MasukThey approached the customer service counter at the front of the mall, the bright overhead lights reflecting off the polished marble floor. A pretty lady in a neat uniform stood behind it, her hair pulled back into a professional bun and a name tag pinned neatly to her blouse. The moment her eyes landed on Aurelia, her entire face lit up with genuine recognition and warmth.“Miss Aria! Welcome back again,” she said cheerfully, leaning slightly forward over the counter. “Did you forget something? You were just here a few minutes ago.”Aurelia stared back in complete confusion. She blinked several times, then glanced around the busy mall entrance, checking if the woman might be speaking to someone else standing nearby. But no one else was there. The words hung in the air, strange and disorienting.“Sorry… are you talking to me?” Aurelia asked slowly, her voice cautious and uncertain.The lady nodded enthusiastically, smiling even wider. “Of course! Beautiful change of clothes by the way
Aurelia stepped out from behind a tall shelf stacked with household items, her arms holding a small pack of tissues and a bottle of water. The fluorescent lights of the mall cast a harsh glow on her confused expression. “What is it, Mira? I heard you calling my name so loudly,” she asked, voice laced with concern as she approached her best friend.Mira stood frozen in the middle of the aisle, her cart abandoned a few feet away. She turned slowly toward Aurelia’s voice, eyes wide. For a long second, she stared at the real Aurelia, blonde hair slightly messy from the day’s chaos, no visible tattoos on her arms, wearing the same clothes from earlier. Then her gaze snapped back toward the mall exit doors, where the other woman was already pushing through and heading toward the parking lot.Aurelia tilted her head, confusion deepening. “Mira? Hello? What’s going on?”Mira rubbed her eyes dramatically with both hands, as if trying to clear her vision. She stared again, at Aurelia, then at t
Later that evening, the sky had turned a deep shade of orange as the sun began its slow descent. Aurelia and Mira left the hotel suite after hours of talking, crying, and eating comfort food. Aurelia needed some of her work clothes from Ronan’s house if she planned to return to Innovatech the next day. Mira offered to drive, and Aurelia didn’t argue. They climbed into the sports car, windows down, and Mira blasted Cardi B through the speakers. The heavy beat of “WAP” filled the car as they rapped along, voices loud and carefree for the first time that day.“Cardi got me feeling myself!” Mira shouted, bouncing in the driver’s seat while tapping the steering wheel. Aurelia managed a small smile, nodding her head to the rhythm even though her heart still felt heavy. The music helped drown out the painful memories of Selene’s message, it was just two best friends cruising through New York, pretending the world wasn’t falling apart.Soon they reached the familiar gate of Ronan’s house. It
The morning sun hung low over the New York skyline, casting long golden rays across the bustling highway. Aurelia gripped the steering wheel of the sleek sports car, her knuckles pale against the black leather. Sleep had been elusive the night before, haunted by Selene’s cruel words, the screech of tires aimed at her body, and the confusing revelations about Ronan and his mysterious self. Her eyes felt heavy, rimmed with the faint redness of unshed tears, but she forced herself to focus on the road. Work awaited. Normalcy, even if it was a fragile illusion, might help her piece together the wreckage of her life.Before merging fully into traffic, she pulled out her phone at a red light and typed a careful message to her mother. Her thumbs hovered over the screen for a long moment, heart aching with a mix of hope and dread.Aurelia: Mom, how are you doing? I’m worried about you. Can we meet and talk? Please.She hit send before she could overthink it, then tossed the phone into the pas
Aurelia’s mouth opened before she could stop herself. “Yes, I…” The words hung in the air, heavy with vulnerability. She had been searching for her father for so long, chasing shadows and half-remembered stories from her mother. Admitting it out loud to Ronan felt like peeling back another layer of her carefully guarded heart. But before she could finish the sentence, a loud, teasing voice cut through the kitchen like a splash of cold water.“What are the two lovebirds doing?” Danny stepped fully into the kitchen, his broad shoulders filling the doorway. A mischievous grin stretched across his face, the kind that said he lived for stirring trouble. His eyes danced between Aurelia and Ronan, clearly enjoying the tension crackling in the room.Aurelia seized the opportunity. She reached forward quickly, snatching her phone back from Ronan’s grasp. Her fingers brushed his for a split second, sending that familiar electric spark racing up her arm, the mate bond refusing to be ignored no m
Aurelia stumbled backward in pure disbelief, her bare feet scraping against the gravel driveway as Selene’s car engine roared like a beast ready to devour her. For one terrifying second, time slowed. The woman who had raised her, the same woman who had sung her lullabies as a child and bandaged her scraped knees, was now pressing the accelerator with fury in her eyes. Aurelia’s heart shattered into a thousand jagged pieces. This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t the mother she had known all her life.She barely managed to jump aside as the tires kicked up dust and small stones. The car swerved at the last moment, missing her by inches, and sped through the open gate without a backward glance. Aurelia stood there trembling, arms wrapped tightly around herself, tears stinging her eyes. The ache in her chest was unbearable, a deep, throbbing pain that made it hard to breathe. How could Selene do this? How could the person she had trusted most turn on her like that?Foaming with a mix of







