Page 128 of Icebound Hearts

One. Two. Three. Four.

I land. Solid. Unshaken. Perfect. The sound of the blades slicing across the ice is like music itself, smooth and endless. My heart slams against my ribs as I meet Alexei’s eyes.

We did it.

My heart is racing as we glide into our last sequence—side- by-side biellmann spins.

We push off into our edges, arms stretching toward the sky, bodies arching into impossible curves, the world blurring around us. Our final pose—his hand gripping my waist, my fingers clutched around his wrist, our breathing ragged but victorious—feels like the culmination of everything we’ve fought for.

The music ends and for a moment, there’s nothing but silence.

The arena erupts.

I can hear my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

The scoreboard flashes, bright and undeniable. Highest score of the night. Gold.

My knees buckle. The roar of the arena is deafening, the weight of the moment slamming into me all at once. We did it. I did it.

I press my hand to my mouth, my breath coming in sharp, disbelieving gasps.

Alexei lets out a shout of triumph, lifting me clean off the

ice, spinning me in a tight hug. His laughter rings in my ears, giddy and victorious. “You did it, Katerina!” he yells, his arms strong around me.

I did it.

For a second, it doesn’t feel real. The fear, the doubts, the years of clawing my way back—it all led to this moment. I hear the cheers, the cameras flashing, the rush of skaters and officials flooding the ice, but all I can do is clutch my best friend, my partner, the one who never let me fall. Tears blur my vision, but I don’t care.

I hold onto Alexei, my body shaking with laughter, with disbelief, with something too big to put into words.

And then—I see him. My handsome boyfriend, standing at the rink barrier, hands gripping the railing, his eyes locked onto mine. Everything inside me stills. For a heartbeat, it’s just him and me. Then I move.

I don’t think. I sprint off towards him, still in my skates, nearly tripping as I leap toward him. Aiden catches me without hesitation, just like I knew he would.

His arms wrap around me tightly, lifting me against him, his face buried in my hair.

“You’re incredible,” he murmurs against my ear, his voice thick with emotion. My hands fist into the fabric of his jacket, my chest heaving.

“I can’t believe it,” I whisper, still trembling.

He pulls back just enough to look at me, his dark eyes searching mine.

“Believe it,” he says, voice gruff and full of pride. I let out a breathless laugh, my forehead dropping against his. For years, I thought winning would be the thing that completed me.

But this moment, this man, his arms around me—this is the real gold. He cups my jaw, his thumb tracing my cheekbone. “You are—” He shakes his head, as if he can’t find the words.

“I love you, Katerina.”

The noise, the cameras, the world—it all fades away.

I tighten my grip on him, my chest aching with something deep and certain.

“I love you too,” I whisper and then his lips are on mine. The kiss is slow, deep, unshakably real. Not a victory kiss. Not a rush of adrenaline.

Something more, something that tells me he’s here, always.

When I pull away from Aiden, my mom is there, staring at me with a proud look on her face. Tears are streaming down her face, but she’s smiling.

---