ANGEL, GHOST, and ME

Aurora POV 

The dark room was thick with sultry tension; the faint glow from the bedside lamp cast long shadows. I lay sprawled on the bed, defenseless in the heady mix of alcohol and forbidden emotions.

The man standing by the edge of the bed unbuttoned his shirt, piercing eyes fixed on me. My vision blurred, but I knew him—my brother-in-law. The very thought should have stopped me, but it didn't.

He leaned down, his lips warm and gentle against mine. My breath caught as his kisses became more passionate, his hands leaving trails of fire up and down my arms. Instinctively, my fingers made their way around his back, skimming along skin as I drew him near. His weight leaned against mine, a low sigh escaping from me at his nearness.

Six Hours Earlier

"I miss you, Dad," I whispered to the void, my hands clamped on the edge of the vanity as silent sobs fell down my cheeks. My hollow, defeated reflection stared back. Before I could wipe them away, clear footsteps sounded from the hall, followed by the bathroom door bursting open.

Joanne burst in, her face distorted with exasperation. "Still not dressed, Aurora? Guests will be arriving at any moment!"

I turned to her, shaking my voice. "Joanne, please. You can't make me marry Patrick Hayes."

Her eyes slitted into narrow lines. "Not this again, Aurora. You're a Gray now, and you'll marry whomever I say you will.

"The Hayes are the most powerful family in New York," she proceeded with disdain dripping from her voice. "You're lucky they even want you."

I clenched my fists, anger boiling under my surface. "This arrangement was just so you could get close to the Hayes! You're using me as a pawn!"

Her hand moved quicker than I could react, the sting of her slap ringing through the air. I stumbled back, clutching my cheek as tears burned hotter.

Watch your mouth, you ungrateful bitch," she spat, her tone dripping with venom. "Don't you forget-fifteen years ago, Leo Levine killed your family. It was me who saved your life, who gave you everything! Marry Patrick, or I will send you back to Leo Levine and Amber Raven. Let me make one thing very clear-you'll be sleeping with the fishes in the bottom of the Chicago River before midnight if you cross me.

Her words cut deeper than her slap, leaving me gasping for air.

"Get dressed. Five minutes," Joanne snapped, turning on her heel. "Don't make me come back up here."

The door slammed shut behind her, leaving me trembling in the suffocating silence of the room. My knees buckled, and I sank to the floor, clutching the fabric of my gown. Desperation clawed at my chest, but one thing was for sure: I had to find a way out of this nightmare.

My hands, trembling, struggled with the zipper on this overdone dress that Joanne had chosen for me. It was tight and pressed on my body, tight and heavy, like the life I had to endure. I tugged hard on the zipper, but it didn't move; frustration surged into my heart.

Just as I was going to shout out, the door opened with a creak.

I whipped around, my breath catching in my throat. A tall, shadowed figure slipped inside and closed the door behind him with a soft click.

"Who—" I started, but before I could scream, the man clamped a hand over my mouth. His other arm wrapped around my waist, holding me firmly against him.

"Quiet," he whispered, his breath warm against my ear. "I'm not here to hurt you."

My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled against his hold, but his grip was unyielding.

A sharp knock on the door startled us both. “Miss Aurora? Are you ready?”

Panic surged through me. My stepmother would kill me if she thought I was stalling. “Go away!” I called out, my voice shaky but loud enough to be convincing. “I’m still dressing!”

There was a pause, followed by retreating footsteps.

He let go of my mouth, but didn't budge. I felt his hands at my back, delicately touching my skin as he clutched the recalcitrant zipper.

"Relax," he whispered. He slowly zipped the dress, his touch lingering just a second too long. His fingers touched my shoulder, then trailed down to my waist before he stepped back.

I turned to him, my lips parting to demand answers, and he was already heading for the door.

"Wait! Who is it?" I asked in a barely audible tone of voice.

He didn't answer but instead opened the door, looked back at me for a second, and then disappeared into the hall, leaving me with this feeling of mystery hanging over me.

I sank onto the edge of the bed, my mind racing. Who was that man? And how had he managed to get into my room unnoticed?

Just as I thought I'd caught my breath, my eyes landed on the vanity. Something gleamed in the dim light—a tiny, golden key resting on the surface.

I scowled, picking it up. It wasn't mine. As I turned it over in my fingers, a folded piece of paper caught my eye tucked beneath it.

I unfolded it, and my blood ran cold as I read in bold, precise handwriting:

"Find the truth about Joanne Gray, or you'll end up like your family."

The key fell from my shaking hands and clattered to the floor.

What truth? And who had left this message?

I stood uncomfortably at the edge of the room, my nerves unraveling with each second. Joanne's hand was a vice grip on my arm, her smile plastered in place as Patrick Hayes entered the room. He was just as commanding as the tabloids described: sharp features and an air of authority that shrunk everyone in the room back.

I curtsied politely as he greeted us, but his gaze swept right past me and landed on Eva, Joanne's precious daughter.

"Ah, Eva," Patrick said, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "The most lovely woman here." He reached for her hand, pressing a kiss to it as she giggled coyly. My stomach churned at the sight.

So much for my impending marriage to him.

I clenched my fists, willing myself to stay calm, but my anger simmered just beneath the surface. Before I could stew further, the doors opened again, and the air in that room shifted.

As I turned to look, my heart stopped.

It was him.

