Chapter 3

Collapsing in the lounge, I lay half-conscious and hazy for a long time before I finally came to.

When I woke, the stark white lights hit my face, making my eyes ache.

Declan walked in.

He frowned, glanced at my gruesome wounds, and was uncharacteristically silent for a moment.

But then, his voice low and hoarse, he said:

"Aurora, just admit your mistake, and I'll send you to the hospital immediately."

I looked up at him:

"What 'mistake' are you referring to? That I didn't die, or that I didn't kneel and thank Willow Greene for tampering with my car?"

"Aurora!"

Just as he was about to say something, Willow burst in, clutching her phone.

She looked anxious and wronged:

"Declan! This is bad!"

"All the major media outlets are reporting that Aurora used performance-enhancing drugs during the race, and all her previous achievements are being canceled!"

My head snapped up, the color instantly draining from my face.

"What?"

She held the screen out to Declan, her fingertips trembling slightly:

"It's an official announcement. It says the International Testing Center confirmed she violated rules multiple times."

On the video interface, the red seal of the International Racing Association was glaring.

It clearly stated:

Aurora Reed repeatedly refused random drug tests, suspected of using performance enhancers to boost reaction time.

I almost shrieked:

"It's fake!"

"Declan! You know this is all fake!"

Even Declan was startled now; his pupils constricted, and a hint of unbearable pity crossed his face.

Everyone knew that for a racer, past achievements were more important than life itself.

Just then, Willow suddenly covered her mouth and cried:

"Declan, this is all my fault."

"I just casually asked a testing official that day if they had Aurora's sample, and they just..."

She couldn't finish her sentence, choking back sobs.

"Act! Just keep acting!"

"Willow Greene! Even if you ruin me, you won't get anything that's mine!"

I had endured too much in these few hours, making my emotions spiral out of control.

I shrieked, even pushing myself up to lunge at Willow.

"Enough!"

Declan shoved me away violently.

My body was already beyond its limit, and I crashed against the wall.

A sharp bone shard instantly pierced through my wound.

"Ah!"

I let out a piercing scream.

A flicker of heartache crossed Declan's eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

He was about to speak, but Willow, as if terrified, burrowed into his arms, her eyes red:

"Declan, I'm so scared... Aurora is already mentally unstable, can we please not provoke her?"

Declan patted her back, saying gently:

"Don't worry, I'll protect you. She can't do anything to you."

Then he looked at me, his expression stern:

"Aurora, how can you still have the nerve to accuse people now? Could the testing center's report be fake?!"

Before Declan's angry roar subsided.

The race track's security and several team members burst in, drawn by the noise.

They glared at me:

"Don't let her go crazy anymore! At this rate, she'll ruin the team's reputation!"

"The trending topics are everywhere now, and the International Racing Association is threatening to blacklist our team! It's all Aurora's fault!"

"Willow was kind enough to help her check her car, but instead of being grateful, she's now slandering her! When in reality, she's a criminal who used banned substances, yet she's still acting like a victim!"

They spoke over each other, one after another.

Several team members couldn't take it anymore and rushed forward, pinning me to the ground.

I struggled violently, my wrist twisting with a 'crack,' the pain making my vision blur.

Willow continued to cry pitifully while feigning kindness, speaking up for me:

"Please stop scolding Aurora. She must have just wanted to win honor for the team, but she accidentally went down the wrong path..."

"Honor? She's making everyone on the team take the blame with her!"

"And 'top racer'? Now she's made our entire team an international joke!"

"The whole world knows she's a cheating queen, and she still insists she's innocent?"

"Get out of the club already; just seeing her makes me sick!"

They spat insults at me, one after another, completely missing the fleeting look of triumph in Willow's eyes.

Even outside on the track, my former supporters began to change their tune with wave after wave of news.

"So all these years, Aurora only got those results with banned substances? This trash should be permanently banned!"

"She totally deserves to crash! She's a disgrace to the racing world; she should have died on the track already!"

"When she won the championship back then, I knew it. That quick reaction time? No way without drugs!"

"Now we know she relied entirely on drugs. Laughable! No wonder she was so neurotic!"

Waves of shouts for "Refunds! Refunds!" echoed in my ears.

Declan, with a cold smirk, spoke:

"Aurora, I misjudged you. I never thought you'd be this kind of person."

"From now on, our team has nothing to do with you! With your disgraceful conduct, no racing team in the world will want you."

His words made me laugh, spitting out blood.

I looked up, a cold smirk on my face:

"Declan, do you really think I have nowhere else to go besides this club?"