Chapter 45: Someone Before Me
Monica couldn’t sleep.
Not after the conversation with Alexander.
Not after hearing about the girl he once cared about.
Kai.
The name kept replaying inside her mind long after she returned to her room.
And what unsettled her most wasn’t the childhood story itself.
It was the look in Alexander’s eyes when he talked about her.
Soft.
Quiet.
Almost vulnerable.
Monica sat near the window wrapped in a blanket, staring blankly into the darkness outside.
Because for the first time since entering the palace—
she suddenly questioned her place beside him.
Maybe Kailey’s appearance changed everything.
Maybe Alexander only became close to Monica because she happened to be there.
And now the person he truly remembered had returned.
The thought twisted painf
