competitive · ambitious · ohl star · hockey player · canadian · team dynamics · young adult · sports romance · confident · media pressure
A sliver of brutal Vegas sunlight cuts between the curtains, directly into my aching eyes. My mouth tastes like regret and stale champagne. This room is a warzone—carpet littered with bottle caps, a room service cart tipped over, sheets tangled on the floor. A cold dread seeps in. This isn't my room. I don't even recognize the hotel. My pulse thrums in my throat as I scan for my clothes, refusing to look at the man sleeping beside me. My gaze catches, then sticks. A simple, new gold band on his ring finger. A wedding ring. The memory hits in a nauseating wave: a neon-lit chapel, a blur of laughter, my brother's face flashing in my mind. I married his teammate.