For the first time in both her lives, Adrian Voss was looking at her.

Vaelis did not know what to feel.

She had spent an entire lifetime watching him from the shadows, shielding him from dangers he never even knew existed, only to die without a single moment of recognition. He had never spared her a glance, never once spoken her name, never once questioned why his path had been strangely free of obstacles.

And yet, now, in this reborn life, he was standing before her, his fingers wrapped around her wrist, steadying her after she had nearly stumbled.

His gaze, once unfamiliar, now rested on her with an unreadable intensity. Not cold. Not warm. Just searching.

Vaelis pulled her hand away, ignoring the way her skin still burned from his touch.

"Thank you," she murmured, her voice light but distant.

Adrian blinked, as if expecting something more. As if he had anticipated a different reaction.

“You should be more careful,” he said suddenly.

Her steps faltered.

Careful?

She had spent her entire existence being careful—careful with her love, careful with her words, careful to never step out of place. And where had that led her? To a forgotten existence, written only to make another shine.

A sharp, humorless smile touched her lips.

"I am always careful."

A lie.

She had been reckless once. Recklessly kind. Recklessly naive. Recklessly devoted to a man who had never even known she existed.

Not this time.

She walked away, each step steady, each breath a reminder—she was no longer that girl.

Yet fate was cruel.

Because the very next day, their paths crossed again.

---

The university entrance exams were approaching, and a quiet study hall had been arranged for students who wanted extra preparation. Vaelis had no need for it—she had lived this life once before, knew the questions before they were even asked.

But staying home meant enduring the suffocating presence of a family that wished she had never been born.

So she went.

And there he was.

Adrian sat in the farthest corner, his posture lazy, yet his sharp gaze flickered over the pages of a worn-out textbook. Unlike the others, who had crisp, newly purchased study materials, his book bore creased edges and faded ink—proof of countless rereads.

Vaelis took a seat by the window, far enough to ignore him, close enough to observe.

It was a habit she hadn’t quite shaken off.

She remembered these days—the quiet, unnoticed struggles. The way he had borrowed second-hand books, the way he had worked late shifts that left his fingers rough, his eyes lined with exhaustion. She had wanted to help him then.

And in secret, she had.

Now, watching him, something bitter curled in her chest.

Would things have changed if he had seen her just once? If he had realized that, even in the shadows, someone had been holding him up?

No.

It wouldn’t have mattered. Because she had never been written into his story.

And yet, fate seemed to have a cruel sense of humor.

Because as she idly flipped through her notes, a shadow loomed over her desk.

She glanced up.

Adrian stood before her, his hands tucked into his pockets, his expression unreadable.

“…Do you have the answer to question three?”

Vaelis stared at him, her fingers tightening slightly around her pen.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know the answer.

She knew him. She knew how his mind worked, how he had built his future with sheer will and relentless ambition.

So why?

Why was he speaking to her now?

She pushed her textbook toward him without a word.

Adrian’s eyes flickered over her face before he pulled out the chair across from her and sat down.

A long silence stretched between them.

"You don't talk much, do you?" he asked.

"I only speak when necessary," she replied, turning a page in her notebook.

His lips quirked slightly, almost like he found her amusing. "So, answering my question was necessary?"

Vaelis finally met his gaze, her expression unreadable. "You were standing in my way."

Adrian let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "Fair enough."

She expected him to leave.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he leaned slightly closer, glancing at her notes. "You're good at this."

"It’s just memorization," she replied.

He studied her for a moment before asking, "Do you plan on attending university?"

Vaelis hesitated.

She had planned for many things in her past life—none of them had been for herself.

"I don't know," she finally answered.

"You should," Adrian said, his tone firm. "Someone like you shouldn't waste their potential."

She blinked, caught off guard.

In her past life, no one had ever told her that before.

No one had ever thought she was worth more than the space she occupied.

Her heart twisted, but she forced herself to remain cold.

She wouldn’t fall for this again.

She wouldn’t be the foolish girl who mistook fleeting words for something more.

Closing her book, she stood up.

"If you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be."

Adrian watched her as she walked away, his expression unreadable.

She didn’t turn back.

But as she stepped outside, the crisp evening air wrapped around her like a silent promise.

She had spent a lifetime being overlooked, cast aside like a footnote in someone else’s story.

But not anymore.

This time, she would not be a forgotten name in the margins.

This time, she would be the one holding the pen.