Chapter 2: Replaced

Aurora’s POV

“There she is,” the lead guard shouted, marching straight toward me. “Grab her!”

My heart jumped into my throat.

The dark trees were behind me, and the empty road was in front of me. Three men in black suits moved fast. They worked for my father; I had seen them around our estate for years.

“Wait!” I backed away, hands up.

The guard didn't stop. “Miss Brooks, your father said to bring you home right now.”

“I’m not going back to that house.” I clutched the big black shirt tight around me. I was freezing, exhausted, and bleeding, but the thought of returning made me sick to my stomach.

Asher had betrayed me. Sophie had slept with the man I loved. And my own father had watched it happen without caring at all.

The guard stepped closer. “Don't make this hard on yourself.”

I jerked back. “Don't touch me!”

The guard paused, pulled out his phone, and dialed.

“Sir, we found her,” he said, scanning my bare legs, the dirt on my skin, and the oversized shirt. “Yes, sir. Understood.”

He hung up and looked at me with cold eyes. “Your father said to bring you through the back door before the reporters or the Jones family see you.”

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. Nathan Brooks didn't care if I was alive or dead. He only cared about his reputation.

“Fine,” I whispered.

I walked to the SUV myself. No one had to drag me.

The ride was dead silent. I sat in the back with my arms wrapped around my chest, staring at the morning fog. I tried not to think about the stranger I had left asleep in the woods. He was the only person in years who hadn't made me feel useless. But that night was over.

When the car rolled through the iron gates of the Brooks estate, the entire property was lit up. Maids and staff were whispering near the entrance.

The car stopped and then the door opened.

Before I could reach the steps, Sophie rushed out. “Aurora!”

She looked terrified, and for a second, I almost believed she cared. Then her gaze dropped.

She took in the men’s shirt, my bare legs, the scratches on my skin, and my tangled hair. A quick, nasty smirk crossed her face. She was thrilled. She covered it immediately, pressing her hands to her mouth.

“Oh my God,” she gasped loudly, making sure the staff heard every word.

My mother hurried out behind her, freezing in shock. “Aurora... what happened to you?”

I tried to push past them. “Move, Sophie.”

Sophie gripped my wrist tight. “Where did you get that shirt?”

“None of your business. Let go.”

Sophie turned to my mother with crocodile tears. “Mom... she wasn't alone last night.”

“Sophie, shut up,” I snapped, my face burning.

“Did you sleep with someone?” Sophie asked loudly.

The courtyard went dead silent. The maids froze. My mother covered her mouth.

“Shut up, Sophie!” My voice tore out of my throat, shaking with fury. “You screwed my fiancé in my face and you're blaming me?!”

“Look at you!” Sophie scoffed, recoiling like I was disgusting. “You caught us, ran away like a child, and opened your legs for the very first man you could find!”

Heavy footsteps echoed down the grand staircase.

My father walked out in a tailored suit, his face set like stone. “What is going on here?”

Sophie ran straight to him, sobbing into his chest. “Dad, she’s wearing another man’s shirt. She was gone all night and ruined herself!”

“That's a lie!” I yelled through burning tears. “I ran into the woods because my fiancé and my own sister stabbed me in the back!”

My father didn't care about Asher. His eyes locked onto the black shirt hanging off my shoulders.

“Who does that shirt belong to?” he demanded.

“I don't know,” I whispered.

His eyes narrowed. “You don't know?”

“I don't know his name!”

“You slept with a stranger while the entire city waits for our press conference?” Disgust dripped from every word. “You have no shame.”

“I was hurting, Dad!” My voice broke completely. “Asher treated me like garbage, and Sophie helped him!”

Sophie sobbed harder against his chest. “I never wanted to hurt you, Aurora. Asher and I fell in love... we couldn't help it. But throwing yourself at a random man just to spite us? How could you bring this kind of shame to our family?”

My father wrapped an arm around Sophie, pulling her close.

I stared at them. The daughter who destroyed my life was getting comforted, while I stood in the dirt like a criminal.

“The wedding announcement happens today,” my father declared, voice ice-cold. “The press arrives at noon, and the Jones family expects a Brooks bride.”

I blinked through my tears. “What are you saying?”

My father checked his gold watch, refusing to look at me. “You’ve disgraced this family, Aurora. You are no longer fit to marry Asher Jones.”

He looked down at Sophie, his tone turning gentle. “Sophie will take your place.”

The breath was knocked straight out of me.

Sophie hid her face in our father’s jacket, pretending to cry. But over his shoulder, her eyes found mine.

She smiled. A cold, wicked smirk.

She had planned this from the start. She had stolen my fiancé, my family, and my future.

“Take her upstairs and lock her in her room,” my father ordered the guards, turning his back on me. “Strip that filthy shirt off her and burn it. She doesn't step foot outside until Sophie's wedding contract is signed.”

“Get off me!” I screamed as two guards seized my arms.

They dragged me toward the double doors. I fought like wild, clutching the oversized shirt to my chest. It was the only trace I had left of the only man who had shown me any warmth.

As they dragged me up the steps, something strange happened.

The collar of the shirt suddenly turned scorching hot against my neck, burning like real fire.

Miles away in the dark woods, the strange man lay motionless on the frozen ground.

His black shirt was gone, but the heavy air around him began to warp.

Slowly, his eyes opened.

They weren't human eyes. They were glowing, burning gold.

Damian Wolfe was awake.