She stood up, looking down at me. “Liam, I want you to promise you’ll never do anything so idiotic again! As for anything else, isn’t asking obvious questions just hurting our marriage? Cole is already the world’s number one; it’s a done deal, the final word is out. So stop making a scene.” “I stop making a scene? Why the hell should I stop?! One more turn, and I would have been the new world champion! As for our marriage… Seraphina, are you sure we even have that ‘marriage’ anymore?” I clenched my fists, roaring. “I’m telling you! Becoming the world champion is my goal! If not now, then next time! If not next time, then the time after that! If not these seven years, then the next seven! Surely Cole won’t resort to these disgusting tactics every single time to win, will he?!” “You…” Seraphina froze, seeing the resolve in my eyes. The next second, she crossed her arms and let out a light laugh. “Fine. I wanted to keep up the act for a little longer, but Liam, if you still want to be world champion, then go right ahead.” My eyes widened slightly. Her laughter sent a chill down my spine. It was then I realized this hospital wasn’t the usual public one I frequented. The décor was far more luxurious, clearly some private clinic I knew nothing about. “What are you going to do?!” Before I could ask again, Seraphina clapped her hands. A doctor in a mask entered, his shrewd eyes slightly narrowed. “Ms. Seraphina, what can I do for you?” She took the doctor’s phone and scrolled through a diagnostic report, then glanced at my leg, which was in a cast, and spoke concisely. “Renowned racer Liam fell off a cliff and suffered a leg injury resulting in permanent disability. The hospital did everything they could, but couldn’t save his leg. Understood?” I froze completely, staring at her in disbelief. “Th-that’s not quite ethical.” The private doctor initially hesitated, but after Seraphina offered three million and a mix of threats and inducements, he finally agreed. One look at the two of them, and I knew they weren’t joking. Cold sweat instantly broke out. I immediately tried to reach for my phone on the bedside table to call the police. But the next moment, Seraphina snatched my phone away. Seven years of unspoken understanding. One glance from me, and she knew exactly what I was thinking. So she also knew exactly how to utterly destroy me. “Liam, it’s over. You can’t escape this.” Seraphina looked at me with an expression of pity. I roared, “Are you insane?! I’m your husband!” Even with my body battered, I started to struggle violently. But I couldn’t even lift my leg, which was suspended in a sling, off the hospital bed. Seraphina said nothing. Several nurses appeared in the room, reaching out to restrain my incessant struggling. “Let go of me! Don’t you know this is illegal?!” I struggled, refused, and cursed, but in the end, I only added more injuries to my already battered body. It wasn’t until the restraints were tied around me that a creeping dread started at my spine and spread throughout my body, making me voluntarily give in. “…Seraphina! I was wrong! It was my fault! I won’t appear in front of any of you ever again, okay? Let me go, and you’ll never see me again!” Seraphina stood with her arms crossed, watching my panicked expression. After a long moment, she shook her head. “Liam, I don’t believe you. You can stick to the same thing for seven years; you won’t just let it go in an instant. I’m sorry!” At her insistence, I was subdued by the doctors and nurses and given an anesthetic. As my consciousness blurred, tears streamed down my face, and I choked out a question. “Seraphina, I cared for you so much! How could you do this to me…?” In a haze, Seraphina’s hesitation lasted only a moment before her resolve hardened. “I’m sorry, Liam, this is the last time.” The last thought before consciousness slipped away was that I would never love her again. Seraphina and I had been married for seven years. I’d once believed she truly loved me, otherwise, she wouldn’t have come forward when everyone called me a failure. But this was our ending. In a daze, I seemed to see my past self whisper to me. “Don’t you dare let them get away with this.” 0
My dreams were chaotic and terrifying. When I woke up again, I could distinctly feel that my lower right leg was numb. In an instant, an overwhelming wave of despair and collapse washed over me. I burst into tears. Seraphina actually did it! She just destroyed my life! A person without a leg, let alone a racer, couldn’t even be a regular person… Tears fell onto the bedsheets, and hatred simmered in my heart. Later, in the middle of the night, as the anesthetic wore off, the phantom pain in my leg was what truly broke me. It threatened to shatter my very being. I was drenched in sweat from the agony, gritting my teeth to endure. My gaze was hollow and cold as I stared at the wall in front of me. For a moment, I even considered ending it all! “Oh, look who’s awake.” Just then, a familiar voice rang out. I hazily lifted my eyes. Cole pushed the door open and entered. He shook his head, feigning regret at my appearance, but his voice was full of triumph. “Liam, look at you now! Seven years and you couldn’t even hold onto a woman’s heart, and now you’re just a cripple. You lost to me in love, and it’s the same in racing! You’ll never beat me in this lifetime!” “…What did you say?” I rasped out, my pain-numbed brain taking a moment to process his words. The next second, I was utterly enraged. “Get out! Get out! Never show your face here again! You bastards! I won’t let you get away with this! I’ll kill you! Get out! Get lost!” Facing my madness, Cole seemed even happier. He even shrugged. “See! Liam, your wife would do all of this for me! But you’re a cripple now, so you probably can’t understand how I feel.” “Get out!!” I ripped the IV needle from the back of my hand, grabbed the medicine bottle, and hurled it. One bottle wasn’t enough; I threw pillows, blankets, anything I could get my hands on. But I overestimated my post-surgery physical condition. In just a short while, I was gasping for breath, collapsing onto the bed, too much pain in my leg to speak. Cole, arrogant, continued to mock me. But as his words poured out, I suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness and numbness. He was right. I had completely failed. Was there any chance of turning things around? In that moment, the breakdown that had amused Cole vanished, replaced