My Seven Years for a Scapegoat

Stella, why are you arguing with a dying woman? You're perfectly healthy.

Leo slammed the marriage papers onto the table, his voice laced with pure impatience.

I'd just returned from the Dakar Rally, my right shoulder shattered, blood soaking through my racing suit.

I risked my life to win the championship for him, and what I got in return was him marrying his first love.

"She only has six months left. Can't you just make things easy for her?"

Only Leo, that fool, couldn't see that his first love had been faking her illness all along.

I looked at him, and then I laughed.

"Leo, my right arm is ruined. Did you care even once?"

He frowned. "What are you throwing a fit about now?"

I didn't say anything more. Instead, right in front of him, I dialed Vincent King's number.

"Mr. King, I'll sign the cooperation agreement you mentioned last time."

Stella POV

The roar of the engines ripped through the wind on the Death Valley track, kicking up clouds of yellow dust.

I steered the battered red race car, cutting into the final turn at an impossible angle, executed an extreme drift, and sped across the finish line first.

Bang. Confetti showered down. The crowd erupted.

I won.

It was a Dakar-level endurance race, forty-eight hours of continuous high-intensity driving. I had secured the most prestigious championship trophy for Leo Thorne's "Redline" racing team.

The moment I pushed open the car door, I practically fell out of the driver's seat.

My right shoulder had been severely dislocated in a crash yesterday. To finish the race, I popped it back in myself.

Now my entire right arm was swollen and numb, blood soaking through the thick fire-resistant racing suit, a truly shocking sight.

Before the race, Leo had kissed my forehead by the track.

"Stella, as long as we win this championship, I'll propose to you. I'll let the whole world know that you are my only wife."

Seven years of a secret relationship, seven years of desperate battles, and I'd finally heard those words.

I refused the stretcher offered by the medical team, enduring the excruciating pain, and dialed Leo's number, full of expectation.

"Sorry, the number you dialed is temporarily unavailable."

The cold, robotic female voice was like a bucket of ice water, dousing the fire in my heart.

Perhaps he was busy preparing a surprise proposal?

I found a team medic to casually bandage my wound and rushed back to the club's base in the country on an overnight flight.

It was late at night, and the base was quiet.

I pushed open the door to Leo's office. No flowers, no ring, no grand surprise, just an empty, cold room.

The lounge door was ajar, and I heard Leo's deep, gentle voice. A tone I rarely heard him use.

"Summer, did you take your medicine? Don't be scared, it's just thunder. I'm right here on the phone with you."

"Be good. You're my wife now. If I don't stay with you, who will I stay with?"

I froze in place, my blood seeming to turn to ice in an instant, even my breathing stopped.

Wife?

I pushed the door open.

Leo heard the movement and turned his head. Seeing me covered in blood and grime, a flicker of panic crossed his eyes, but it quickly returned to his usual calm.

He murmured a few soothing words into the phone, then quickly hung up.

"You're back. What happened to you?"

He stepped forward, trying to check my injuries.

I avoided his hand, my gaze fixed on the glaring marriage papers on his desk, next to a photo.

In the photo, Leo wore a white shirt, and the woman beside him, with a gentle, fragile smile, was none other than his first love, Summer Hayes.

The date on it was three days ago.

That was the same day I almost plunged off a cliff in Death Valley, car and all, because of brake failure.

"What's this?"

I asked calmly, so calmly that even I found it unbelievable.

Leo's face froze for a second, then he rubbed his temples, his tone laced with a sense of helpless justification.

"Stella, listen to me. Summer's congenital heart disease has worsened. The doctor says she only has six months at most. Her biggest regret in life is never getting to wear a wedding dress."

"Her family was forcing her to marry an old man for money. I couldn't just stand by and watch her die with regrets."

"It's just a piece of paper, a way to fulfill her dying wish. After... I'll marry you properly, with all the pomp and circumstance you deserve."

Looking at the man I'd been with for seven years, I suddenly felt like I didn't know him at all.

"A piece of paper?"

I pulled at the corners of my chapped lips.

"Leo, while I was risking my life on the track to win a championship for you, you were marrying another woman. You call that 'just a piece of paper'?"

Leo frowned slightly, his voice deepening.

"Stella, when did you become so heartless and calculating? You're a healthy person with a great future, and Summer is dying! Are you really going to target even someone who's about to die?"

