Chapter 9 - THE OLD SHOULDER
Robert began attacking Emily publicly.
He told gym members:
“She quit because she couldn’t handle pressure.”
Then:
“She’s jealous Jason kept fighting.”
Painful because partly believable.
Emily’s shoulder injury had not ended her career medically.
A specialist had cleared her to continue after rehab.
She chose not to.
Why?
Because Robert’s coaching had become unbearable.
Weight cuts.
Constant comparison.
Training through pain.
Then one memory resurfaced.
At twenty-two, after Emily lost a close semifinal, Robert said:
“You embarrassed us.”
Linda stayed silent.
Jason was eighteen.
He heard it.
Emily quit competition six months later.
Jason later admitted:
“I thought that’s what serious fighters were supposed to take.”
Robert had taught both children:
love follows performance.
Emily escaped first.
Jason stayed.
That did not make him innocent.
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But it explained why being the chosen child did not feel as good as it looked.
Chosen children are often just the ones still useful.
