Chapter 6: When Silence Speaks.

Aurora stirred awake to the faint sting in her arm. Her eyes blinked open to find the soft light of the hospital filtering through pale curtains. Two nurses were just pulling away, carrying vials of her blood.

She barely felt the pinch of the needle. Everything inside her was muted, like she was watching life through a sheet of glass.

In the corner of the room, Cole stood with the doctor, their voices low and grave. When they noticed she was awake, the doctor approached, his expression heavy with something he wished he didn’t have to say.

“Aurora,” he began carefully, as if each word might wound her further. “I have… bad news.” He paused, searching her pale face for a flicker of readiness. “We found traces of the same poison that killed Elara… in your system too.”

Aurora stared at him blankly. The words fell against her like rain against stone. Poison. Dead. Elara. None of it mattered. Nothing mattered. The one reason she fought every day, the one reason she breathed, was gone.

She didn’t flinch. Didn’t cry. Didn’t even blink. Her body lay still, her eyes empty, her lips refusing to form a single word. Silence swallowed the room.

Cole exchanged a look with the doctor, his jaw tightening. “Give me her records,” he said firmly. “All of them. Elara’s too. I’m taking them back to L.A. My team will find answers. If there’s a cure, we’ll find it.” His voice was strong, but it trembled beneath the weight of a promise he couldn’t keep.

The doctor nodded, his eyes soft with pity. But Aurora didn’t react. She wasn’t listening. Her soul was locked behind grief too deep for sound to reach.

Through it all, Xavier was nowhere to be found.

When discharge papers came, it was Cole who signed them. It was Cole who helped her into the car. It was Cole who drove her home, watching from the corner of his eye as she sat motionless, her gaze fixed on nothing, her body pale and hollow.

Outside her house, Cole turned to her, his voice gentler now. “Aurora…” He reached for her hand, squeezing it. “I couldn’t save Elara. I failed her. But I promise you…I will fix this. I’ll fix you. You’re stronger than you think.”

She didn’t answer. She didn’t cry. She only stared ahead, her eyes lifeless and her silence louder than any scream.

Cole pulled her into a hug anyway, holding her as if he could will life back into her broken body. She didn’t hug him back. He guided her into the house to make sure she was safe.

“I’ll keep you updated on the research.” And with a sigh, he was gone.

For two days, Xavier never came home. He was busy playing house with Lilith and Jaxon, wrapped in a world that wasn’t his to begin with.

On the third night, he finally returned. The house was eerily quiet, shadows clinging to every corner. He assumed Aurora and Elara were asleep. But when he flicked on the light, he froze.

Aurora was there, sitting on the couch, motionless, her eyes red-rimmed and vacant, her skin pale like a ghost. She hadn’t moved from that spot since she came back from the hospital.

Xavier frowned, forcing a chuckle to mask his unease. “Why are you sitting in the dark? You scared me.”

No response.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know you’re upset. But there’s a reason I couldn’t answer your calls.”

Still nothing.

He shifted awkwardly, searching her face. “Where’s Elara?” He asked, trying again.

Silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.

He watched her in silence, realizing just how worn she looked. Aurora had always been stunning, not just in her face but in the quiet glow she carried. Even with Lilith sharing her features, Aurora’s light had always set her apart.

But now, that light was gone. She looked hollow, a shadow of herself, and he knew it was because of him. He told himself she would understand, that Jaxon needed him, that he owed Lilith. But looking at her now, he couldn’t ignore the truth.

Without a word, He hurried upstairs to Elara’s room, but it was empty. Anxiety spiked as he searched the house, calling her name, his voice echoing back at him with no reply. Panic clawed at his chest.

He rushed back downstairs, breath uneven, and demanded, “Where’s Elara? Where did you take my daughter?”

Only then did Aurora speak, but not to answer his question. Her voice dropped like frost. “Where were you?”

Xavier blinked. “What? Is this why you’re acting like this?” He scoffed, frustration prickling. “Aurora, I was busy…I was with Jaxon. He had an episode. I couldn’t just leave.”

Her eyes lifted to his, and for the first time in days, emotion flickered across her face. Rage. Pain. Betrayal. She stood abruptly and struck him across the face with a sharp, resounding slap.

Xavier staggered back, stunned, he wasn't expecting that. Aurora was usually soft, calm and patient but right now, he did not recognize the Aurora before him.