The man who had zipped my dress, who had left the cryptic key and message on my vanity. He strolled into the room with an air of calm confidence, his sharp suit doing little to mask the raw power emanating from him.

Everyone froze as his presence commanded attention.

"Dominic," Patrick greeted him with a mixture of surprise and unease. "I wasn't expecting you."

Dominic Hayes. Patrick's older brother.

My blood ran cold.

Dominic’s gaze briefly met mine, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes before he turned back to Patrick. “Apologies for my lateness,” he said, his tone smooth. “I had an. incident earlier.” He gestured vaguely to his arm, where a faint scratch peeked out from under his cuff. “I need treatment and I will like Aurora to help me.”

My heart thundered in my chest as all eyes snapped to me.

Joanne's fingers dug into my arm, and her expression a mask of barely concealed fury. "Aurora?" she hissed out in a rush of breath.

Patrick's brow furrowed, his eyes giving me a skeptical once-over. "Alright, Aurora" you can go with him.

The room was electric with tension, Patrick visibly bristling at the subtle jab. With a reluctant nod, he gestured toward the seating area. "Very well. Let's continue the engagement party."

I led Dominic out of the suffocating room, my heart racing as we climbed the stairs. Joanne's glare burned into my back, Eva's triumphant smirk still fresh in my mind. Patrick hadn't spared me a single glance, yet here I was, being pulled into the orbit of his older brother.

When we entered my room, I closed the door behind us, my hands shaking. Dominic's presence filled the space, making it feel impossibly small.

"Sit," I said shortly, reaching for the first-aid kit on my dresser.

He did so, easing into the chair by the window. I knelt before him, avoiding his gaze as I cleaned the faint scratch on his arm. The silence between us stretched, charged with something I couldn't name.

Does it hurt?" I asked, keeping my voice even.

"Not anymore," he replied; his voice was soft but there was something in the layers of his tone that made me feel a shiver run down my spine.

I finished tying up the bandage and straightened to put away the supplies. Turning back, I found him watching me. His dark eyes stayed with me as they traced every line on my face, down my neck, to the curve of my shoulder.

It wasn't a look; it was a challenge, silently thrown.

I straightened my back, refusing to let him rattle me. "You're done. You can leave now."

But Dominic didn't move. Instead, he leaned back in the chair, his lips curving into a slow, knowing smile. "Why are you so afraid of me, Aurora?"

"I'm not afraid of you," I shot back, though the quiver in my voice betrayed me.

He stood, closing the space between us in two measured steps. The air around me grew thick as he reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from my face.

"You should be," he murmured, his voice low and intimate.

My breath hitched, but I forced myself to step back, breaking whatever spell he was weaving. "You should go," I said firmly.

For a moment, I actually thought he would debate this, but he just smirked and reached for the door. As he turned to leave, his eyes swung back to mine with a weighted glance.

"Midnight. Don't forget."

He left, and I sank onto the bed, my knees weak. The folded note from earlier weighed heavily in my pocket. Who was Dominic, really? And why did it feel like he knew more about my life than I did?

 I took a deep breath and stepped out of my room, only to bump into Joanne in the hallway. Immediately, her cold, calculating eyes raked over me, putting my nerves on edge.

"Joanne," I started, trying to gather my courage. "I need to talk to you about Patrick."

She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "What about him?"

"I won't marry him," I said, firmly, but my voice was trembling. "Please, there has to be another way."

Joanne's lips curled into a cruel smile. "There isn't, Aurora. You need to marry Patrick to stay alive."

Joanne crossed her arms, her tone sharp. "Leo Levine is still looking for you. He will never rest until he finds you and gets rid of you. Do you think I've been keeping you hidden all these years out of the goodness of my heart?"

"Leo Levine?" I echoed, the name sending chills down my spine. 

Joanne leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Your father killed his daughter. That’s why Leo killed your family, and that’s why he won’t stop until you’re gone too."

I shook my head, my chest tightening. "That’s not true! My father didn’t kill Leo Levine’s daughter."

Joanne's hand shot out, gripping my arm painfully. "Shut up, Aurora. This isn't about truth or love. This is a battle of survival, and you need to stop playing the victim. Marry Patrick, or you die."

Her words hung in the air like a death sentence.

Joanne released me and stepped back, her gaze hard and unforgiving. "Here," she said, shoving a bottle of whiskey into my hands. "Drink yourself out of this little pity party you’re having."

I stared at the bottle, my hands trembling. "Joanne, please—"

"Enough, Aurora," she snapped, cutting me off. "You'll do what I say, or you'll be dead by sunrise. Play nice, marry Patrick, and keep your head down. You don't want to know what Leo Levine will do if he finds you."

With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving me standing alone in the dimly lit hallway, my head spinning with her words.

The whiskey was burning my throat as Joanne handed it to me, but I drank it anyway; I needed some courage for what was going to happen. Patrick didn't want me, and Joanne only saw me as a tool to strengthen her alliances.

The more the alcohol flowed through my system, the cloudier my head became. The room swayed, and my fingers fumbled to set the empty bottle down on the table. My hand slipped as I reached for a nearby candle to steady myself.

The candle hit the floor, its flame catching on the edge of the curtain. In a few brief moments, fire engulfed the sitting room.

I tried to move, but my legs felt like lead, and my head spun wildly. Panic clawed at my chest as the heat intensified and the smoke thickened. My vision blurred, and I thought I might pass out when suddenly, strong arms wrapped around me.

“It’s okay, I’ve got you,” a familiar voice said.