Chapter 121
Evan
I try not to.
I really, really try not to.
But my eyes still find her—like they always do.
Emmaline Morne.
It's ridiculous. I don't want to be this way. I don't want to be the man standing in the corner of a glittering ballroom, tracking her every move like some lovesick fool who never moved on.
And yet, here I am.
The thought creeps in again, the one I've been trying to bury for months.
If I'd had the knowledge I do now—if I'd seen the game for what it was in my previous life—that would be me.
Standing next to her.
I hate that I think like this.
Because on paper, I've already won.
The media sings my name. Four elemental contracts—an unprecedented feat. People who once dismissed me, now desperate to be in my orbit. Every handshake, every smile tonight is a small act of vengeance, a reminder to the elite that the boy they once mocked is now a man they can't afford to ignore.
So why does it feel… hollow?
Maybe because part of me wanted her to regret it.
