Introduction
Everyone at Westbridge University knew Adrian Cole.
He was the boy professors hated and girls couldn't stop talking about.
Expensive car. Perfect face. Careless smile. A reputation that followed him everywhere.
Adrian was the college bad boy—the kind of guy who arrived late to class, slept through lectures, flirted shamelessly, and somehow escaped every consequence.
Love?
He didn't believe in it.
At least, that's what he told everyone.
Then there was Elena Bennett.
She was everything Adrian wasn't.
Quiet.
Brilliant.
Always buried beneath a mountain of books.
While other girls dressed to catch attention, Elena preferred oversized sweaters, simple dresses, and her library corner.
She wasn't invisible because she lacked beauty.
She was invisible because she never tried to be seen.
Adrian noticed her because his friends dared him to.
One stupid bet.
One innocent girl.
One promise:
Make Elena Bennett fall in love with you before graduation.
Adrian accepted.
He thought it would be easy.
He was wrong.
Because Elena didn't fall for his expensive gifts or charming smile.
She fell for the boy hidden underneath the bad reputation.
And somewhere between fake dates, stolen smiles, late-night conversations, jealousy, and moments neither of them had planned...
Adrian fell first.
And he fell hard.
But love couldn't erase the truth.
When Elena discovered that their relationship had begun as a bet, her entire world shattered.
Adrian tried to explain.
He tried to tell her that the bet had stopped mattering long before he realized he was in love with her.
But some wounds were too deep for explanations.
Elena left the city.
And Adrian lost the only girl he had ever truly loved.
Five years passed.
Elena returned to the city as a successful young woman and devoted single mother.
She had built a life without him.
A beautiful life.
A peaceful life.
A life that included a little girl named Lily.
A little girl with Adrian Cole's eyes.
Elena had spent five years protecting that secret.
Because Adrian had broken her heart once.
She wouldn't let him break her daughter's heart too.
But fate had other plans.
Because the moment Adrian saw Elena again...
he knew.
Five years hadn't changed a single thing.
He still loved her.
And this time, he wasn't going to let her walk away.
But before Adrian could win Elena back, he would have to discover the secret she had been protecting for five years.
His daughter.
