Riley’s pov
The next morning, as I walked down the hallway toward my first class, my mind felt like a jumbled mess. I couldn’t seem to focus. No matter how hard I tried, my thoughts kept drifting back to the date with Alexander the night before. Every look, every word he’d said replayed in my mind, stirring up feelings I wasn’t ready to deal with. I’d always promised myself I’d never fall for one of the Lockwood brothers. Even if fate forced me into marrying one of them, I’d imagined it as a practical arrangement, nothing more. Love would never be part of it. Yet here I was, haunted by him, feeling something I couldn’t even name.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. My parents might not have had the perfect ending, but their love was real, something I always admired. Deep down,