Heartless? Calculating?

An excruciating pain shot through my right shoulder, making me almost unable to stand.

I'd suffered countless injuries for his racing team, brushing shoulders with death several times.

In the end, all I got was a "heartless."

"Fine, I won't be calculating."

I lowered my eyes.

There were no hysterical arguments, no weeping accusations.

Because the moment my heart died, it was eerily silent.

I turned, dragging my broken body, and walked out of that office, which held seven years of my youth, one step at a time.

Just then, his phone rang again.

"Leo, my chest hurts so much..."

Summer' weak, tearful voice came through.

Leo turned, grabbed his car keys, and rushed out.

He didn't even look back at me.

Stella POV

The cold rain lashed against my face as I took a taxi alone to the downtown hospital.

The emergency room lights were harsh and blinding white.

The orthopedic surgeon looked at my X-rays, his brows tightly furrowed, his tone severe.

"Severe rotator cuff tear, accompanied by a comminuted fracture. You've let this injury go for too long. If Professor Miller doesn't perform minimally invasive repair immediately, you won't even be able to grip a steering wheel with this hand in the future, let alone race!"

Professor Miller was a top orthopedic and sports rehabilitation expert in the country, and also the Redline team's exclusive medical consultant, hired by Leo at a high salary.

I gritted my teeth, enduring the sharp pain, and dialed Professor Miller's number.

"I'm sorry, Stella. Mr. Thorne just urgently called me to the VIP ward. Ms. Hayes had a sudden palpitation, and Mr. Thorne gave a strict order that I must stay here until all of Ms. Hayes's indicators are completely stable. Your surgery... I'm afraid it will have to be pushed back."

My hand clutching the phone tightened sharply, my nails digging deep into my palm.

Palpitation?

Did a heart patient's palpitation really require a top orthopedic expert to stand guard?

I don't know how I walked to the VIP ward door.

Through the slightly ajar door, I saw Summer leaning back on the soft hospital bed, her face flushed, daintily sipping water that Leo was feeding her himself.

Professor Miller and several other experts hovered around her like she was the center of the universe, terrified that this delicate patient might suffer the slightest mishap.

"Leo, am I too delicate? Just a fright from thunder, and you've gone to all this trouble."

Summer spoke in a soft, delicate voice, her eyes subtly flickering in my direction.

Leo meticulously wiped soup from the corner of her lips, his voice so tender it could melt butter.

"Your health is the most important thing. Even a scratch is a huge deal to me."

I stood outside the door, blood from my right shoulder already dripping from my fingertips onto the cold tile floor, forming ghastly blood blossoms.

A scratch was a huge deal.

What about my comminuted fractured right arm? What about my career, teetering on the brink of ruin?

In Leo's eyes, they were nothing at all.

I didn't push the door open and humiliate myself.

I turned and walked back to the emergency room, calmly telling the attending doctor:

"I won't wait. Please help me with a manual reduction and immobilization."

The doctor looked at me in shock.

"Without anesthesia? This level of fracture, manual reduction will be so painful it could send someone into shock!"

"It's fine. I can take it."

Because no pain could hurt more than this battered heart right now.

The reduction process was like death.

The dull grinding of bone against bone in the silent exam room was bone-chilling.

I bit down hard on my lip, cold sweat soaking my entire body, yet I didn't make a single sound of pain.

Only when I tasted the strong metallic tang of blood in my mouth did I collapse onto the hospital bed, utterly drained.

It was already past midnight when my wound was dressed.

Dragging my right arm, now encased in a heavy cast, I returned to the apartment Leo and I had shared for five years.

Pushing open the door, I saw a pair of brand-new pink women's slippers in the entryway.

On the living room sofa, several unfamiliar women's jackets were scattered.

A faint scent of chamomile perfume, Summer' favorite, hung in the air.

I walked to the table. Where a photo of Leo and me used to be, there was now a wedding photo of Leo and Summer.

In the picture, they gazed at each other lovingly, like a true couple.

I watched it for a while, feeling as though these past five years had been an absurd joke.

I walked into the bedroom, pulled out my suitcase, and began packing with one hand.

The matching mugs I bought. Into the trash can.

The scarf I'd knitted for him myself. Into the trash can.

