Amir

Her hair was swept into a regal bun, loose strands softening her features. Diamonds gleamed at her ears, pearls wound through her hair, her neck bare except for a small pendant.

She looked like a princess from a forgotten painting—too beautiful, too real.

And then I lost my mind as I saw her hand resting on another man’s arm.

My chest tightened, a sharp, unfamiliar ache spreading through me.

The glass in my hand nearly shattered.

It was her.

The woman who had haunted me.

The woman who had disappeared without a trace.

The woman who had carried my obsession for years, turning it into a hunger I could never quench.

She had no right to stand there, looking more radiant than ever, as though the years had been kind to her. She had no right to smile at another man, not when her smile had burned me alive for years.

Heat rose in my blood. Anger, confusion, desire—all tangled until I couldn’t tell one from the other.

The music swelled, the guests sparkled, and laughter filled the air.

But I saw none of it.

Nothing existed.

Nothing—except Sanya.

The music pulsed faintly in the background as I followed her at a careful distance. Every movement she made, every laugh she threw into the air, twisted something deep inside me.

The audacity of her—of all people—laughing, swaying, touching, as if she had no idea who I was… or the storm she had ignited the moment she entered my life.

She was dancing with a man—some ordinary fool who had no right to even breathe the same air she did. My fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles turned white. Every instinct screamed to storm in, to rip her away from him, to remind her where she belonged.

That she was not a spectacle for others to enjoy.

And then, just as easily as she’d appeared, she slipped away from him, brushed past me. She didn’t look at me—didn’t flinch, didn’t even acknowledge the heat of my gaze burning into her. She could not have seen me. But she gave no reaction at all.

She moved past me like smoke—untouchable, impossible to grasp—leaving behind the same frustration and hunger that had haunted me for years.

I followed her deliberately like a predator.

I didn't know what was there between us. It was darker and sharper. Desire. Obsession. Hunger. Possession.

I caught up to her near the archway behind a carved sandstone pillar. Her face was composed, polite, unbothered… but her eyes—those dark, watchful eyes—scanned the crowd carefully.

Even that infuriated me. She could act so calm, so distant, while my entire body was on fire.

My hand closed around her wrist. Her pulse fluttered beneath my thumb, fast and delicate. For one second, I forgot how to breathe. Every muscle tensed, every thought scattered. I wanted to pull her close, to crush the distance between us, to claim what I’d been denied.

But I didn’t. I forced myself to step back—barely.

Her eyes widened. Sharp. Cold. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she snapped.

“What the hell were you doing there?” I growled, my voice low and dangerous.

I didn’t care who heard.

How dare she act as if she belonged to no one? My control wavered, but I forced my posture upright, every inch a king, a ruler, a predator holding back just enough.

She glared at me. “Excuse me! Do I even know you?”

A bitter laugh escaped me. “Oh, so you don’t even know me now? After everything that happened between us?” My tone was soft but edged with venom.

Her brows furrowed. “What? No! What are you talking about? I don’t even know you.”

I should have stopped, walked away. But the heat inside me refused to die. Her denial poured gasoline on a fire already out of control.

“Enough!” I snapped, stepping closer, my gaze locking with hers. “Stop pretending you don’t know me. You’re angry, fine. So am I. But this—” I gestured toward her, toward the dance floor, “—flirting with others, running away—it ends now.”

Her lips parted in shock. “I think you’re confusing me with someone else,” she said softly, carefully, as if speaking to a madman. The way she tried to maintain distance even as every fiber of my being demanded to pull her closer.

Her calmness only enraged me further. The composure. The grace.

The way she dared to look me in the eyes as if she was not affected by me standing there in front of he or by what happened all those years ago.

“Really?” I scoffed. “Suddenly suffering from amnesia? You’ve forgotten everything we shared? Perhaps I should refresh your memory…”

I leaned in slightly, my breath hot, my intent unmistakable.

I don't know if it was a threat, a promise, or a claim. I bent slightly toward her, dark intent simmering in my gaze.

Her response was instant—a sharp slap against my cheek. Then she pushed me on the chest. Not enough to hurt, but enough to make me take a step back.

“Behave yourself!” she hissed. “Don’t you dare touch me. Let me go!”

My jaw locked. Every instinct screamed to ignore her, to close the gap again, to remind her who I was. To make her feel what I felt. Desire. Obsession. Possession.

But I forced myself still. For now.

"Leave me, before I call security or my family." She yelled.

She glanced past me, searching the crowd—checking if anyone was watching.

I didn’t care if the entire hall saw us. Let them.

She was mine to look at, mine to desire, mine to torment and be tormented by. She might think she could hide—but she couldn’t. Not from me. Not anymore.

“Who was that man?” I asked coldly. “The one dancing with you. Why was he holding you as if he was trying to claim you?”

She blinked, confused. “He is… but who are you? What does it matter to you? Who are you to demand answers from me?”

My control snapped. My body surged forward instinctively, the need to hold her, claim her, protect her, consume her, warping every thought. My voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “Tell me, Sanya. Don’t play games with me.”

She froze. Her eyes widened at the name.

She didn’t answer immediately. My mind churned. She didn’t understand my fury, my obsession, my desire, which could not be explained in words. Not yet. For a fleeting second, something like fear—no, confusion—crossed her face.

But why? What was going on?