only by a cold, empty numbness. “…Why aren’t you talking?! Liam! Say something! Weren’t you the wildest before? World’s best racer every year, weren’t you?! Why are you silent now?!” Cole froze. My sudden blankness made him angry and frustrated, seeking the superiority he craved. For the next ten minutes, he repeatedly tried to provoke me. “Why are you so quiet, you cripple?! Weren’t you throwing things at me a moment ago? Who are you putting on this act for now?” I weakly tossed a pillow at him, my voice weak and pale, gritting my teeth. “Get out!” As the light pillow hit him, Cole finally found his chance. The next second, he screamed, pretending to be injured, stumbling backward, speaking in disbelief. “Liam?! How could you! I was just coming to check on you!” Just then, the rhythmic click of high heels approached from outside the door. Hearing his scream, the pace quickened, followed by the sound of Chloe opening the door. “Cole?! What happened?!” She looked at the mess on the floor and immediately turned to glare at me. Seraphina, who arrived shortly after, also froze upon entering the room. “Cole?! He actually hit you?!” Seeing the two of them fussing over him with such concern, I curled my lips, a sudden, desolate laugh escaping me. “Liam! Are you crazy?! Apologize to Cole right now!” Seraphina, enraged by my laughter, stepped forward and grabbed my arm. The next moment, disregarding my leg injury, she yanked me off the bed. “Bow down and apologize to Cole right now!” Chloe, having helped Cole, stomped her high heel directly onto the bleeding needle mark on the back of my hand. She spoke concisely: “Apologize!” I lay on the floor, ignoring the pain in my hand. All I felt was the thick bandage on my amputated leg, after all that jostling, starting to subtly seep blood. My face turned ghastly pale from the pain. Seeing my silence, Chloe cursed, grabbed my hair, and forced my head down to kowtow again and again. “Can’t you understand human words?! Apologize to my husband right now!” They cruelly and humiliatingly made me apologize to Cole, only stopping when I lay on the floor, eyes half-open and barely conscious. I don’t know if it was my imagination, but for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of heartache and hesitation in Seraphina’s eyes. But it didn’t matter anymore. What was done was done. Whatever my faults, I had received my punishment! Now, I just wanted to escape them… escape this hell! 0
When I woke up again, Seraphina wasn’t there. The bleeding bandage on my leg and my hand had been re-dressed, and the hospital room was cleaned. The sunlight from outside fell on my face. I lowered my eyes, feeling as if an age had passed. It was absurd to think that a private hospital was so efficient; it was as if nothing had happened. I thought this was my chance to escape, but Seraphina soon returned, bringing me food. “Awake? Eat something.” Now, her expression had softened. She feigned regret. “Tell me, why must you suffer so much for being stubborn?” As she spoke, she picked up a spoon, ready to feed me, her tone earnest. “Just be good, and I’ll treat you well from now on.” I turned my head, almost gagging at the sight of her. I felt nothing but utter disgust. “Get lost!” Seraphina, treated this way, was somewhat enraged. “Liam, I’m forgiving you and bringing you food. Can you stop being so ungrateful?!” I closed my eyes. Once my emotions stabilized, I finally spoke, almost pleadingly. “…Seraphina, please! I’m begging you. I’ll step aside for you and Cole, okay? Or anyone else you want! Just don’t bother me anymore! I was wrong to see Cole as a rival; I overestimated myself! Please, just let me go!” Whatever happened, I had already received my due punishment! My life was ruined; now I just wanted them to leave me alone. Seraphina was stunned by my appearance, seemingly not recognizing me for a moment. After a while, she shook her head. “Liam, you being like this isn’t just about making you apologize. More than that, you owe Cole.” “…I owe him?! What could I possibly owe him?!” I asked dazedly. Seraphina frowned, unable to help but scoff at my convenient memory. She said that when Cole first started racing, I and the entire club had ostracized him and crashed into him. If Cole hadn’t been incredibly lucky, he would have died long ago. “So, you deserve this! I don’t know what you’re pretending for; I almost fell for your act just now!” I froze slightly, then recalled those distant past events. A bitter laugh escaped me. So that’s why these two women were so utterly devoted to Cole. So that’s what they thought had happened back then. There had been a crash, but it wasn’t how she described it. From the very beginning, when Cole first joined the club, I had noticed his malicious intent, always trying to win races through unfair means. But now, I had nothing left to say. It was pointless. I was already a cripple. Seeing my lack of rebuttal, Seraphina sneered. “So Liam, you have no right to complain! This is all your karma!” I remained silent, and Seraphina lost the desire to speak with me. She turned and left. I stared blankly at her retreating back. A long time later, I buried my face in my palms and wept silently. Life after that was nothing but treatment and recovery. Different psychologists came to see me every day. Seraphina seemed to consider my fan base, so she made sure I received the best medication. I acted numb but cooperative, though I didn’t speak much. After more than half a month, I finally managed to make them drop their guard. Gritting my teeth through the pain, I got into a wheelchair and struggled to leave the hospital. When I looked back at the hospital entrance for the last time, my eyes were cold. Since none of you want me to appear again, then goodbye forever! At that moment, Seraphina was intimately with Cole in a presidential suite at a luxury hotel. “I’ve done so much for you, why can’t I be the one with you?” She cradled Cole’s face, her eyes filled with deep affection. “At least we’re together now.” Cole said soothingly. Just as they were about to get more intimate, the romantic atmosphere was broken by a phone call. Seraphina impatiently pulled out her phone, about to hang up, but then frowned at the caller ID. The hospital? What could the hospital want? Liam? The thought of him made Seraphina answer anyway. “Hello?” “It’s bad, Ms. Seraphina! Mr. Liam, he… he’s gone!”
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