Chapter 1

The news hit Ash Carter like a punch to the gut.

Ethan Miller, her fiancé, star quarterback, future NFL legend, was done.

ACL tear. Complications. Career over.

The TV blared it, his face plastered everywhere, a fallen hero.

His father, Coach Miller, caught in some minor scandal at the training camp, was also ruined.

One day, Ethan was golden. The next, trash.

Ash's mother, Karen Carter, wasted no time.

"You have to break it off, Ashley," she said, her voice sharp, practical.

Karen worked at city hall, a clerk with big dreams for Ash, dreams of wealth, connections.

Ethan, the broken quarterback with a disgraced father, was no longer part of those dreams.

"He's a liability now," Karen stated, no room for argument. "A nobody."

Ash felt sick.

Her mother was right, wasn't she?

The life they planned, the big house, the easy future, it all vanished with Ethan's knee.

She thought of the wedding dress, half-paid for.

She thought of telling Ethan. Her stomach churned.

She had to do it. For her future. For her mother's sanity.

She picked up her phone, her thumb hovering over Ethan's name.

A small, almost pathetic gesture, she'd call him first, not just disappear.

She drove to the small, rented apartment Ethan had moved into after the camp disaster.

It was a world away from his previous flashy condo.

The building was old, smelled of damp and despair.

His room was dark, curtains drawn. Ethan lay on the couch, a ghost of himself.

The air was thick with failure.

Ash opened her mouth, the words "Ethan, we need to talk" forming on her lips.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed. Not a call. Not a text.

Bright, blocky letters flashed across her vision, superimposed over the dim room.

Like the interface of "Destiny Weaver," her favorite life-sim game.

`GAME FEED: CRITICAL CHOICE!`

Ash blinked. What was this?

`GAME FEED: ABANDONING ETHAN MILLER NOW = 'TRAGIC SPINSTER' BAD ENDING.`

`DETAILS: Social ruin, crushing debt, lonely cat lady. Forty cats. Minimum.`

Her blood ran cold. This couldn't be real.

`GAME FEED: ETHAN MILLER IS PROPHESIED TO ACHIEVE UNEXPECTED GREATNESS. STAY THE COURSE FOR 'POWER COUPLE' GOOD ENDING.`

`DETAILS: Influence, respect, true partnership. Legendary status.`

Ash stared, heart hammering.

A game? Her life was a game?

The message faded, leaving an imprint on her eyes.

"Tragic Spinster." "Forty cats."

The fear was immediate, overwhelming.

She looked at Ethan, pale and broken on the couch.

He looked up, his eyes dull. "Ash? What is it?"

The words she'd planned died.

Instead, she forced a smile, a bright, fake thing.

"Nothing, Ethan. Just wanted to see you."

She rushed over, knelt by the couch, took his hand.

"I'm here for you. We'll get through this. I'm not going anywhere."

Her voice sounded strange, too high-pitched.

Ethan searched her face, a flicker of confusion in his eyes.

He was clearly in pain, maybe a little out of it from meds.

He mumbled, "Thanks, Ash. Means a lot."

He squeezed her hand weakly.

Ash nodded, her smile stretched tight. "Of course."

She couldn't stay. The room felt like it was closing in.

"I, uh, I have to run an errand for my mom," she lied, pulling her hand away. "I'll be back later, okay?"

She practically fled the apartment, the Game Feed's prophecy ringing in her ears.

Power Couple. Or lonely cat lady.

The choice seemed terrifyingly clear.