George's POV

I walked through the crowd at the royal ball, forcing a smile. Every polite nod and small talk felt like a burden. I kept looking at the grand entrance. I searched the faces, hoping to see her. Still nothing. The waiting was tense. Where was she? Would she even show up?

Whitney. My Wendy. Even after all this time, just thinking of her made me feel a deep ache inside. I wanted her here tonight more than I wanted to breathe. The emptiness inside me wouldn’t go away until I saw her. I held back the urge to find her and ask her to come, and instead tried...