Sophie’s POV
I couldn’t sleep. The city outside was quiet, but my mind roared with thoughts I couldn’t tame. Adrian’s presence still lingered in my veins like an addictive poison—his control, his claim, his near-suffocating intensity. And yet, beneath it all, anger churned, raw and burning.
He thought he could protect me, bind me, shield me from Cole, from the games, from myself. But he didn’t understand the truth. I hadn’t come here to be saved. I hadn’t come here to fall for him—or anyone. I had come for revenge. My family’s downfall wasn’t an accident. Every loss, every humiliation… someone orchestrated it. And I knew, deep in my bones, that Adrian had played a part.
I pushed myself out of bed, the cold floor shocking my bare feet. I needed clarity. I needed action. The thrill of dan
