Alex walked through the bustling corridors with confident, unhurried steps, his hands casually tucked into his pockets. The convocation had ended, and excited students and guests filled the hallways, but their chatter barely registered in his mind.
He already knew exactly what awaited him inside the Crystal Ballroom.
Sophia's desperate final gamble.
A faint, knowing smile played on his lips as he moved through the crowd. His thoughts drifted inward.
'Forgive her?'
'Yes… he was ready for that.'
The old wounds from their college days still existed, but he no longer wanted to carry them into his new life. Holding onto that bitterness served no purpose anymore.
He had grown far beyond the boy who once loved her. Forgiving Sophia would simply close that chapter cleanly... a quiet end to an old story.
'But accepting her as a lover again?'
Alex's steps slowed slightly as hesitation flickered in his chest.
'No.'
