“Stop talking like I’m not here,” I said, my frustration getting the better of me. “If Inés beats me, it’s because she earned it. Just like if I win, it’smyvictory because I worked for it.”
“I’m not saying that she hasn’t,” Dad said.
“You keep forgetting she was here before me.”
He paused, his shoulders pulling back further, as if he was readyinghimself to be the voice of reason, then break me down. But before he could, I heard his voice in my head, words I’d heard a thousand times growing up.
Do not fail. Do not lose. Do not be weak and distracted.
But instead of their usual effect, the crippling emotional wave that made me comply, I realized that my happiness would never be enough for them, not if it meant not winning.
I knew I worked hard, and that even then, I could fail. Sometimes losing was all you could do. And right now, being with Inés wasn’t about being distracted.
It was about living. And I was learning how to do that properly for the first time in my life.
“Chloe,” Dad began, his tone almost sincere, but I could see it in his eyes. The same thing that had made him an effective and aggressive sports agent, a shark in his field, but at the same time had turned his son off playing professionally and had broken his daughter mentally before she had even turned seventeen. “It’s not about that. It’s—”
I cut him off. “You know what... it doesn’t matter.” I didn’t need to hear excuses. Not anymore. My mind was made up. I turned to my left. “Calvin?”
“Yup.” He practically jumped up at the chance to change the subject.
“Let’s go.” I nodded my head towards the door. I turned to my father again, pulling in a deep breath. “Dad, it’s been great. I’ll catch you later.”
“What?” he yelled from behind me, Calvin following me out without a single word.He’d always have my back. “Where are you going?”
I turned over my shoulder, looking back one last time. “I’m going to go win. And if I lose, then it’s not the end.”
And then I walked out, Calvin right by my side. My heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst through my chest.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his hand brushing my arm as though ready to pull me back if I crumbled.
I nodded quickly, afraid that if I looked at him, I’d break down entirely.Instead, I focused on walking, needing to get somewhere,anywhere, I could fall apart in private. “I’m fine. Thanks for having my back in there.”
“Of course,” he said, matching my quick pace effortlessly. “You did good, standing up for yourself like that. I’m proud of you.”
Without thinking, I pulled him into a tight hug, clinging to him like he was the only thing holding me together. My eyes burned with unshed tears, but I forced the wave of emotion back. I couldn’t afford to fall apart. Not now.
“I love you,” I murmured into his chest, my voice thick.
“I love you too,” Calvin replied softly. Then he eased me back, his hands firm on my shoulders. “But now’s not the time to fall apart. You need to talk to Inés. If what Dad was saying could be true—”
“She isn’t leaking stories, Calvin,” I said sharply, cutting him off. I didn’t want to hear any counterarguments. Couldn’t let the seed be planted in my head. “That’s not her,” I added, reminding both my brother and myself.
He held my gaze and nodded. “I know. I believe you.” Then, after a pause, he added, “But if it’s not her...”
“There could be someone in her team,” I said, finishing the thought for him. That would’ve made more sense.
It had to be anyone but her.
Calvin let out a long sigh, his expression tightening. “It’s a short list of possibilities, I imagine.” I bit my lip, feeling the knot of uncertainty twist tighter. “He claimed it’s all from a reliable source. And let’s be honest, doping is a big accusation to throw around. Dad wouldn’t say it without something to go on.”
I frowned, the weight of his words settling heavily. “He’s manipulative, Calvin. You know that. He could’ve made it all up to drive a wedge between us.”
Calvin’s jaw tightened, his gaze dropping momentarily before meeting mine again. He exhaled and shook his head. “But if he’s wrong, and he probably is, then there’s someone else in this industry as snaky as he is. And they’ve got their sights on you two.”
41
Inés
