Chapter 2

Ash drove home, her mind reeling.

The Game Feed. It had to be stress, right? A hallucination?

But the warning felt so real, so specific. "Forty cats."

Her mother, Karen, was waiting, arms crossed.

"Well? Did you do it? Did you end it with that loser?"

Ash took a deep breath. The Game Feed's words echoed. Unexpected greatness.

"No, Mom," Ash said, her voice firmer than she expected. "I'm not breaking up with Ethan."

Karen's face turned purple.

"Are you insane, Ashley? After everything I've done for you? He's damaged goods!"

"I love him," Ash said, the lie tasting bitter but necessary. The Feed said stay the course.

"Love?" Karen scoffed. "Love doesn't pay the bills, Ashley. Love doesn't get you into the right circles."

The argument escalated. Shouting. Tears.

Finally, Karen delivered her ultimatum.

"Fine. If you choose him, you're on your own. No more money from me. Not a dime."

She pointed to the door. "Get out."

Ash felt a pang of fear, then a strange surge of defiance. The Game Feed had shown her a path.

She packed a bag, her hands shaking.

Her mother watched, stony-faced.

Ash walked out, the door slamming behind her.

She had a few hundred dollars in her account. No job that paid much.

She drove back to Ethan's depressing apartment.

She knocked, then walked in. Ethan was still on the couch.

"Ash? What's wrong?" he asked, seeing her bag.

She put on her bravest face, a story forming in her mind.

"My mom," Ash said, letting her voice tremble. "She... she kicked me out. Because I wouldn't leave you."

She made sure a tear escaped, tracing a path down her cheek.

Ethan struggled to sit up. "She what? Because of me?"

Guilt and concern warred on his face.

"It's okay," Ash said, rushing to his side. "I choose you, Ethan. I'll stay here. We'll manage."

He looked at her, his eyes filled with a new emotion. Gratitude. Maybe even awe.

"Ash, I... I don't know what to say."

"Don't say anything," she said, stroking his hair. "We're in this together."

He pulled her into a hug, careful of his injured leg.

She felt a small buzz from her phone. She glanced down discreetly.

`GAME FEED: LOYALTY BONUS ACTIVATED! ETHAN'S MORALE +10. ASH'S RESOURCEFULNESS +5.`

A tiny smile touched Ash's lips. Maybe this game knew what it was doing.

The next few weeks were brutal.

Ethan's rehab was slow, painful, full of setbacks.

He was moody, depressed, often lashing out.

Ash worked double shifts at the coffee shop, barely making enough for rent and cheap food.

She cleaned the tiny apartment, managed his medication, listened to his frustrations.

The Game Feed offered small encouragements.

`GAME FEED: PATIENCE BUFF APPLIED! ENDURANCE +5.`

Or clues.

`GAME FEED: SEARCH TERM SUGGESTION: 'MAVERICK PHYSICAL THERAPIST CHICAGO UNCONVENTIONAL'.`

Ash googled it.

She found Dr. Alistair "Doc" Ali, a controversial sports therapist known for radical methods.

He was expensive. Very expensive.

Ash hesitated. Then another notification.

`GAME FEED: INVESTMENT IN DOC ALI = HIGH PROBABILITY OF 'RECOVERY MILESTONE' ACHIEVEMENT.`

Ash took a breath. She sold her grandmother's necklace, the only valuable thing she owned.

She called Doc Ali.

He was eccentric, demanding, but he saw something in Ethan's determination.

The rehab with Doc Ali was even tougher, but different.

Slowly, miraculously, Ethan started to improve.

He regained significant mobility. Not enough for the NFL, Doc Ali confirmed that.

But enough to walk without a severe limp. Enough to reclaim a part of his life.

One evening, Ethan stood, took ten steady steps across the small living room, and grinned at Ash.

A real grin, the first she'd seen in months.

Ash felt a wave of genuine relief, so strong it made her dizzy.

This was better than any game achievement.

He pulled her close. "Thank you, Ash. For everything. For believing in me."

His voice was thick with emotion.

She hugged him back, a real hug this time.

The Game Feed was silent. It didn't need to say anything.

For a moment, Ash forgot about prophecies and bad endings.

This, right here, felt like a win.