Chapter 6
Aurora’s POV
I was discharged from the hospital two days later.
The doctor had been reluctant to let me go, citing my blood pressure and the need for rest, but I couldn’t stand another minute in that sterile room.
That cold, sterile hospital room felt like a walk-in freezer, relentlessly eroding my hope.
Every time a nurse walked in, I flinched, expecting Enzo to appear with excuses.
He never came.
Not even once, not even a brief text message of concern.
Jenna had been my only visitor. She’d brought me clothes, food to eat, and books to read.
“He’s been busy with Family meetings,” she’d said on one of her visits. “You know how he gets when the elders are involved.”
I’d nodded and changed the subject. There was no point in making her lie for him anymore.
Now, as I signed the discharge papers, Jenna hovered beside me with that determined look on her face.
“We’re going shopping,” she announced, plucking the pen from my hand the moment I finished. “You need some fresh air and retail therapy.”
“I don’t need…”
“You’ve been staring at hospital walls for two days.” She grabbed my bag before I could protest. “You’re pale, you’re grumpy, and you look like you haven’t slept. We’re fixing at least one of those things.”
Grumpy was an understatement.
I’d spent the past forty-eight hours trapped in my own head, turning the same questions over and over.
Was I making the right decision?
Was divorce really the answer?
Maybe Jenna was right. I should talk to him first, give him a chance to explain.
But explain what?
Why he had been treating me so badly since his first love came back?
And now there was a baby to consider. Our baby.
Did I want my child to grow up watching their father treat their mother like an afterthought?
No.
But knowing that didn’t stop the doubt from gnawing at me.
So here I was, wandering through the outdoor mall pretending to care about window displays while my mood grew darker by the minute.
“What about this one?” Jenna held up a silk scarf. “It would look gorgeous with your complexion.”
“It’s nice.”
She put it back with a sigh. “You’ve said ‘it’s nice’ to everything I’ve shown you. Including that hideous leopard print monstrosity three stores ago.”
“That was nice too.”
“Aurora.” She grabbed my arm, forcing me to stop. “Talk to me. Please. You’re scaring me.”
I opened my mouth to deflect, when my whole body suddenly went rigid.
A familiar perfume drifted toward us. The same fragrance that had clung to Enzo’s collar that night at the clinic.
I turned around involuntarily.
Sophie stood fifteen feet away, browsing a rack of summer dresses.
My stomach lurched.
Jenna followed my gaze, and I watched her expression transform from confusion to recognition to fury in the span of two seconds.
“That shameless witch,” she hissed.
“Jenna, don’t…”
But she was already moving, her heels clicking against the pavement.
“Hey!” Jenna’s voice rang out. “Sophie!”
Sophie looked up, her eyes widening as she registered who was barreling toward her. “Jenna? I…”
“Don’t you dare say my name.” Jenna stopped inches from her face. “You have some nerve showing your face in public after what you’ve done.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sophie’s voice trembled. “I haven’t done anything wrong.”
“Nothing wrong?” Jenna laughed. “You’ve been sleeping with my brother behind his wife’s back. You had his child and hid it for five years. And now you’re parading around like you’re the victim?”
Sophie’s gaze darted to me. “Enzo and I have history.”
Jenna slapped her.
Sophie stumbled backward, her hand flying to her cheek, and several shoppers turned to stare.
“Jenna!” I rushed forward, grabbing her arm. “Stop, this isn’t…”
“She deserves worse,” Jenna spat. “She destroyed your marriage. She stole your husband. And she’s standing here acting like she’s done nothing wrong.”
“Please.” Sophie’s eyes welled with tears. “Someone help me. She’s attacking me…”
A black SUV screeched to a halt at the curb.
My heart stopped.
Enzo emerged from the car, two of his men stepping out behind him, his face thunderous as he took in the scene.
His eyes swept over Sophie’s reddened cheek, Jenna’s aggressive stance, and finally landed on me.
“What the hell is going on here?”
He moved past me without a second glance, positioning himself between Sophie and Jenna.
“She hit me,” Sophie whimpered. “I was just shopping and she attacked me for no reason.”
