Chapter 3

Ethan's football dreams were dead, but the fire in him wasn't.

Doc Ali had pushed his body, and in doing so, had reignited his spirit.

"I can't play football," Ethan said one evening, pacing their small apartment. "But I'm not done competing."

Ash watched him, a knot of anxiety tightening in her chest. What now?

"I've been thinking," he continued, his eyes bright with a new idea. "MMA."

Mixed Martial Arts. Ash knew little about it, except that it was brutal.

"Ethan, are you sure? After your knee..."

"Doc Ali says the cross-training would be good. And I need to hit something." He grinned, a flash of the old Ethan. "Besides, what else am I going to do?"

He found a gym, a gritty, old-school place in a rough neighborhood. Nothing like the polished facilities he was used to.

He started training, throwing himself into it with the same intensity he'd had for football.

Ash was proud of him, terrified for him.

Then, the Game Feed popped up.

`GAME FEED: NEW STORYLINE UNLOCKED: 'THE OCTAGON PATH.'`

Okay, Ash thought, new path, new challenges.

`GAME FEED: WARNING: PROXIMITY TO MAYA 'VIPER' RODRIGUEZ MAY TRIGGER 'RIVAL ROMANCE' SUBPLOT.`

Ash's blood ran cold. Maya "Viper" Rodriguez?

`GAME FEED: PLAYER INTERVENTION ADVISED TO MAINTAIN 'POWER COUPLE' TRAJECTORY.`

A rival? Just when things were looking up?

Ash felt a surge of panic. She couldn't lose Ethan now, not after everything.

The Feed was clear: intervention advised.

She had to get close. Keep an eye on this Maya.

"You know," Ash said casually to Ethan a few days later, "I'm thinking of getting a part-time job. Something different."

Ethan, sweaty and exhausted from training, grunted. "Yeah? Doing what?"

"The gym," Ash said, trying to sound nonchalant. "They have a juice bar. I could work there. Be close by, you know, in case you need anything."

Ethan looked surprised, then pleased. "Hey, yeah, that'd be great, Ash. See you more."

Ash forced a smile. "Exactly."

She got the job. The pay was terrible, the hours long.

The gym smelled of sweat, old leather, and desperation.

But it put her right in the middle of Ethan's new world.

And right where she could watch Maya "Viper" Rodriguez.

The Game Feed had given her a new mission. Protect her relationship.

At any cost.