He remembered the day vividly: the way his hands shook, the cold grip of disbelief freezing him from head to toe. The image of her, smiling at someone else, someone who wasn't him, seared itself into his mind. For days, he couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't eat. Nights were the worst. He would drown himself in drink, chasing oblivion in empty bottles, hoping the pain would finally loosen its grip.
But it never did.
Drinking dulled the edges but never erased the truth: he still loved her. He always had. And he always would.
Over the years, Adrian changed. The boy who had once been easygoing and lighthearted was gone. In his place stood someone sharper, colder, harder — a man shaped by heartbreak, loneliness, and obsession. His laughter came rarely, and when it did, it was hollow. His smiles were fleeting, often tinged with a dangerous edge. But underneath it all, his heart still beat for Eliana.
So when he heard that Eliana and Sebastian would be at the Spring Ball, Adrian felt a pull he couldn't resist. His status as the general's son gave him easy access — a privilege few others could claim.
He arrived late, not expecting much — not expecting to feel anything at all.
Then he saw her.
Eliana, radiant and graceful, moving across the ballroom floor in a way that made his chest tighten. And Sebastian, swirling her effortlessly in his arms, smiling at her the way Adrian had always longed to.
Something inside Adrian snapped. The controlled mask he had worn for years shattered in an instant.
He stormed into the ballroom, heart thundering, the bitterness of years of longing spilling over.
"You… you've always loved her!" a voice inside screamed, though no one heard it but him. "Why can't she be mine?"
When he saw Eliana glance at Sebastian — the subtle warmth in her eyes, the faintest curve of a smile — he nearly went berserk.
His anger wasn't just for Sebastian, or even for the prince she had married. It was for the years of silence, for the feelings that had been trapped inside him, for the dreams he had buried in the hope that someone, anyone, might notice how much he loved her.
He said things out loud he hadn't meant to: sharp, bitter words laced with hurt. People turned to stare, whispers rippling through the room. Adrian didn't care. His pain, his heartbreak, and his obsession with Eliana consumed everything.
And through it all, his eyes never left her.
Eliana's gaze flickered to him once — surprise, concern, maybe even a hint of something else — and Adrian felt the old fire ignite inside him. He would never let go. Not now, not ever.