JACE
Nobody ever warned me that falling in love would make winning feel less important.
For as long as I could remember, the ice had been my only god. The absolute, unadulterated high of a clean body check, the sharp spray of frost under my blades, and the thunderous, deafening roar of a packed stadium were the only metrics that validated my existence. My entire life had been a calculated, hyper-focused sequence of sacrifices, all pointing toward a single, glossy NHL contract that would pull my family out of their suffocating debt.
But as I stood in the player tunnel, listening to the muffled, heavy vibrations of the crowd filling the bleachers, my heart was throwing a violent, frantic sprint that had absolutely nothing to do with the game.
"Donovan! Wake up, man! We're on in two!" Lia
