Daniel 

My eyes followed her through the night, unable to look away, unable to stop myself from stealing glances at her every time she moved. I had tried, god knows I had tried, to keep my gaze elsewhere, to convince myself that she wasn't here, that this was some cruel trick my mind was playing on me. But it wasn't.

She was real. Amelia was here.

She moved through the crowd effortlessly, her laughter ringing through the air like a melody I had once known by heart. Her dress clung to her in a way that made my throat tighten, the soft glow of the chandeliers glistening her hair making me want to touch them. I had spent years convincing myself that I didn't miss her and had erased her from my life, just as I had intended. But standing here now, watching her, I knew that had been the biggest lie I had ever told myself.

And then I saw him.

The man with his hand resting on the small of her back, guiding her with a familiarity that made my blood boil. My chest tightened painfully as he leaned in, whispering something in her ear that made her smile. That smile, the one that used to belong to only me, one that I used to wake up to every morning was now his.

I had heard it all through the night. Their laughter, their soft murmurs, the way he called her name like she belonged to him. And the worst part? She did. I could see in her eyes that she was happy with him.

I had stood in the shadows, drink in hand, listening to every word, every stolen whisper between them. Each one was a dagger to my chest, cutting deeper than the last making me bleed on the inside. The wound caused would never heal. She had moved on. She had someone new. And he wasn't just any man, he was hers. Unlike me, he was hers but wasn't I hers too?

I told myself I could handle it. That I had no right to feel this way, not after what I had done to her. The truth clawed at me, sinking its sharp, merciless teeth into my chest. I should have walked away. I should have left before it got worse. But I couldn't. I stayed, torturing myself, watching her only to feel nothing but hurt like I had never before.

She turned to him, eyes glowing under the dim lights,  time seemed to slow as she lifted her hand, resting it lightly on his shoulder. Then, with subtle movements, she put her lips over his shattering what little control I had left as she leaned in and kissed him.

The world around me vanished.

The music, the laughter, the clinking of glasses—it all faded into a dull, meaningless blur. All I could see was her. Her lips, soft and familiar, pressed against his. Her body melting into him with ease, with comfort, as if he was where she belonged now.

I felt it like a physical wound. A sharp, searing pain shooting through my chest and spread like fire through my veins. My grip on my glass tightened, my fingers clenching so hard I thought it might shatter, thesharp edges digging into my palm but nothing hurt more than seeing her kissing another man. My chest ached, and my breathing turned shallow. A slow, burning pain curled around my ribs and squeezed me as if suffocating me.

I had told myself I hated her. That I wanted to ruin her. But seeing her with someone else, kissing him like she had once kissed me, made me realize the truth—I had never stopped wanting her.

Jealousy coiled inside me, dark and venomous. I had no right to feel this way. I had discarded her from my life. I had believed the lies, believed that she had betrayed me, and thrown her away like she was nothing. I had hurt her, crushed her under the weight of my anger and bitterness, only to learn, just days ago, that she had been innocent all along.

Regret settled over me like a crushing weight. I had been so blind, so consumed by my own hatred, that I had destroyed the one person who had ever truly loved me. And now, here she was, moving on, living, breathing, loving someone else.

Memories assaulted me, flooding my mind like an unstoppable tide of waves.

I could still remember how her lips had felt under mine, soft and warm, parting just slightly as she surrendered to my kiss. The way she used to kiss me, hesitant at first, then desperate like she couldn't get enough. How she used to taste, sweet, intoxicating, warm, soft, and perfect against mine. I could still feel the way she would melt against me, her body fitting so perfectly with mine, as if we had been made for each other. The way her breath would hitch when I traced my fingers along her spine, the way she would whisper my name like it was the only thing she knew. How she used to pull me closer, her fingers tangling in my hair, whispering my name between stolen breaths. How she used to look at me afterward like I was her whole world.

And now, another man was touching her. Kissing her. Holding her. Now he was her world while I stood on the outskirts because of my own mistakes.

wanted to tear her away from him, to grab her wrist and pull her into my arms, to tell her I had been wrong. That I had been a fool. That I still loved her, even if I didn't deserve to. But I stood frozen, trapped in my own misery, forced to watch as she kissed him.

My nails dug deeper into my palms, my breath coming out in short, ragged bursts. I hated this. I hated him. I hated myself. I had thrown her away. I had believed the lies. I had tossed her out of my life so cruelly, never once questioning if she was innocent. And now, I knew the truth. Now, I knew she had never betrayed me.

She had moved on. She wasn't mine anymore and all I could do was stand there, drowning in jealousy, regret, and the unbearable truth that I had lost her forever.

I was the one left behind, drowning in the wreckage of what I had destroyed.

The world around me slowed, my senses narrowing to a single point of focus, her.

Amelia.

She turned, and our eyes met across the crowded hall, locking together as if some invisible force bound us. A sharp jolt ran through me as if the ground beneath my feet had shifted.

I couldn't breathe.