“No reason?” Jenna’s voice pitched higher. “You’re the reason my brother’s marriage is falling apart!”
“Enough.” Enzo’s tone was ice. “Jenna, go home. We’ll discuss this later.”
“Discuss? There’s nothing to discuss! She’s a homewrecker and you’re defending her over your own wife!”
Enzo’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond to his sister. Instead, he turned to me, and the coldness in his eyes made me flinch.
“This is your doing,” he said flatly. “You dragged my sister into your jealousy, and now you’ve created a public spectacle.”
I was too stunned to react.
“My doing?” I heard myself say. “I didn’t even know she was here. Jenna was defending me because you won’t.”
“Defending you from what? Sophie hasn’t done anything to you.”
“She had your child!” The words ripped out of me.
“She’s been in your bed while I waited at home like an idiot. Did you cheat on me, Enzo? Look me in the eyes and tell me the truth.”
Silence.
Enzo’s expression didn’t change. He didn’t deny it, nor did he explain. He simply turned to Sophie and murmured, “Get in the car. I’ll handle this.”
She nodded, shooting me one last glance before slipping into the passenger seat.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I lunged for the car door, my fingers wrapping around the handle. “No. You don’t get to hide her from me. You don’t get to protect her while I…”
Enzo grabbed my wrist, hard enough to bruise. “Let go.”
“Not until you answer me!” Tears blurred my vision. “Five years, Enzo. Five years I gave you everything. I loved you. I built my entire life around you. And you can’t even give me an explanation?”
His grip tightened, and then he shoved me backward.
I stumbled, catching myself on a bench before I could fall. My wrist throbbed. And something deep inside me cried out in anguish.
Enzo straightened his jacket, his face a mask of cold indifference. “You’re embarrassing yourself.”
“I’m embarrassing you?” A broken laugh escaped my throat. “That’s what you’re worried about? Your image?”
He stepped closer, his voice dropping so only I could hear. “I warned you not to push me, Aurora. I gave you a comfortable life, and this is how you repay me? By causing a scene in public?”
“What about me?” I couldn’t breathe. “What about us? Our marriage? Five years, Enzo. Don’t I deserve an explanation?”
He stared at me, his expression unreadable.
“Don’t make me regret marrying you more than I already do,” he said, each word a knife twisting in my chest.
He turned his back on me and walked to his car.
I stood frozen, watching as the SUV pulled away from the curb.
“Aurora.” Jenna’s hand found my shoulder. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to make things worse.”
I couldn’t respond. My throat had closed around a sob that refused to come out.
Don’t make me regret marrying you more than I already do.
He regretted me. Our marriage. Our life together.
Everything meant nothing.
All that doubt I’d been carrying, all those questions about whether I was making the right choice. They evaporated in an instant.
“Take me home,” I whispered.
The house was quiet when I arrived.
Jenna had offered to come inside, but I’d sent her away. I needed to be alone.
I walked through the rooms slowly, seeing everything with new eyes. Every inch of this house was a monument to my devotion.
And he regretted me.
There was no point in keeping any of it.
I brought the wedding photo down.
I stared at it for a moment, staring at the hopeful girl in white silk who’d believed she could make him love her.
She had been foolish.
Then I carried it to the backyard, dropped it in the fire pit, and struck a match.
The flames caught quickly, consuming our frozen smiles.
I went back inside and grabbed the jewelry box from my dresser. It contained everything he had bought me throughout our five years of marriage.
They went into the fire too.
Then the curtains. The throw pillows. The framed photos from our honeymoon.
I went back and forth, feeding the flames all the memories we shared.
When there was nothing left to burn, I went back inside and packed.
I took only what was mine, what I’d brought into this marriage, what I could carry.
Two suitcases, a box of books, and a photo of my parents.
I paused at the front door, my hand on the knob.
When the time to leave finally arrived, I began to feel lost. Where could I go?
If fate dictated that I must escape, then where did my path lie?
My hand drifted to my stomach, resting there for just a moment.
But my confusion was fleeting, because I was not alone anymore.
I had a child, and I had courage.
We’re going somewhere safe, I told the little life inside me. Somewhere he can’t hurt us anymore.
