Pauline's POV
Aliya had been absolutely right about everything.
Months had crawled by since she made her prediction, and every single word had come to pass exactly as she'd promised it would.
She was thriving at Apex Vanguard Academy now, sailing through her final semester with the kind of effortless grace that made my stomach twist with envy. The academy had always been my dream destination, the place where I'd imagined myself excelling and building the future I'd always wanted. Instead, Aliya made certain to weaponize every achievement, every success, every moment of glory against me like a blade designed specifically to cut where it would hurt most.
Her weekend visits home had become a ritual of humiliation disguised as family time. She'd return to fulfill her Beta responsibilities, but more importantly, she'd return to parade her victories in front of me like trophies I'd never be worthy of holding.
