[ESTELLE]
From the very beginning, Damien's love had felt like something borrowed. He had looked at me like I was a surprise—beautiful, maybe, but unexpected.
A detour he hadn't planned to take. I'd mistaken his fascination for something deeper, clung to every compliment like it was proof that I mattered. That I belonged beside him.
But Kelsey? Kelsey had never needed to earn his love.
She was the plan.
The childhood friend. The first love. The girl who had seen him before the fame, before the weight of a royal name twisted his smile. She had history with him—roots that ran deep and tangled in all the right places. Me? I was an ornament. Temporary. Replaceable.
I curled my knees to my chest, hugging them tightly, trying to anchor myself to something solid. I couldn't cry. No. My tears were stuck somewhere in my throat, like my body was saving them for later, when the silence was heavier and the loneliness more unbearable.