Photo albums, letters, and mementos filled with our sweet memories. All mercilessly swept into black trash bags.

For three full hours, the once cozy bedroom became empty, leaving behind only Leo's cold possessions.

Just as I was about to zip up my suitcase, I heard the sound of the front door unlocking.

Leo walked in, carrying a chill with him. Seeing the black trash bags piled in the living room, his brows furrowed tightly.

"What in the world are you doing in the middle of the night?"

He strode into the bedroom, and seeing the suitcase in my hand, his face instantly fell.

"Stella, have you had enough of this drama? I told you Summer is just a patient. Are you really trying to force me by running away at a time like this?"

I looked up.

"I'm not causing drama, and I'm not forcing you."

I zipped up the suitcase, picked it up with one hand, and looked at him calmly.

"Leo, let's break up."

Stella POV

"Break up?"

Leo laughed coldly, as if he'd heard the biggest joke.

His gaze fell on my right arm, encased in a cast. A flicker of guilt crossed his eyes, but it was quickly masked by irritation.

"Stella, can't you be more sensible? Summer just fell asleep, and I rushed back overnight to calm you down, and this is your attitude? You're going to break up with me over a marriage that's only in name?"

He took a step forward, trying to grab my hand.

"Stop this drama, put your luggage back. What happened to your hand? I'll have Professor Miller take a good look at it tomorrow."

I turned sideways, avoiding his touch.

"No need. Professor Miller is very busy, and my hand isn't Mr. Thorne's concern."

I dragged my suitcase towards the door, but Leo blocked my way, his tall frame pressing against the doorframe.

"If you dare to step out of this door today, you can forget about participating in any Redline team races for the rest of the year!"

I merely glanced at him indifferently.

"Suit yourself."

Leo was stunned.

As we stood at an impasse, a crisp sound of glass shattering suddenly came from the bedroom.

Leo's face changed dramatically. He shoved me aside and rushed into the guest room.

He pushed me, making me stumble, and my right arm hit the wall. The excruciating pain almost made me pass out.

In the guest room, Summer stood barefoot among shattered glass, a small cut on her ankle.

And what lay broken on the floor was my most treasured custom racing helmet. The gift Leo gave me when I won my first national championship.

"Leo, I'm so sorry. I was thirsty and wanted to get some water, and I accidentally knocked over Stella's helmet..."

Summer' eyes were red-rimmed, tears falling like broken beads, like a frightened deer.

Leo picked her up tenderly, carrying her sideways and gently placing her on the bed. Then he turned and glared at me in the doorway, furious.

"What were you doing leaving your helmet here? You know Summer isn't well; what if it scared her and triggered a heart attack?!"

Looking at the shattered helmet on the floor, it was like looking at seven years of my youth, broken into pieces.

That was my private storage cabinet; Summer had rummaged through my things without permission.

But I was too tired to explain.

"It's just a broken helmet. If it's broken, it's broken."

"Leo, anything you gave me, I find it disgusting."

Leo's pupils constricted sharply.

He stood up abruptly, took a few steps towards me, and gritted his teeth.

"Stella, don't push your luck! Summer didn't mean it. Do you have to be so harsh and petty?"

Summer weakly pulled at Leo's sleeve from the bed.

"Leo, don't blame Stella. It's all my fault. Stella, I know you hate me for taking Leo away, but I really don't have long to live. Can't you even spare me this little bit of time?"

She cried, then looked at the Dakar championship trophy at my feet.

"Leo, that trophy is so beautiful. Seeing it, I feel like I have the courage to overcome my illness..."

Leo followed her gaze and walked towards me without hesitation.

"Stella, give Summer the trophy. She needs some emotional support."

I protected the trophy, looking at him in disbelief.

"Leo, are you crazy? This is the championship trophy I risked my life for!"

"It's just to borrow for a few days. Do you have to be so petty?"

Leo impatiently reached out to grab it.

"Let go!"

In the struggle, the sharp metal edge of the trophy's base cut deeply into the palm of my left hand.

Blood instantly gushed out, dripping onto the clean floor.

Leo snatched the trophy. Seeing my bleeding hand, his movements paused, and a hint of panic flashed in his eyes.

But Summer let out a timely, painful whimper.

"Leo, my chest feels so tight..."

