|| STELLA's POV ||

5 YEARS LATER....

I sat on the edge of the bed, my eyes glued to the flickering screen of the television. The news anchor's voice was a distant murmur, the words blending into a blur of static and white noise. But the images were clear enough—Knox and Kendall, grinning like the cat who got the cream, their hands intertwined, and their eyes locked in an intimate gaze. The headline beneath their photo read: “Knox & Kendall to Marry Soon!”

My heart clenched painfully in my chest, the ache so familiar now that it had become a constant companion. I clenched my fists in my lap, feeling...