Aurora's deep thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the front door. Maria glanced toward the door, her expression softening.“That must be Julian,” she said with a quiet smile, already moving to her feet.Aurora looked up—confused. How did her mother know him?“Julian?” she asked, knitting her beautiful brows.“Oh, I forgot to tell you. Julian often comes here for a visit. He told me that you were good friends in college. That young man is such a kind-hearted person,” Maria said, praising Julian wholeheartedly. She even had a soft smile on her face. It seemed like they were getting along well with each other.It wasn’t a surprise. Julian was an easygoing person and could blend in anywhere with ease.“Let me get it,” she said, placing the things in her hands on the couch before proceeding to answer the door.Julian was also surprised when he saw her. “Rory…”Aurora offered a small smile. “Julian, come on in,” she said, stepping aside to let him enter.Julian brought a basket of
That day, Aurora didn’t come back to the estate after going to the hospital with Edith. She wanted to take a breath—even just for a little while. The huge space in the estate was growing tighter for the three of them. She was unable to breathe every time she got caught up in Grayson’s possessiveness—and Natalie’s poison was starting to crawl under her skin.She had no reason to be angry about Natalie pouring all her hatred onto her. Natalie was hurt because of Grayson. She had every right to be angry. The truth hurt, but whether she accepted it or not, there was nothing else she could do about it.She had no place in Grayson’s life. That much was clear. What was she to him, anyway? Just a worthless girl—like a ragged doll he could throw away anytime.Aurora badly wanted to get out of that place. But how?Grayson would never let her go.Just as much as her heart never wanted to.She stared blankly out of the taxi’s window for a long time, her unkempt thoughts drifting far away. Her tri
Natalie had been brought to the hospital not long after the accident. The skin on her arm, red and blistered, had already begun to swell.Grayson arrived shortly after receiving the call from Edith.He didn’t ask many questions. He didn’t have to.His footsteps echoed down the sterile hallway, his presence sharp and quiet. The doctor kept pace beside him, murmuring details he didn’t really listen to—something about second-degree burns, how it looked worse than it was, how infection was the real concern. Grayson didn’t say anything. Just nodded once.Outside the private room, he caught sight of Aurora.She was sitting stiffly on a bench against the corridor wall, elbows on her knees, fingers moving restlessly in her lap. Edith sat beside her, a calming presence, though even she looked uncertain.Aurora didn’t look up. Her gaze was fixed on the floor tiles.Grayson’s eyes lingered for only a second before he turned away and stepped inside the room.It was quiet. The kind of quiet that c
Natalie slumped against the wall, gasping, one trembling hand reaching for her throat.Her lips parted in disbelief, but no words came.Just silence.The hallway felt colder somehow. Emptier, even.She stared at the place where he had just stood, where his cold back had disappeared seconds ago—like he hadn’t just snapped. Like he hadn’t just looked at her like she was nothing.This was the first time she had seen him like that.Grayson Moore had always been cruel in a quiet way. Distant. Calculated. He wielded silence like a knife.But this? That flash of rage in his eyes, the raw fury in his voice, the way his hands had gripped her throat without hesitation—That wasn’t the man she knew.He had lost control. And not for her.It was her—Nata
Grayson lay on his side, one arm tucked beneath his head, the other resting uselessly between them, caught in the empty space that somehow felt too loud. The early morning light crept in through the curtains, casting a soft, golden hue that slowly traced its way across Aurora’s face like a quiet intrusion, uninvited yet welcome.She was still fast asleep, her breathing even, her expression peaceful—so completely untouched by the storm that gnawed relentlessly inside him.He told himself not to move. Not to reach out. Not to want.But his hand didn’t listen.Like it had a mind of its own, it moved—hesitant but drawn, and slowly brushed away a loose strand of hair from her cheek. His fingers lingered, betraying him further, tracing the delicate curve of her face as if he were memorizing something he knew he shouldn’t want, but couldn't help needing.Damn it.He hated how easily his body betrayed him around her.His brain—the same one that had been sharpened for strategy, revenge, and
Aurora instinctively raised her hand and pressed it against his chest, trying to push him away. Her heart still racing wildly against her ribs, not just from fear but from the overwhelming tension between them.But Grayson seized her small hands effortlessly, locking her in his grip. His touch was firm, his warmth seeping through her skin like fire.Aurora struggled lightly, gathering enough courage to whisper, “This isn’t right… You have a fiancée...”Her voice was soft but trembling, the weight of the truth pressing heavily between them.For a moment, Grayson didn’t move. His jaw tightened as he stared down at her, the shadowed light illuminating sharp lines across his handsome face. A sharp glint flashed on his eyes— something raw and untamed.It wasn’t just anger. It was deeper than that, something that scared even him.Grayson’s hands tightened around hers as if her words had triggered a storm inside him. He wasn’t angry at her. He was furious at himself — furio