Black Belt Tried to Embarrass a Single Mom During Sparring—Then She Changed Her Fighting Stance
Chapter 2
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His eyes landed on Diana. She was working on a heavy bag, throwing hesitant, painfully slow jabs. She looked exhausted. The bags under her eyes were prominent, and her shoulders were slumped with the weight of a 10-hour workday."Look at this," Derek scoffed, nudging Kyle in the ribs. "Brendan is turning this place into a daycare. What is she even doing? She looks like she's trying to swat a fly in slow motion."Kyle chuckled. "Careful, man. She might ask to speak to the manager."Derek's smirk widened. He loved an easy target. He walked onto the mat, his expensive custom-made shin guards gleaming under the fluorescent lights. He didn't care about helping beginners. He only cared about asserting dominance.As Diana finished a pathetic excuse for a roundhouse kick—her balance shifting wildly, her arms flailing—Derek stepped right into her personal space."You're dropping your hands, Mom," Derek said loudly, his voice carrying across the quiet gym. Several heads turned.Diana froze, her breathing shallow. She pulled her gloves to her chest, her eyes darting toward the floor. "Oh, I'm... I'm sorry. I'm just trying to learn.""Well, you're not learning much," Derek replied, crossing his muscular arms. "You're throwing arm punches. You have zero hip rotation. If you threw that kick in a real fight, someone would take your leg home as a trophy."Diana swallowed hard. From the corner of her eye, she could see Toby looking up from his iPad through the glass wall, his small brow furrowed in concern. Her heart tightened. The last thing she wanted was for her son to see her being belittled—to see her shrink away just like she used to do when his father raised his voice."I'll try to do better," Diana mumbled, turning back to the heavy bag, desperately hoping Derek would walk away.Instead, Derek stepped in front of the bag, blocking her."Tell you what," he said, flashing a shark-like grin. "Friday is open sparring. Why don't you gear up and step in with me? I'll give you a private lesson. Show you what real timing looks like."Coach Brendan, who had been watching from across the room, frowned and started walking over. "Derek, leave her alone. She's a beginner. She's not cleared for open sparring yet.""Come on, Coach," Derek whined playfully, raising his hands in mock surrender. "I'm just trying to help the community. I'll go 10% flow sparring. Promise. It'll be good for her to feel some real movement."Brendan hesitated. He knew Derek was a bully, but Derek was also the gym's star competitor, bringing in trophies and new memberships. Brendan often looked the other way when Derek pushed the envelope."Diana, you don't have to do that," Brendan said softly.Diana looked at Derek's smug face. She looked at Kyle and Jason snickering by the water fountain. Then she looked at Toby, who was pressing his small hand against the glass, watching his mother. A familiar, sickening feeling of helplessness washed over her. She had spent 5 years letting a man make her feel small, letting herself be backed into corners.A tiny, dormant spark flickered deep in her chest."Okay," Diana said, her voice surprisingly steady, though her hands trembled inside her gloves. "Friday. Just... just light sparring, right?"Derek's eyes lit up with malicious glee. "Absolutely, Mom. Just a light workout."