Leo immediately took the trophy and turned towards Summer, throwing a remark over his shoulder without looking back:

"Go bandage it yourself. Don't get the floor dirty."

I looked at my bloodied hands: my right hand with a comminuted fracture, my left hand with a wound so deep the bone was visible.

I laughed, tears streaming down my face.

I didn't bandage it. Instead, I picked up my suitcase with one hand and, stepping through the spreading blood, walked out of that suffocating house without looking back.

This time, Leo didn't chase after me.

Stella POV

Three days later, the Redline team's championship celebration was held at the city's most exclusive hotel.

As the team owner, Leo booked the entire ballroom, inviting countless media and sponsors.

As the biggest contributor to the championship win, I should have been the undisputed star of the night.

But when I walked into the ballroom alone, wearing a simple black suit, my cast-encased right arm hidden in a wide sleeve, I found that the entire room's focus was on someone else.

At the end of the red carpet, Leo stood tall in a custom-tailored suit.

On his arm, clinging to him, was Summer, fragile as a princess in a custom white gown.

Camera flashes went off wildly.

"Mr. Thorne, who is this beautiful lady?"

A reporter shouted a question.

Leo gazed tenderly at Summer and smiled slightly at the cameras.

"Let me formally introduce everyone to my wife, Summer."

The entire room erupted in murmurs.

Everyone knew Leo and I were the racing world's "most beautiful couple." Though never officially announced, it was an open secret.

Now, Leo had suddenly announced he was married, and the bride was someone else entirely.

Countless curious, sympathetic, and mocking gazes instantly fell upon me in the corner.

I found a secluded spot and sat down.

Days of persistent fever, coupled with the agonizing pain of my fracture and lack of food, caused spasms in my stomach. Cold sweat soaked the back of my shirt.

I wasn't here to argue today; I was here to formally submit my termination contract.

Halfway through the banquet, Leo, glass in hand, walked from table to table chatting with Summer, finally arriving in front of me.

"Stella, why are you hiding here alone? Why is your hand still in a cast?"

Leo seemed to just notice my unusual state, his brow slightly furrowed, his tone carrying a hint of condescending pity.

"You're the hero tonight. Why aren't you dressed up nicely?"

I didn't stand up; I just looked at him coldly.

"Mr. Thorne, my termination contract has already been sent to your email. After tonight, I am no longer a Redline team driver."

Leo's face instantly darkened, and the hand gripping his glass tightened sharply.

"Stella, are you still throwing a tantrum? For the sake of a title, are you throwing away your own future? Leaving Redline, do you think any other team would want a cripple?"

He deliberately emphasized "cripple," trying to hurt me, to make me submit.

I didn't even flinch.

"That's not Mr. Thorne's concern."

Seeing this, Summer, delicately holding a steaming glass of red wine, walked over to me.

"Stella, Leo just cares too much about the team. Don't be angry with him. I'll toast you on his behalf, thank you for winning the championship for the team."

She leaned in close, and in a voice only we two could hear, she whispered provocatively in my ear:

"The championship you risked your life for, didn't it just become my plaything in the end? Stella, you're so pathetic, like a stray dog no one wants."

I spat out, "Get lost."

I didn't reach out to push Summer, but she suddenly shrieked, falling backward. The scalding red wine in her glass spilled entirely onto my uninjured left hand!

"It's so hot!"

Summer fell to the ground, clutching her wrist and sobbing.

The scalding liquid instantly turned my hand crimson, and a searing pain shot through me, but I simply gritted my teeth, not letting out a single cry of pain.

"Summer!"

Leo's eyes were bloodshot. He rushed forward, sweeping Summer into his arms.

He turned, his eyes crimson, glaring at me, and raised his hand. Slap! He landed a resounding slap across my face!

"Stella! You are utterly malicious! Summer kindly offered you a toast, and you pushed her!"

Leo put all his strength into that slap.

My head snapped to the side, a trickle of blood escaping the corner of my mouth, my ears ringing.

The entire ballroom was dead silent.

I slowly turned my head, looking at the man who had laid a hand on me for another woman.

I didn't cover my face, nor did I cry; I just stared at him.

"Leo, this slap severs our seven years of relationship."

I straightened up, ignoring the alarming redness and blisters on the back of my hand, and turned, walking step by step towards the ballroom door.