The moment stretched between us, thick and suffocating, pressing down on my chest. Her lips parted, her eyes widening with something close to shock, but within a heartbeat, the emotion was gone. She masked it so quickly, so easily, that if I hadn't been watching her as closely as I was, I might have missed it. Did she remember who I was? Did she have her memories? Was my face familiar to her? I looked for more but now there was nothing.

Now, she stared at me with blank, unreadable eyes. As if I were nothing. As if I were just another stranger in the room.

But I wasn't.

I was the man who had once been her entire world. The man who had once held her in his arms, kissed her until she was breathless, and promised to love her forever but I was also the man who had destroyed her.

The weight of that truth settled over me, heavy and unbearable. My pulse pounded against my ribs, my breath caught in my throat. I wanted to move, to go to her, to say something, anything but I was frozen. Stuck in the wreckage of my own, the one I had myself made.

As she looked away a sharp pain lanced through my chest, more intense than I was prepared for. My body almost moved instinctively, desperate to hold onto the moment, to pull her back to me, but I didn't get the chance.

"Daniel?"I heard mename being called but I just didn't care about it at all. A feminine voice, soft and familiar, pulled me out of my daze. A hand landed on my shoulder. Warm. Familiar.

"Daniel," I heard my name once again. A voice pulled me concerned, and entirely out of place in the storm raging inside me.

Sophia.

I blinked, trying to shake off the suffocating feeling that grew with Amelia's presence as I turned to face her.

"Where have you been?" she asked, her brows knitting together as she studied my face. "I've been looking everywhere for you." I opened my mouth, but my throat was dry, my voice almost lost. I forced myself to swallow past the lump lodged there.

"Just here," I said finally, my voice hollow and lifeless.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Daniel, are you okay?"

No.

No, I was not okay. I had spent years burying the past, convincing myself that I had moved on, that I had been right to push Amelia out of my life. But now, standing here, with the ghost of her presence, I realized the truth.

I had never stopped loving her.

I had never stopped wanting her.

And seeing her again, watching her kiss another man, had torn open wounds I thought had long since scarred over.

Sophia followed my gaze, her head tilting slightly as she looked at the exact spot I had been staring at moments before.

But Amelia was gone.

Panic surged through me. My eyes darted around the room, scanning desperately, searching for any sign of her. And then I saw it, a glimpse of her gown disappearing around the corner. She was heading toward the restroom.

Something wasn't right.

A shiver ran down my spine, an instinctive, gut-wrenching feeling that told me I needed to move. Before I could, another figure caught my attention. A cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck. My mother's gaze was locked in the same direction Amelia had gone, her fingers clenched at her sides, her posture stiff. Before I could blink she was already moving.

She was walking with purpose, each step sharper than the last. Her face was set in an expression I knew all too well, controlled anger, the kind that boiled beneath the surface, restrained only by the thin mask placed on for public gatherings but it wouldn't last. My entire body went rigid. I had seen her like this before. I had witnessed firsthand what happened when she felt slighted when she believed someone had gone against her and now, she had seen Amelia.

No.

A sickening realization slammed into me, she was going after her to hurt her.

She had spent years making sure Amelia was out of my life and now that she had seen her here, alive, breathing, existing in the same space as me she would not let it go.

I had to stop her.

I had to get to Amelia first.

"Daniel?" Sophia's voice pulled at me again, but I barely spared her a glance.

She must have noticed the change in me, the way my body had gone tense, the way my breathing had become uneven because her grip tightened on my arm. "Daniel, you're scaring me. What's wrong?"

I turned to her, finally looking at her, and in her eyes, I saw confusion and worry, and something else hurt. I knew I was hurting her and yet, I couldn't bring myself to care. Not right now. Not when every fiber of my being was screaming at me to move.

"Leave," I said, the words coming out sharper than I wanted.

She flinched. "What?"

"You should leave, Sophia." My voice was low and urgent. "Now."

She stepped back slightly, her brows knitting together. "Why are you saying this? What's going on?"

I exhaled sharply, glancing again toward the hallway. My mother was nearly out of sight. I was running out of time.

"Daniel," Sophia asked with desperation in her voice. "Who is she? Why are you acting like this?"

I swallowed hard. "She's..." I hesitated. How could I explain? How could I put into words the storm inside me?

She was my everything. She was my past, my greatest regret, my deepest wound. She was the only woman I had ever truly loved and she didn't even remember me.

Sophia must have seen something in my face because her expression changed, realization, pain,  A quiet devastating understanding.

"It's her, isn't it?" she whispered. "The woman you never talk about."

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to look at her one last time. "I'm sorry," I said, but the words felt meaningless. A nuisance of an apology for the deep wound I had just wounded her with.

I turned and walked away. I didn't look back. I just couldn't because I would see the hurt on Sophia's face and cripple.

My chest tightened with every step, my heart hammering like a war drum as I moved swiftly toward the hallway. My mother had disappeared around the corner. Amelia was in danger, and she didn't even know it.

I had to get to her.

I had to protect her.

Because no matter how much time had passed, no matter how much had changed, I knew one thing with absolute certainty.

I still loved her.

And I always would.

..................................................................................................................

Fingers crossed. Breathing fast and shallow breathing.