The Secret of the Champion
Chapter 1
Jason got knocked out in a boxing match.
He was trying to earn money to buy me an engagement ring.
When he woke up, he squinted and tossed the ring aside.
“What a piece of junk,” he muttered.
He meant the ring, and me too.
1
I was sweating in a giant panda suit, handing out flyers when I got the news.
I rushed to the hospital, breathless and worried.
The hallway outside his room was crowded with men in suits.
I pushed through the door and saw Jason, his head wrapped in bandages.
Tears welled up. “Jason, why didn’t you tell me about the boxing? It’s so dangerous!”
I reached for his bandages, but he pushed me away.
He’d never done that before.
He looked at me with a strange curiosity, then picked up a ring from the bedside table.
It was the one I’d been eyeing at the jewelry store a few months ago.
He chuckled. “Why’d I box? Huh, probably for this piece of junk.”
He flung the ring towards the window like it was trash.
2
I met Jason at the bar where I sing.
He was nursing a drink while I was on stage.
A drunk guy grabbed my arm, slurring and trying to get fresh.
It wasn’t unusual, and I figured security would handle it.
But Jason stepped in.
He threw a quick punch, and the drunk guy went down.
The bartender politely asked them both to leave.
Outside, Jason told me he saw my hands shaking.
He said I looked like a scared little bunny.
Jason was a jock, built and good at fighting.
After we met, he encouraged me to exercise with him.
Money was tight, and I couldn’t afford a gym membership.
We’d jog together, those runs were my escape.
My mom’s medical bills were draining me.
Jason was my bright spot.
He’d hold my hand, eyes shining. “Clara, quit singing. I’ll work extra shifts. We’ll cover your mom’s bills. Trust me.”
He kept his word. We worked multiple jobs just to make ends meet.
Sometimes, we’d split a single cup of ramen.
He’d be starving, but he’d always give me most of it. “Here, Clara. Eat. I’m not hungry.”
He hated seeing me struggle.
One day, he mentioned boxing to earn money, but I shut it down.
I couldn’t let him risk his health like that.
We’d manage somehow.
3
I never imagined he’d box in secret to buy me a ring.
Now, a glamorous woman sat by his bed, peeling an apple.
She smirked at me. “Clara, look at yourself. You’re the reason Jason’s like this.”
Jason frowned. “I got my head bashed in for you?”
I looked a mess. My hair was tangled, my panda suit stank of sweat, and my arms and knees were scraped from a fall.
I glanced at the woman. She was perfectly put together.
I couldn’t compete.
But Jason had never compared me to anyone else. He’d always tell me I was unique.
I left the room, telling myself he just had amnesia.
“Wait,” the woman called after me.
“Clara Miller?”
I stared, confused.
“You can see Jason one last time, then you’re out of the picture.”
“You dragged him down. He was CEO of Miller Enterprises! He gave it all up for you!”
“He had to box for money! Now, look at him!”
“I’m Patricia Watson, Jason’s fiancée.”
4
I searched the grass for the ring, my hands getting cut on pebbles.
Finally, I found it. It glittered even though my hands were a mess.
I smiled. When Jason remembered me, he’d propose.
I knew he would.
I’d suspected he was wealthy.
The cryptic emails, the calls from real estate agents, his confusion in the subway, his fumbling with contactless payment.
He’d given up his CEO life for me three years ago.
He traded a mansion for a rundown apartment.
He could’ve found a good job.
But his father was blocking him.
I didn’t care about his past. I just wanted us to be together.
I went to the other hospital, where my mom was.
“Mom, look. Jason’s going to propose.”
I held up the ring, even though she was in a coma.
I remembered Jason promising her he’d take care of me.
Tears had rolled down her cheeks.
“Clara, your mom’s bills are due. Next month, latest,” Dr. Lee said.
He saw my scrapes. “What happened to you? Let me clean those up.”
He disinfected my cuts. “My daughter’s your age. You work so hard for your mom.”
“At least Jason’s good to you. Wedding bells soon?”
I clutched the ring. “Soon.”
A few days later, Jason called. “Clara, I remember you.”
5
“Jason, I missed you so much! I was so scared you’d forgotten me…scared you didn’t want me anymore.”
There was a pause. “Never. I’d never leave my princess.”
My heart leaped. Tears filled my eyes.
He remembered!
I raced to the hotel, threw open the door to the private room.
It was filled with smoke.
“Jason, you got her here fast.”
“Yeah, she actually believed you.”
“Look at her…”
My heart sank. I looked at Jason, waiting.
His eyes were cold. “Clara, get lost.”
“Yeah, beat it.”
“This is pathetic. Jason, you win the bet again. She’s such a sucker.”
“Hey, she’s cute. If you’re done with her, I’ll take her,” a guy named Richard leered.
“You want her? Trade you for the West Hills property,” Jason said, his voice flat.
“Deal. It’s yours,” Richard said, reaching for me.
I dodged him. “I’m not Jason’s property.”
Jason narrowed his eyes. “Then why come running when I call?”
“Yeah, easy,” someone sneered.
They all stared at me with contempt.
I looked at Jason, a stranger in familiar skin.
He still didn’t remember.
I left.
6
Three months passed. No word from Jason.
Then, Patricia showed up.
She tossed a wedding invitation at me. “Clara, you wouldn’t miss our wedding, would you?”
“Some birds just can’t fly high enough,” she sneered.
The invitation showed Patricia beaming in Jason’s arms. They looked perfect together.
“Clara, you’re not actually going, are you?” my friend Sarah asked.
I bit my lip.
“He just has amnesia. He’ll remember,” she said.
Tears fell. I clutched the invitation. Patricia wanted to humiliate me.
But I missed him so much.
7
The wedding was extravagant.
The union of the Miller and Watson empires was the talk of the town.
“Clara, let’s not go,” Sarah pleaded.
“I need to see him one last time,” I said.
Then I’d leave Jason, leave the world I didn’t belong in.
He was a beautiful dream.
And dreams always end.
I sat in a corner, watching the crowd.
Jason looked handsome in his suit. He took Patricia’s hand and slipped on the ring.
Cheers erupted. Everyone was happy. Except me.
“Kiss her!” someone yelled.
“Yeah, Jason, kiss her!”
I stared at Jason.
He glanced my way, then quickly looked away.
He tilted Patricia’s chin up, the same way he used to do with me.
Patricia closed her eyes, waiting.
Jason chuckled and kissed her.
Their rings were dazzling, the diamonds blindingly bright.
I touched the ring in my pocket. He’d boxed for three months to buy this for me.
Now, the ring was mine, but he wasn’t.
“Well, well, if it isn’t Jason’s ex. Why the tears?” Richard asked, holding a champagne flute. “Don’t tell me you came to crash the wedding.”
His voice was loud. Heads turned.
