The Glass Pedestal - Paperback

by Cheyenne Maryland Quinn (Author)

A chilling psychological thriller of obsession, chemical gaslighting, and the ultimate scorched-earth betrayal.

Sasha thought she could finally fix him. For two years, her life has been held hostage by Jeff-a master manipulator with a GQ facade, a silver tongue, and a raging addiction to vodka and crack. From a volatile relationship filled with explosive rage to a trauma-bonded "situationship," Sasha has endured it all. But when Jeff loses his driver's license to a third DUI and his mother passes away, the power dynamic shifts. Jeff moves into Sasha's quaint suburban home, completely dependent on her. Finally, Sasha is the one holding the keys. Finally, she is in control.

Or so she thinks.

While Sasha relishes her new role as the warden of their isolated world, the "demon" inside Jeff goes subterranean. Refusing to be anyone's puppet, Jeff orchestrates a sickening game of chemical warfare, secretly lacing Sasha's drinks with Vicodin to keep her in a docile, day-drunk fog. Under the guise of restoring his self-confidence, he buys a classic show car-using it as his ultimate chariot of escape to slip away to his dealers while Sasha sleeps off the sedation.

But a narcissist's greatest fear is apathy. When Sasha stops taking his bait, gets clean, and looks at him with nothing but cold indifference, Jeff realizes his "fiddle" is broken forever. Unable to face a reality where he is nothing, he decides to make a grand, powerful exit. On a crisp December night, while Sasha takes a quiet walk to celebrate her newfound freedom, Jeff triggers a literal scorched-earth finale that will change her life forever.

Perfect for fans of gritty domestic suspense and psychological thrillers, this book explores the dark lengths a cornered predator will go to destroy the sanctuary of the woman who dared to outsmart him