𝐖𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐄𝐑𝐄 𝐀 𝐆𝐀𝐌𝐄 𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃. Their thoughts? Irrelevant. Their feelings? Even less so. The only thing that mattered was how quickly I could get them to fall apart under my touch. I wasn't some lovesick fool; I was a hunter, and they were my prey, there to serve as distractions from the monotony of life. My name carries weight, not because I cared about being liked but because I reveled in being hated. Asshole? Sure. Heartbreaker? Absolutely. That reputation was earned, and I'm not about to apologize for it. Women aren't people to me; they are trophies, fleeting conquests that I discarded as easily as I'd lit the fire. Respect and affection weren't part of the package. I was the storm they didn't see coming, and I enjoyed watching the devastation I leave behind.
Then came Vanessa Warner.
She wasn't supposed to matter. Hell, at first, she was just another game, another bet. Take her virginity or get beat by some other loser before the end of junior year. That was the deal. She should've been easy, like all the rest. Except she wasn't. Vanessa wasn't desperate for my attention, and she sure as hell didn't play into the charm I weaponized so well. She didn't care who I was or what I could do. She looked at me like she saw straight through the façade, and it pissed me off. Made me want to prove her wrong. She wasn't a distraction; she was a challenge. And I always won.
And I did. I broke her walls, got inside her head, and claimed the prize. For a moment, I felt unstoppable. Only, it wasn't a victory—I was losing control. She consumed every thought, every moment, until I was chasing something I didn't even understand. Suddenly, it wasn't about the sex or control I had over her; it was only about her.
Then, Vanessa Warner disappeared from my life as quickly as she'd walked into it, slipping through my fingers like smoke.
For a while, her absence wasn't just noticeable—it was suffocating. A void opened up where she used to be, one I can't ignore no matter how much I try. I'd tell myself I don't care, that I'd move on. There were plenty of other distractions to replace her. Except none of them did. I couldn't stop replaying every argument, every kiss, every goddamn moment. Vanessa was everywhere. I wanted to forget her, to erase every trace of her from my mind, but I couldn't.
