The Hockey God in My Bed

“At my lavish engagement party, I slipped away to surprise my fiancé. Instead, I found him in a dimly lit study, passionately kissing my stepmother. They weren't just having an affair; they were plotting to steal my mother's trust fund. "I put a little something in her champagne. By morning, she'll be the laughingstock of New York," my stepmother purred. She had arranged for a known felon to assault me in a hotel room upstairs, planning to invite reporters for my "walk of shame" so I'd lose my inheritance forever. Hunted by them and burning from the drug, I crawled across a narrow balcony ledge and fell right into a dangerous stranger's penthouse. To avoid the horrific fate my family planned, I chose my own destroyer, pleading with the cold-eyed stranger for help, my body burning with the drug. Returning home the next morning, my father furiously accused me of running off with a tramp and ruining the family name. My stepmother stood by his side, playing the sweet, concerned peacemaker while her eyes gleamed with smug victory. The naive girl who loved her family died in that hotel room. I finally saw them for the monsters they were. Instead of defending myself, I hung my head and spoke in a trembling, obedient voice, begging them for forgiveness. Let them think they had successfully broken me. When they least expected it, I would burn their world to the ground.”