Chapter 16
Outside, drenched and shivering, Lena had knelt in the rain, watching.
He had seen the despair in her eyes deepen, moment by moment–until she finally collapsed.
Back then, he hadn’t cared.
Now, he was the one standing in the cold, helpless.
Now, he understood.
The “snowman” outside the castle didn’t go unnoticed for long.
Guests gathered by the floor–to–ceiling windows, sipping hot cocoa, murmuring about the mysterious figure standing
motionless in the cold.
Eventually, even the stars of the night were drawn to the window.
Lena’s gaze landed on him.
First, surprise.
Then–amusement.
She had heard everything that happened back in Altesia.
The woman Andrew once saw as pure and untouchable had been exposed as a monster.
And the girl he had condemned as wicked? The true victim all along.
Only after losing everything had he realized what he had done.
And now, here he was.
Standing in the snow, thinking this would be seen as romantic..
Lena’s fingers tightened around her glass before she turned away, voice laced with mockery.
“If Nicole hadn’t been exposed, I would’ve never had his apology.”
People were always like this–seeing the truth too late, realizing regret only after losing everything.
But his remorse meant nothing.
She wasn’t about to let him drag her back into the past.
Nothing good would come of it–just more pain, more regret.
No more contact. No more meetings.