"Stella! If you dare to walk out that door today, I promise to blacklist you from the racing world permanently!"

Leo roared furiously behind me.

I didn't look back. I pushed open the heavy door and walked out into the pouring rain.

Stella POV

The rain was torrential, as if it intended to drown the entire city.

I swayed in the rain.

The high fever, the agonizing pain of the fracture, the searing burn, and the churning spasms in my stomach finally pushed me to my limit.

My vision began to blur, my legs gave out, and I tumbled forward into the cold puddles.

Just as I thought I would be swallowed by the downpour, a black umbrella shielded me from the rain.

A pair of expensive handmade leather shoes stopped in front of me.

I struggled to lift my head, and through the blurry curtain of rain, I saw a man in a black trench coat with a stern face.

Vincent.

The owner of the Phantom racing team, Leo's biggest rival in the racing world, and known in the circuit as a cold-blooded tyrant.

"The Redline team's champion driver, collapsed in the street like a stray dog?"

Vincent looked down at me, his voice deep and cold, yet with a hint of barely perceptible anger.

I had no strength to retort. I closed my eyes and completely succumbed to darkness.

Vincent looked at my body, covered in injuries, his brows tightly furrowed.

He bent down, picked me up bridal style, and strode towards the black Maybach parked by the roadside.

"To the private hospital. Have all orthopedic and burn specialists on standby immediately."

Inside the car, Vincent looked at my cast-encased right arm and my left hand, now a mass of blisters, a terrifying storm brewing in his eyes.

I lay unconscious for two full days and nights in Vincent's private hospital.

After the fever broke, I opened my eyes to see Vincent sitting by the bedside, looking through my medical records.

"Awake?"

Vincent closed the medical records, his gaze deep as he looked at me.

"Comminuted fracture of the right arm, second-degree burns on the left hand, severe malnutrition. Stella, are you trying to run yourself into the ground?"

I moved my parched lips.

"Thank you for saving me, Mr. King."

"I didn't save you for nothing."

Vincent tossed a contract onto my bedside table.

"The Phantom team needs a lead driver. Sign it, and I'll give you the best medical resources, guaranteeing your return to the track within six months."

I looked at the exorbitant signing bonus in the contract, a little taken aback.

"My hand... it might be ruined."

"As long as you have a breath in you, I can get you back to your peak."

Vincent leaned forward, his imposing presence enveloping me.

"What Leo discards as trash, I value as priceless. Stella, dare to take a gamble with me?"

Looking at the ambition and certainty in the man's eyes, my dead heart suddenly beat fiercely.

With my burned left hand, I painstakingly gripped the pen and signed my name on the contract.

"I'll take that gamble."

The day after signing the contract, I insisted on being discharged against the doctors' advice.

I had to return to the Redline team's base to retrieve my core racing data stored there and to officially terminate my contract with Leo.

Vincent didn't stop me; he simply sent two bodyguards and a private car to take me.

At the Redline team's base, the atmosphere was unusually oppressive.

I pushed open the main door and walked straight to my private lounge.

However, the moment I opened the door, I froze.

My racing posters were torn to shreds, and my trophies were casually tossed into a cardboard box in the corner.

The room had pink curtains, and the air was thick with the pungent scent of chamomile perfume.

Summer was sitting in my exclusive massage chair, directing several staff members to move furniture.

"This sofa is too hard. Leo said he'd replace it with a leather one for me. And that cabinet, throw it out; it's an eyesore."

Stella POV

Seeing my appearance, a flicker of panic crossed Summer' eyes, but she quickly adopted an innocent expression.

"Stella, you're back? Leo said you might not be racing anymore, and this lounge was empty, so he let me use it as an art studio for now. You don't mind, do you?"

I ignored her provocation and walked straight to the safe, inputting the password and retrieving the hard drive filled with core data.

"Suit yourself. I don't care for this dump anymore anyway."

I turned to leave, but Leo pushed open the door just then.

Seeing me, a hint of barely perceptible surprise flashed in Leo's eyes, but he quickly composed himself, adopting a condescending air.

"So you decided to come back? I thought you were going to hide away forever."

He walked up to me, his gaze falling on my bandaged left hand, his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Alright, stop being childish. Summer has given you back the lounge. Withdraw your termination email, and for tomorrow's test race, you can instruct the new drivers as co-pilot."

