Love on Ice

Chapter 51 - Olivia

"I'm his fiancée."

Slow motion, the world around me is moving quicker than I can keep up with.

The cheers.

The noise.

The shouts and chants.

It's all there, but I can't hear any of it.

I stand, staring at her.

She's oblivious to me.

Fuck.

Snap out of it, I probably look like a fish out of water.

That's how I feel, like the world has ridden me of oxygen.

"W-what?" is all I can manage.

She turns to me, smiling, buzzed from the adrenaline pulsing through the arena.

"W-what did you say?" I ask.

"I said I'm his fiancée. Didn't he mention? Silly. I've been away on a business trip the last four months, were getting married next summer," she squeals that last part.

God, I feel like my ears are burning up. I feel like I'm burning up. Oh shit, I can't breathe.

She returns to her chanting, screaming, shouting, cheering, jumping up and down. She's on a high.

So, she should be. We've got this game in the bag.

All I can do is stand, barely, I drop my camera to the chair.

I feel like the world is crumbling underneath me.

I feel betrayed.

Used.

Broken.

I can feel the water filling my eyes.

That's when I catch his gaze, staring straight at me.

He knows.

He knows I know.

I don't even know if I'm breathing anymore. Noise is echoing in my ears, but all I can hear is my heartbeat.

I need to leave.

Now.

"Excuse me," I push past her and jog down the steps.

His eyes still on me, burning into me.

I can't look at him.

I run.

I can feel the tears streaming down my face as I push the double doors open.

Finally, the noise getting distant.

I run through the brightly lit corridor to the group of doors leading to my exit. From here. From him.

I reach the doors and burst through them leaving the blinding lights and stepping into the cold, the darkness.

I feel the rain on my skin as I exit. I can feel the goosebumps on my skin as the cool December air wraps around my summer outfit.

I stop running, unsure if I even was still running and take a breath.

Looking up at the darkness as the rain covers the tears streaming down my face.

I look around. Fuck.

I didn't think this through. My phone, keys, coat, everything. Inside.

I can't run home. I can't call an uber. I can't walk without a coat. I have no money.

I have nothing.

I can feel the darkness around me seeping into my skin. Into my heart. Shattering it into a million pieces. Never to be whole again.