In October 2016 in Montreal, star forward Shane Hollander endures a humiliating home loss as the Montreal Voyageurs fall 4–1 to their archrivals, the Boston Bears. Shane misses multiple scoring chances while Boston’s Ilya Rozanov—Shane’s most hated on-ice rival—scores twice and taunts him at the face-off circle.

After the game, the silent disappointment of Montreal fans and the team’s frustration weigh on the locker room. Shane’s linemate Hayden Pike jokes about wanting to kill Rozanov if there were no consequences, while the coach urges calm and frames the loss as an early-season glitch.

Shane faces the press and endures questions designed to stoke the Hollander-versus-Rozanov rivalry. A reporter relays Rozanov’s jab that he “wished you’d been playing tonight,” and Shane promises he will be in Boston for their next matchup, feeding the public narrative of mutual hostility.

Instead of going to his known penthouse, Shane drives to a private, staged condo in the Plateau that he owns to ensure secrecy. He drinks, broods over his perceived weakness, and waits for a knock he tells himself he should refuse, even while knowing he will not.

Rozanov arrives after celebrating the win, and the two immediately fall into a familiar, intense sexual routine that mixes roughness with moments of unexpected tenderness. Shane feels both relief and shame at how much he needs Rozanov, while Rozanov alternates between gentleness and teasing control, reinforcing how private and habitual their arrangement has become.

Afterward, they trade barbs to reassert their antagonism, even as Rozanov offers intimate compliments and they share more closeness in the shower. Before leaving, Rozanov needles Shane by implying he was distracted on the ice by thoughts of him; Shane rejects the suggestion but is rattled. Alone again, Shane makes yet another plan to end the secret meetings and sell the building, while admitting to himself that as long as Rozanov keeps offering, Shane will not be able to say no.