004

Aurelia POV

I couldn’t help it.

The tear fell anyway, slipping past every wall I tried to build inside myself. No matter how hard I fought it, my body betrayed me.

Seth saw it.

And suddenly he panicked, like he hadn’t just shattered me seconds ago. Like he hadn’t just reduced everything we were into paperwork and careful words. He grabbed a clean napkin quickly, almost frantically, and dabbed at my cheek.

I turned my face away in defiance.

Anger surged through me, hot and unfamiliar. Angry that he could reduce my patience, my sacrifice, my quiet endurance, to nothing. Angry that he would throw it all away for one woman he knew didn’t give a damn. I knew it in my bones. Regina was back for a reason. And it wasn’t a good one.

Seth slowly set the napkin aside.

If you’re not ready to sign it now, it’s okay. We can sort it out when you’re ready, he signed.

I stared ahead, my chest tight.

Was what we shared really this disposable?

But please don’t tell mom and dad. Especially grandfather. I’ll figure out how to break the news to them. Don’t worry.

The words felt rehearsed. Planned. Like this wasn’t a conversation but a conclusion.

I looked away, pain slicing through me, and grabbed the pen. My movements were sharp, angry as I signed the divorce papers.

I don’t even know why I did it.

Part of me still believed I could salvage something. Fix it. Save us. But deep down, I knew Seth didn’t want that. Not anymore.

I just wanted to cry in peace.

I held it in because I knew he would worry, and his worry wouldn’t change the truth. He was going back to her.

Begging was pointless. Emotional blackmail would be pointless too.

He had planned this. The papers proved it.

He looked slightly taken aback by how hard I signed, how forceful my movements were. Maybe because he’d never seen me angry before. Even I didn’t know I could be angry at him.

Even now, I knew I was close to breaking.

I pushed my chair back, ready to leave, desperate to escape the room before I fell apart. But Seth caught my wrist, his grip firm and familiar.

That touch would have made me melt once.

Not now.

"Aurelia, I will always love you no matter what, he signed. You can still live here. You’re my sister, and that will never change."

Sister.

The word burned.

He pulled me close and kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes as another tear slipped free. I couldn’t stop it. I pulled away abruptly and ran upstairs, locking the door behind me.

The moment I was alone, I broke.

Tears poured down my cheeks, hot and uncontrollable. My body shook as sobs ripped through me.

Had I been a fool all this time?

Thinking I had won, when really I was just filling space. Standing in. While he kept her tucked somewhere in his heart all along.

My mind drifted back to the day grandfather told us to get married.

I remembered how I hid my happiness. How I swallowed it down, afraid to show how much it meant to me to finally be more than his beloved sister.

I guess I was just dreaming.

All these years, I lived inside that dream, praying I wouldn’t wake up.

I never told him how much I loved him. How long I had waited. How deeply.

Was that why?

Maybe I should have said it earlier.

I should have told him I loved him. Not as a brother. Not as an arranged husband. But him. Just him. I loved everything about him.

Even if I couldn’t hear my own voice say it, maybe signing it would have changed something.

Maybe.

I should have told him.

But now it was too late.

I had signed the divorce papers. I had stepped down from the role I thought I would die in. Returned to a role I couldn’t bear. One I had tucked away for so long.

How was I supposed to be just his sister after everything?

More tears spilled.

I felt the vibration of a knock.

Once. Twice.

I knew it was him.

But there was nothing left to say. I let him knock until he stopped.

Regina won again.

And I lost.

♡♡♡♡♡♡

Thank God it was a Saturday.

I couldn’t imagine going to the company looking like this. I sat by the window, staring at the evening sun as it dipped low, calm and soft, the complete opposite of how I felt inside.

This time yesterday, I had been in the kitchen, foolishly making dinner, unaware of what was waiting for me.

The tears came again.

This is my life now, I thought. Maybe this kind of love was never meant for me.

Slowly, I dragged myself to the bathroom. I stood under the shower, barely moving, letting the water run over me. I wished it could wash the ache away, wash away the sharp, constant pricking in my chest.

It didn’t.

I stepped out, wrapped a towel around myself, then dressed in my nightgown.

Then I started packing.

Everything from the room we shared.

I was leaving it for him. If we were siblings now, then siblings didn’t share a bed. Not a bed meant for lovers.

I packed quietly, methodically, carrying my things into the guest room down the hall.

As I lifted the last bag, I bumped into someone.

Seth.

I immediately looked away.

He stepped into my path when I tried to move around him.

"What are you doing, Aurelia?" he signed.

"What does it look like? Siblings don’t share rooms, do they?" I signed back.

He studied me for a moment, then sighed. And to my confusion, he smiled.

"I got you your favourite. Come, let’s have dinner."

My favourite?

I didn’t have the energy to argue. Maybe this was part of relearning my old role.

So I followed him.

He ate. I barely touched my food.

Halfway through, he set his fork down. His expression shifted, more serious now.

My chest tightened.

Was Regina moving in next?

"Zane is coming back home", he signed.

Zane.

Zane was coming back.