He arranged everything for me as if that night's slap and our breakup had never happened.

I looked at this conceited man in front of me and found him utterly ridiculous.

"Mr. Thorne, I think you've got something wrong."

I slapped a paper termination agreement and a check onto Leo's chest.

"I came here today to pay the breach of contract fee. From now on, I have absolutely no relationship with the Redline team, or with you, Leo."

Leo looked down at the enormous check, stamped with the Phantom team's official seal, his face instantly turning ashen.

"Phantom team? You actually hooked up with Vincent behind my back?!"

Leo's anger turned to a cold laugh. He grabbed my collar.

"Stella, you've really gotten bold! To get back at me, you'd even provoke a ruthless monster like him?!"

"Let go!"

I looked at him coldly.

"Who I sign with is my business."

"I don't agree!"

Leo violently tore the check to shreds, his eyes crimson.

"You're a Redline person, and you'll die a Redline ghost! Do you think Vincent truly values you? He just wants to use you to humiliate me! Once this hand of yours is completely ruined, he'll throw you away like trash!"

"That's still better than staying by your side and being a fawning dog!"

I pushed him away forcefully.

That hit a nerve, and Leo completely lost it.

"Fine! Fine then! Stella, if you dare to walk out that door today, I promise to destroy your career and reputation! I will submit evidence to the Racing Association that you deliberately underperformed and leaked team secrets, ensuring you never set foot on a racetrack again!"

He used my most cherished dream to ruthlessly threaten me.

I stopped, turning to look at him.

"Leo, you're truly pathetic."

I didn't say another word, turning decisively and walking out.

Seeing this, Summer hurriedly chased after me, grabbing my arm, her face drenched in tears.

"Stella, don't go! It's all my fault, I shouldn't have used your lounge, please don't be angry with Leo..."

In the struggle, a malicious glint flashed in Summer' eyes. Her high heel stomped hard and accurately on my cast-encased right foot, while her shoulder slammed into my comminuted fractured right arm!

Excruciating pain instantly swept through my entire body. My vision went black, and out of instinct, I forcefully pushed Summer away.

"Ah!"

Summer stumbled and fell to the ground, hitting her forehead on the doorframe, a trickle of blood appearing.

"Summer!"

Leo's eyes were bloodshot. He rushed forward and kicked me hard in the back of my knee.

Already weak, the kick sent me sprawling to my knees. My right arm hit the hard tile floor, and the bones that had just been set dislocated again, letting out a dull crunch that set my teeth on edge.

Cold sweat instantly drenched my entire body. I writhed on the floor in pain, even my breath tasting of blood.

Leo held Summer, whose forehead was bleeding, and looked down at me, writhing in pain, his eyes cold as knives.

"Stella, you're hopeless! Get out of Redline now! I never want to see you again!"

I don't know how I walked out of the Redline team's base.

The excruciating pain in my right arm almost made me lose consciousness; every step felt like dancing on the edge of a knife.

Seeing my condition, the bodyguards immediately stepped forward to support me and took me back to Vincent's private hospital.

After an emergency examination, Professor Miller looked at the X-rays, his face extremely grim.

"Secondary dislocation, bone fragments have pierced the nerve. Stella, I need to operate on you immediately, but even if the surgery is successful, your chances of returning to peak condition are... less than twenty percent."

Less than twenty percent.

Those words hit my heart like a death sentence.

I closed my eyes. "Do it. Even if it's only ten percent, I have to try."

The surgery lasted a full ten hours.

When I woke up again, my right arm was rigidly immobilized with thick metal plates and a cast.

Vincent stood by the window, an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his back exuding a chilling aura.

"Leo did this?"

He turned, a bloodthirsty storm brewing in his deep eyes.

I didn't speak, just stared silently at the ceiling.

"I'll make him pay."

Vincent crushed the cigarette in his palm, his voice icy cold.

"No need," I said.

"Mr. King, this is between him and me. I'll use my achievements on the track to personally crush the Redline team."

Vincent looked at me, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips.

"Good. I'll be waiting."

Over the next month, I began hellish physical therapy.

Every stretch was agonizing. I bit through countless wooden sticks, sweat and tears mixing, yet I never once asked to stop.