In a third, she was sitting alone on a bench with her hands wrapped.
Tessa stared at that last photograph.
There was something about the expression.
It was not triumph.
It was exhaustion.
"Send everything to me," she said.
Madison was at the gym when Brooke showed her the records.
She had just finished a strength session.
Her hair was damp, and a towel hung around her neck.
"What is it?"
Brooke handed her the phone.
"Read."
Madison glanced at the screen.
Then scrolled.
She stopped at the first competition result.
"Okay."
She scrolled again.
Another win.
Another.
Another.
"What's your point?"
Brooke looked at her.
"Keep going."
Madison continued.
Her expression changed gradually.
The smile disappeared.
The casual confidence faded.
She opened one of the photographs.
Nia stood beside Samuel Reed.
A championship belt rested over her shoulder.
Madison enlarged the image.
"How old is this?"
"Seven years."
"Seven?"
"She was twenty."
Madison looked at the screen again.
"That's impossible."
"Why?"
"Because I would've heard about her."
Brooke shook her head.
"Maybe you weren't following that circuit."
Madison opened the record sheet.
Her eyes moved across the results.
Then she saw the line near the bottom.
CAREER STATUS: UNDEFEATED.
Madison stared.
"How many fights?"
Brooke shook her head.
"The records aren't complete."
"How many?"
"I don't know."
Madison handed the phone back.
"Maybe the database is wrong."
Brooke did not argue.
She had already considered that possibility.
But the same result appeared in multiple sources.
Different events.
Different organizations.
Different years.
The name remained the same.
Madison sat down.
"Why would she stop?"
Tessa approached them.
"Maybe that's the wrong question."
Madison looked up.
"What do you mean?"
Tessa held out her phone.
On the screen was an old article.
The headline read:
UNDEFEATED STAR NIA CARTER WITHDRAWS FROM FINAL CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER NORTHSTAR INCIDENT.
Madison read it.
Then she looked at Brooke.
"What incident?"
Brooke shook her head.
"I haven't figured that out."
The article was short.
It reported that Nia Carter had withdrawn from a major championship shortly before the final event. The withdrawal followed an injury sustained by another athlete during a training session at Northstar Performance Center.
The article did not explain much.
It mentioned an investigation.
It mentioned a temporary suspension of competition activity.
It mentioned that Nia had declined to comment.
Then it ended.
Madison looked up.
"Was she involved?"
Tessa shook her head.
"We don't know."
Brooke lowered her voice.
"Maybe that's why she doesn't talk about her record."
Madison stared at the article.
For the first time, her curiosity was no longer about how Nia had managed to control their rounds.
It was about what had happened to make someone with that kind of career walk away.
Nia was not at Iron Harbor that evening.
She was sitting in her apartment, reviewing a notebook.
The pages contained training notes.
Some were recent.
Others were years old.
Her handwriting had changed over time.
The older notes were neat and precise.
The newer ones were shorter.
She opened to a page dated three years earlier.
DO NOT CHASE THE FINISH. CONTROL THE POSITION.
Below it, another line:
THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU IS NOT AN OBSTACLE. THEY ARE A RESPONSIBILITY.
Nia stared at the words.
She remembered writing them after a difficult training session.
She remembered Samuel sitting beside her.
She remembered the sound of a medical bag opening.
She remembered the silence afterward.
Her phone vibrated.
A message from Samuel.
How are you doing?
Nia typed:
Training is going well.
He replied:
That's good. Are you sleeping?
She smiled faintly.
Most nights.
Another message arrived.
You don't have to prove anything at Iron Harbor.
Nia looked at the notebook.
Then she replied:
I know.
Samuel answered almost immediately.
Do you?
Nia did not respond.
She closed the notebook.
The following Thursday, Nia returned to the gym.
Madison saw her first.
She was standing near the cage, speaking with another member.
When Nia entered, Madison stopped talking.
Brooke looked up from the mats.
Tessa glanced toward the door.
For a moment, the room seemed to shift.
Nia noticed.
She signed in.
Then she walked toward the training area.
"Evening."
Brooke nodded.
"Hey."
Tessa smiled.
"Good to see you."
Madison hesitated.
Then she said:
"Can we talk?"
Nia looked at her.
"Sure."
Madison glanced toward the others.
"Not here."
Nia set down her bag.
"Okay."
They moved toward the quiet corner near the lockers.
Madison folded her arms.
"Brooke found some old competition records."
Nia looked at her.
"All right."
"Your name is on them."
Nia nodded.
"That happens."
Madison frowned.
"You were undefeated."
Nia did not answer immediately.
Then she said:
"According to the records."
Madison stared.
"Why didn't you tell us?"
Nia's expression remained calm.
"You didn't ask about my past. You asked whether I wanted to train."
Madison opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
Nia continued.
"I didn't come here to compete with you."
Madison looked down.
"That's not what I meant."
"Then what did you mean?"
Madison struggled for an answer.
Finally, she said:
"I thought you were pretending to be better than you were."
Nia nodded slowly.
"And now?"
Madison looked at her.
"Now I think I was wrong."
It was not a complete apology.
But it was the first honest thing Madison had said to her.
Nia accepted it with a small nod.
"Thank you."
Madison looked toward the training room.
"Can I ask why you stopped?"
Nia's face changed.
Only slightly.
But Madison noticed.
"Not today," Nia said.
Madison nodded.
"Okay."
They returned to the mat.
Brooke approached Nia.
"I want to apologize too."
Nia looked at her.
"For what?"
"For assuming you were trying to embarrass us."
Nia smiled.
"I wasn't."
"I know that now."
Tessa stepped forward.