Even Cullen, usually stoic and contained, couldn't hide his captivation. His face, typically a mask of cool indifference, was transformed by genuine wonder. Beside him, Sabrina and Nate bounded from their seats, caught in the thrill of the moment, their cheers joining the cacophony of the crowd.

The race intensified to an electrifying peak. Leo reclaimed the binoculars, his eyes fixed on the track, completely unaware that just rows away sat Cullen and his inner circle.

During a brief lull in the action, Niall seized the lead. Veronica extended her hand toward Leo, silently requesting the binoculars again.

Leo's face broke into a wide grin. "She's got you hooked too, hasn't she? ROCK has that effect on everyone. I told you—resistance is futile!"

Veronica responded with a faint smile, saying nothing. Her mind was elsewhere, contemplating whether to call Cullen. She was curious about his reaction, though she already anticipated the outcome—rejection, as always. Still, a small voice inside her whispered: just one final attempt.

Succumbing to this impulse, Veronica dialed Cullen's number while raising the binoculars to her eyes once more. Through the magnified lenses, she witnessed Cullen glance at his phone, dismiss her call without hesitation, and immediately return his undivided attention to Niall on the track.

His gaze held Niall like she was the only person in the universe.

Veronica took a deep, steadying breath, offered herself a small, resigned smile, and handed the binoculars back to Leo. For the remainder of the race, she neither watched the competition nor looked in Cullen's direction again.

When the final lap concluded, Niall had claimed victory.

Leo was beside himself with excitement. He and his friends launched into an animated discussion about approaching Niall for an autograph.

"But you don't understand—ROCK isn't just any racer," one friend explained. "She's a wealthy heiress with a PhD from an elite university. Racing is merely a pastime for her. She doesn't court fans or cater to public adoration. Typically, she vanishes immediately after races and never signs autographs. Getting one is practically mythical."

"True," another friend added. "Even though this was a private event where we had better odds, the racers have separate exits, and we lack the connections to access those areas. It's hopeless..."

As Leo and his companions voiced their disappointments, word circulated that Niall had already departed with her entourage to celebrate her victory elsewhere.

When Seraphine called to check on her, Veronica declined Leo's pleading invitation to join his friends and offered to take him home instead.

Before departing, Veronica made a quick stop at the restroom.

On her way out, she accidentally collided with someone.

"Sorry," they apologized in unison, both taking a step back. Looking up, Veronica's breath caught in her throat. Standing before her was Marco, one of Cullen's closest confidants.

Marco recognized her instantly, his already detached expression hardening into something colder.

Veronica noticed this subtle shift immediately.

She had entered Cullen's life when she was just ten years old, but Cullen and Marco had been inseparable since their earliest school days. Their friendship had weathered every storm, unbreakable and steadfast.

Yet throughout their relationship and subsequent marriage, Cullen had systematically excluded Veronica from his inner circle. Despite knowing Marco and Nate for over a decade, they remained little more than familiar strangers to her.

But Niall—someone Cullen had known for merely a fraction of that time—had already been welcomed into the sacred space of his friendships.

The contrast wasn't lost on Veronica. It spoke volumes about what she had always known but tried to ignore: in Cullen's world, she had always been peripheral, while Niall had immediately become central. This stranger had effortlessly achieved what Veronica had spent years trying and failing to accomplish—becoming truly significant to Cullen.

As Marco walked past without a word, Veronica stood still for a moment, absorbing this latest confirmation of her position in Cullen's life. It wasn't a new revelation, yet somehow, witnessing it in this context—at a race where Niall had triumphed in more ways than one—made the truth cut deeper than before.

With a composed exterior that belied her inner turmoil, Veronica adjusted her purse strap and continued toward the exit, where Leo was waiting. She would drive him home, make sure he got in safely, and then return to her own place—alone with thoughts of a marriage that existed in name only and a husband whose heart had never truly been hers to lose.

The roar of engines still echoed in the distance as she walked away from the track, a fitting soundtrack to the race she had already lost long ago. Not the competition on asphalt, but the one for Cullen's heart—a contest where she had never even qualified to compete.