Adrian, the son of the kingdom's most respected general, had loved Eliana for as long as he could remember.
The memory of that summer still lingered in Adrian's mind.
They had been teenagers then — careless, laughing too loudly, thinking the world was simpler than it really was.
It was during those days that Adrian realized something he could no longer deny.
He loved Eliana.
Not just as a friend, but in a way that made every glance she gave him feel like sunlight breaking through clouds.
So he told her.
Under the shade of the old garden trees, heart pounding, Adrian confessed what he had carried in silence for years.
For a moment, Eliana said nothing.
But the softness in her eyes had been enough.
Enough for him to believe she might feel the same.
Then, only days later, everything shifted.
The news came unexpectedly: an arranged marriage had been set up — between him and Princess Fiona.
From that day on, Eliana changed.
She smiled less when she saw him.
Spoke less.
And slowly, painfully… began to drift away.
Adrian couldn't understand why she left him without a word.
What he didn't know… was that Fiona had always been watching.
And Fiona had always wanted what belonged to Eliana.
Even when life moved on, even when the world demanded that he bury his feelings, Adrian's heart refused to let go. Every memory of her — the way she laughed at the smallest joke, the way her eyes lit up when she talked about something she loved — haunted him, a constant reminder of what he could never have.
Then came the news that nearly shattered him entirely:
Eliana had married the vampire prince.