The exposure was inevitable.

Anny knew something was different the moment she walked into the training court that morning. The air was heavy, charged with unspoken tension. The players, normally loud and relaxed, now spoke in whispers, exchanging quick, uncomfortable glances. Some fell silent as she passed, others pretended not to notice her presence.

She wasn’t officially part of the team, but she had been there so long she had become almost invisible—a constant figure in the bleachers, ...