LOGINAurora’s POV Blood was flowing out of my nose.I knew that not because of the pain that had flared in my nose and was quickly spreading to all areas of my head, and not because of the banging in my head, but because I could feel it trickling down toward my mouth.Asher punched me.I knew it was stupid of me to step in front of him at that moment, but I’d done it so they wouldn’t end up fighting while I was trying to get rid of both of them. Obviously, that hadn’t worked in my favor.“Oh, fuck,” Asher muttered, his eyes wide. “I’m so sorry, Ror. I didn’t see you in the way, and—”“I don’t need the apology, Asher. Just leave,” I said with a wince. Even talking felt painful. “You’ve done enough.”I didn’t wait for him to speak again before taking a step back and slamming the door in his gaping mouth.I half expected the door handle to jingle less than a second later, but surprisingly, it didn’t, and I didn’t hear Asher’s voice anymore.I thanked the universe for that.I shut my eyes wi
Soren’s pov I stared at my text thread with Aurora—if I could even call it that—wondering for what felt like the hundredth time since I’d sent my last text earlier in the day, whether it was the right time to go after her or not.I didn’t have the luxury of waiting, considering the trial was now less than two days away, and she was doing exactly what I didn’t want: keeping me waiting.Although, I was also sure she wasn’t just keeping me waiting. She didn’t want to reply at all.She might have been hiding since I sent the text, for all I knew. And if she had, she was going to find out just how much I loved the chase.Something soft hit my forehead before landing on my phone, blocking my view of the screen.“Dude, I called you like five times already,” my best friend, Colin, said from the loveseat in my Chicago condo.I frowned and swiped the handkerchief off my phone before looking at him.“And that’s why you threw your damn handkerchief at my face?”I glanced at the offending item. W
The moment I woke up the next morning, a wave of nausea hit me. I shot out of bed and ran to the bathroom, emptying the contents of my stomach into the toilet. There was barely anything to throw up, considering I’d already thrown up the only thing I’d eaten yesterday, which hadn’t been much to begin with.As I freshened up and brushed my teeth, my stomach rumbled loudly, reminding me that I needed to put something in it.I dragged myself out of my room and headed downstairs, intending to make something I hoped I could actually hold down this time.Times like this made me miss having Asher around.We were supposed to live here together, and even in our old apartment, he used to cook whenever I felt too lazy to do so. When he cooked, I’d clean up, or sometimes he’d do both. And when I cooked, he always cleaned.It used to be nice.The events of yesterday chose that time to come back to me, and that moment of nostalgia vanished as quickly as it had come. I couldn’t entertain those though
I sighed to myself.If I had known it was him, I wouldn’t have opened the door.I shut the door behind him, turning to face him with a frown and my arms crossed over my chest.He was pacing now, his hair disheveled as he ran a hand through it again. It took a minute before he finally stopped and looked at me.“You can’t accept Soren’s offer, Aurora,” he said, almost pleading. “You’re going to regret it if you do.”I frowned, wondering how he even knew about it in the first place. The only person who should have known was Sierra, and there was no way she would have told him.“How do you know about Soren’s offer?” I asked.His eyes widened for a second, like a deer caught in headlights, but he quickly regained his composure.“Soren is my brother.”That didn’t remotely answer my question, but before I could press him further, he asked, “When were you planning on telling me you were pregnant? And with my brother’s child? Come on, Aurora.”Again, I wondered how he knew about that, but inst
Aurora’s pov I flinched at his tone. “I’m pregnant, Soren.” My fingers shook, and I clamped them together. “I never slept with anyone before or after you, so it’s… I’m carrying your child.” His eyes grew stormy. “How could you be pregnant? Did you plan this? That was why you insisted I didn’t use a condom, wasn’t it? You wanted to trap me.” His accusation made my initial fear fade into something hotter. “Don’t put that on me. Don’t forget you were the one who pretended to be the man I was meant to marry,” I snapped. “You could’ve refused me, told me the truth, but you didn’t. You took advantage of the situation and slept with me. So if anyone is to blame here, then it’s you.” He stared at me for a long moment. Then he finally looked away, a troubled expression passing through his face as he tugged at the hair on the nape of his neck. “Shit. You’re right.” His agreement took me by surprise. “So what are you going to do about it?” His voice was shaky, and at the
Soren’s POV She looked at me the same way she did the first time we met—like she’d seen a ghost. And it still had the same wounding effect to my ego. If she kept reacting to me the way she did, I was on my way to developing serious self-esteem issues. “S… Soren,” she finally said, “what are you doing here?” I had a lot of answers to that question, honestly. But I wasn’t sure she wanted to hear that after trying to find other solutions for weeks, she was still the only one who could bring me some form of freedom. I’d come to bring her back with me to Dallas because my trial was in three days, and if the lady didn’t wake up, or if Aurora didn’t agree to lie for me, I was fucked. So, I went with the simplest answer. “Is it wrong for a husband to come see his wife?” That seemed to snap her out of her stupor. Her gaze sharpened. “You are not my husband.” I smirked. “Not what the marriage certificate says, darling.” “I didn’t agree to marry you.” “Well, that sucks, doesn’







