LOGIN3RD POINT OF VIEWRing ring…Aurelia’s phone rang out sharply, the sudden sound cutting through the quiet room and sending a brief jolt of discomfort through her ears. She stirred almost immediately, her brows tightening as she forced her eyes open.For a second, she didn’t move. Her eyes still felt heavy from the tears she had cried hours ago, her mind slow to catch up, but the ringing didn’t stop.She pushed herself up, reaching toward the bedside table with slightly unsteady hands until her fingers finally found the phone.Her eyes dropped to the screen.Teresa.That was when she remembered She hadn’t gone to work today.Aurelia hesitated briefly before answering, adjusting her posture as she brought the phone to her ear.“Aurelia, how are you?” Teresa’s voice came through quickly, a clear mix of concern and curiosity. “You didn’t come to the company today. Are you feeling alright?”Aurelia closed her eyes for a second before responding, steadying her voice.“Yes… a little,” she li
AURELIA POV♡“Are you hurt?” Seth finally asks, his gaze settling on me.I stare at him, and for a moment I don’t answer. The question sits there between us, and I find myself wondering if I should just say everything that has been building up since the divorce, or if it is already too late for that to matter.“I’m going to get going now, Aurelia,” Zane says, his voice cutting through my thoughts before I can decide.I turn slightly toward him he steps closer and places his hands on my shoulders, his touch soft and careful, like he is making sure I am actually alright before he leaves.“Take care of yourself,” he adds. “Call me if you need anything.”I nod, keeping my expression calm even though I still feel unsettled. “Thank you.”Zane’s eyes shift briefly to Seth, holding his gaze for a second longer than necessary. There is nothing casual about it. Then he lets go of my shoulders and walks out without saying anything else.The front door closes behind him.The house feels quieter i
AURELIA POV~Seth's eyes immediately move from me to Zane, and the shift in his expression is obvious, whatever urgent concern might have brought him here disappears almost instantly, replaced with something colder, something harder to ignore.“What’s he doing here?”The question comes out sharp, not directed at me, not even neutral. It feels more like a challenge.Greta notices it too. She pauses for a second, then quietly steps back without saying anything else, carrying the empty plate with her as she returns to the kitchen. She doesn’t look back.“I asked a question,” Seth says again, his voice more controlled this time, but the tension in it is still clear. “What’s he doing here?”He still hasn’t asked how I am, if I was fine or not…nothing. Before I can respond, Zane speaks.“No,” he says calmly, cutting through the tension without raising his voice. “You asked a dumbass question.”I turn slightly toward him, surprised, but he doesn’t look at me. His attention stays on Seth.“W
AURELIA POV~“It’s okay… you’re okay…”The voice comes through slowly, and close, like it’s meant to keep me grounded. It doesn’t sound distant or unclear. It sounds real..present.“I’m here with you.”There is something about the tone, deep and calm, that makes it feel familiar, but my mind doesn’t fully catch up with it.Am I dreaming?I try to open my eyes, but the moment I do, the sunlight hits directly, sharp enough to make me shut them again almost immediately. My brows pull together slightly as I adjust, taking a second before trying again, this time slower.My vision clears gradually.The ceiling comes into view first, then the rest of the room follows as I turn my head slightly from where I’m lying. It takes a moment, but then everything from last night comes rushing back properly, all at once.The sudden power outage…the sound of glass breaking.The intruder.Zane.I inhale slowly, my body tensing slightly as the memory settles..my eyes move around the room again, more caref
AURELIA'S POV~I don’t realize how tightly I’m holding onto Zane until my fingers starts to ache and slowly loosen on their own.It takes a few seconds before I finally pull back, my hands still resting lightly against his shirt as I try to steady my breathing. Everything feels slow and heavy at the same time, like my body is only just catching up to what almost happened.Zane doesn’t rush me.He keeps a hand near my arm, not holding me anymore, but close enough in case I lose my balance. When I finally take a small step back, he gently guides me toward the bed.“Sit,” he says, his voice calm, not forcing it, but firm enough that I listen without arguing.I lower myself onto the edge of the bed, my legs feeling weaker than I expected. My hands rest on my lap, but they’re still shaking slightly, and I have to press them together to keep them still.Just then, the lights come back on.The sudden brightness fills the room, and I blink a few times, adjusting. The darkness that made everyt
3RD POINT OF VIEW~The pressure on the door increases suddenly, and the chair Aurelia had pushed against it jerks forward with a harsh scrape against the floor. The movement is no longer tentative. Whoever is on the other side is no longer testing the handle, they are forcing it.Aurelia instinctively steps back, her entire body tensing as her grip tightens around her phone her breathing becomes uneven, and she presses the phone harder against her ear as if that alone can keep her grounded.“Zane…” she says, her voice breaking despite her effort to keep it calm.“I’m almost there,” Zane replies immediately. His tone is no longer just firm, it carries urgency now, the sound of his car engine pushing harder in the background. “Stay where you are Aurelia. Do not open that door, you hear me?”Before she can respond, the intruder’s voice cuts through from the other side of the door.“Open the damn door!!”The shout is loud, aggressive, and close enough to make her flinch violently. It conf
AURELIA POV “Aurelia.”I heard someone call my name, and the sound of that voice sent a strange shock through my ears, like my brain was still trying to adjust to this new world of sound. It wasn’t painful, but it wasn’t comfortable either. It felt unfamiliar, like hearing was still something I ha
Aurelia POV~Steven slowly pulled into the Ashford mansion’s parking area, easing the car to a stop beneath the tall trees that lined the driveway. The afternoon sun shone brightly above us, casting soft shadows across the wide compound, and a gentle breeze brushed against my face as I opened the d
AURELIA POV They pulled away from each other in an instant.Seth’s eyes darted to me immediately, wide with shock. For a moment, he looked like someone who had just been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to do. Worry flooded his expression, followed closely by something that looked painful
Aurelia POV ~“I’m grateful for me and Seth’s relationship,” I began slowly, forcing my voice to remain calm as I tried to start in the safest way possible.The moment the words left my mouth, I became aware of how quiet the room had grown. Everyone’s attention was fixed on me now. Grandfather had







