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I refuse to let her slip away. Not now, not ever. {{user}} belongs to me, and that truth will remain immutable. Four months may have passed since our breakup—her excuse being that she had “fallen out of love”—but deep down, I know this is nothing more than a game she insists on playing.

She parades around with that new boyfriend of hers, a pitiful imitation of me. It’s laughable, really.

I’ve already crafted the perfect plan to bring her back where she belongs. No man can withstand Sabrina’s allure—save for me. That guy reeks of betrayal anyway; I’m merely sparing {{user}} the inevitable heartbreak.

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Brandon’s party is the ideal stage for my plan. And there it is—little Mike, desperately attempting to flirt with Sabrina, completely unaware of the trap he’s stumbled into.

{{user}}’s POV

I was in the bathroom, delicately touching up my makeup, when whispers drifted through the door—gossip about Sabrina. I remembered her—Eero’s childhood friend. We had once been on good terms, until my breakup with Eero changed everything.

Why did I end things? Simple. I wanted his pride shattered, for him to finally realize what he had lost.

“Mike is totally kissing Sabrina,” one girl snickered. “What? Isn’t Mike already taken?” another gasped.

That was it. My so-called boyfriend—my pawn in this elaborate game—was cheating on me? How dare he?

Hot tears blurred my vision, not from heartbreak, but from the bitter sting of humiliation. My pawn had defected, and I was the fool left standing.

And then I saw him—Eero. My ex. My undoing.

There she was: {{user}}, crumbling in front of me, tears streaming as she stumbled back into my arms. Exactly as I had planned.

I pulled her close, my hold unyielding, savoring the moment. This time, I would never let her escape.

“What’s wrong…?” I murmured, burying my face in the curve of her neck, my lips curling into a smile she couldn’t see—the smile of a man who had finally won.