THE NEW SHADOW

Before anything else, I want to deeply thank Rachel Reid for creating the universe of Heated Rivalry.

Thank you for giving us characters, emotions, and a story that managed to stay in the minds and hearts of so many people around the world. Without that universe, The New Shadow would have never existed.

To my mom… thank you, truly.

Thank you for listening through endless nights filled with ideas, scenes, doubts, theories, and all the chaos surrounding this book. Thank you for supporting me from the very beginning, for believing in me even when this still felt like an impossible idea. Your words, your support, and your wishes for my success meant more than I could ever explain.

To Camilo, for sharing so many conversations, memes, emotions, and obsessions related to this story and this series. Thank you for listening to me talk for hours about imaginary characters and scenes as if everything I said was completely normal.

To Luis, because in some way, you taught me that writing could also be a way of existing. A way of expressing thoughts, emotions, and parts of ourselves that are sometimes difficult to say out loud. Thank you for opening that door in my life.

And thank you as well for listening to me during some of my hardest moments. Your support gave me strength, and your words filled my soul more than you probably realize.

To Gaby and Serena, thank you too for being emotionally present during some of the most difficult moments while this book was taking shape. Thank you for your patience, for listening to me, for staying beside me, and for helping me keep moving forward even when everything felt like it was falling apart. The moments we shared brought me joy, and our conversations became part of a stage in my life that I will never forget.

And finally, thank you to you, the person who made it to the very last page.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

I truly hope this story gave you a smile, a tear, a moment of anxiety, or even a moment of excitement… because making you feel something real was always my only intention.

Thank you for reading me.
Thank you for staying.
Thank you for being here.

— Pedro Chavarría