Vinter's POV

She suddenly pops back into my life, out of nowhere. Just when I was trying to move on from her—to let go of the fact that I have a soulmate—impeccable timing, Dove Stanley.

Everyone knows I have a soulmate, but only a select group of people—my girlfriend, a few close friends, and my family—know the initials of my soulmate that is carved into my ankle. The only reason I shared this information with the public was because I thought it would make it easier to find her. People assume that Nina Robbins is my soulmate, because we make such a perfect couple in their eyes. Nina is truly a very kind woman, though, and she was okay with the fact that I had a soulmate. She said she just wants to be with me and give me all the love that I deserve.

As I went down the stairs, I saw Tristan approaching me. I raised my eyebrows at him, and he gave me an equally questioning look in return.

"Were you smoking again, Vin?" He asked. I hummed in response as I sat down on the stairs, pulling out another cigarette from my pocket. Before I could put it in my mouth, he snatched it away. I glared at Tristan for taking my stress reliever away like that.

"So, what if I was?" I asked him as he sat beside me.

"Dylan hates it when you smoke, Vin," he stated. "I don't want you two to have another big fight because of this bad habit of yours. Moreover, this thing is going to ruin your life," he continued, sounding concerned. "I can't let that happen now, can I?"

He tossed the cigarette away, and I muttered to myself, "There goes my last cigarette of the day. All thanks to my promise to my dumb brother, I'm only allowed to smoke 2 cigarettes per day. Damn you, Twilight Harris." Tristan chuckled in response.

"You sound like that "pain in the ass" Dove," I mumbled. He noticed.

"She's your soulmate, isn't she?" Tristan asked. I felt my heart rate quicken. Why hadn't she gone down from the terrace yet? Did I say something to her that I wasn't supposed to say? Was this another reason for us to fight? Oh well, whatever. I didn't really care, as I felt she deserved whatever pain I had caused her.

"How did you know?" I asked him.

"It didn't take me long to figure it out," Tristan replied casually. "I'm sure Dylan will figure it out sooner or later too," he continued, now acting as if nothing had happened. "Dove is a nice girl, Vinter," he finished, but I wasn't convinced.

"Sure, she's nice," I scoffed. She'd always been like a cup of black coffee to me. Bitter, bitter, bitter. There was no sweetness to her. I stood up and walked across the hallway, trying to get away from our awkward encounter before my other friends, my soulmate, or even an angry Charles could find me. I refused to let anyone break my bubble of solitude.

It's been difficult for me to understand Dove's mysterious personality, as she seems to think she has a complete understanding of who I am, but I know for a fact she doesn't. She's been so unpredictable and self-righteous, behaving as if she knows everything about me, yet she has never been there for me when I needed her most. She knew who I was all along and never bothered to approach me or reveal her true identity.

I've wondered, "Does she truly love me? Does she actually want this soulmate bond? Is she in love with someone else?"

What was once a blessing is now starting to feel like a curse. And still all I can think about is hugging, kissing, and loving her, even though she's stated that she doesn't have the same feelings toward me. I know I made some hurtful remarks to her when we first met, and I was in a lot of pain. However, I was hurt because it felt like she never needed me—never needed me like I've always needed her. I was the only one putting in effort to search for my soulmate—her.

Suddenly, I heard Nina calling out to me in her sweet, high-pitched voice, "Vin, darling!" When she wrapped her arms around me, she appeared like an angel with sparkling grey eyes and long brunette hair. The public loves her both as a successful actress and a top model, and everyone around me believes that I am extremely lucky to have a girlfriend as beautiful as she is. But I can't help but wonder... "Am I truly fortunate?"

After noticing that I had not reciprocated the embrace, she loosened her grip on me, appearing to ponder. "What's wrong, Vin?" she inquired.

"There's nothing wrong," I lied, pulling her closer. What she did not know was that she was not my type of girl, and I had not been actively considering a relationship with someone like her. Nevertheless, I had been craving affection, and she just so happened to be the source willing to provide it.

"Well, then why don't you come to my place?" "We'll relax, and..." she leaned closer again, wrapping her arms around my neck as she kissed my jawline. "...have some fun."

As I pulled Nina into my embrace, I could feel my pulse racing through my veins. My hormones were raging out of control. Thankfully, there was no one else around to see our intimate moment. I wrapped my arms around her and caressed her sides as she kissed my jawline and neck.

Suddenly, I heard a voice from behind me. "Ew, my virgin eyes!" I turned around to see who it was. When did she get here?

"Stanley?" Nina cried.

"The devil herself is here?" Dove snarled, approaching us with a smug grin on her face.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Stanley?" Nina demanded, glaring at Dove.

"Ruining your romantic moment, obviously," Dove crooned, darkening her eyes when she saw my arm wrapped around Nina. That look in Dove's eyes was ominous. I pulled Nina closer to me protectively.

"All you do is ruin things, Stanley! You've ruined people's lives—including mine!" Nina snarled.

"That's true, but my sins don't come close to what you've done, Nina Robbins," Dove said, a sly grin stretching across her face.

"Why can't you ever answer the question without using wordplay?" Nina asked, but her voice carried a hint of fear.

"I wonder," Dove hummed as she stepped closer to my girlfriend, tilting her head to one side.

"Could it be that you are aware of the fact that I am Vinter's soulmate, and that is why you are dating him?" Dove muttered, tapping her finger on her chin.

"What?" Nina asked as she took a step back from Dove.

"Dove, please step back," I said as I pulled myself and Nina away from her.

Dove stepped back with a glint of mischief in her eyes, but no emotion. I couldn't tell if she was too good at masking her emotions, or if she simply didn't have any.

"You can keep Vinter in your trance, Nina, but you know who you are messing with," Dove said, pointing to herself. "If you are dating Vinter to get back at me, just remember how much trouble I can cause you."

Dove winked at Nina before turning her attention to Me. "My man-child soulmate," she said with a sarcastic tone. "You really have a terrible taste in women." She shook her head in disappointment.

I pulled Nina away from Dove, telling her, "Let's go." Nina didn't stop glaring at Dove, but Dove's smile never faltered. However, I did notice one thing: a brief flash of hurt in her eyes, which she quickly covered up with her mischievous look.

As we left the building, I held Nina's trembling hand tightly. I knew one thing: Dove was bad news. I helped Nina sit in the car, and then I got into the driver's seat. As I turned on the engine and started driving towards Nina's apartment, I was so thankful that the paparazzi couldn't get near the building of Hope Records.

Nina's hands were still shaking as she grabbed her water bottle and chugged the water down. Dove had scared her so much. I didn't blame her--Dove's aura was intimidating and manipulative. It felt like she could make anyone do anything just by saying a few words in the right way.

"Are you alright?" I asked my girlfriend. She shook her head as she stared at me with teary eyes.

"She hasn't changed at all," Nina said. "She's still the same freak she used to be." I wondered how long these two had known each other.

"Why did you never tell me about Dove?" I asked Nina after she told me that they had a history. "She seemed like she knew something that only you were supposed to figure out," I added, feeling a pang of curiosity and confusion.

Nina's eyes dropped to her lap. She avoided my gaze as she replied, "It's a long story. Let's talk about it later. I just want to go home and cuddle with you." She gave me a small smile and sighed in relief.

I placed our intertwined hands on my lap and stared at her. I wanted to comfort her, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that Dove was hiding something. I have to figure out what it is sooner or later. But for now, all I could do was comfort Nina and give her the love she deserved.

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