The Eastern Shores 4

Chapter 4

Enzo’s POV

The boy’s fever subsided around midnight.

I watched his small chest rise and fall, gradually calming down, the flush on his cheeks fading.

Sophie finally stopped crying; she leaned on my shoulder, exhaustion making her drowsy.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“You don’t need to do anything.” I gently brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. “I told you, I’m here.”

She smiled weakly and closed her eyes.

It wasn’t until I walked into the corridor of the private clinic that I remembered Aurora.

I took out my phone and dialed her number.

The number you dialed is unavailable.

I frowned and dialed again. The result was the same.

What happened?

Aurora never turned off her phone. Even when she was angry with me, she always kept it on, waiting for me to call and apologize.

This was her usual pattern: sulking, pouting, waiting for me to coax her into happiness.

Aurora needed a man to comfort her; I was used to it.

But this time, it seemed different. A sense of unease crept into my heart.

Just as I was about to call again, my gaze was suddenly drawn to something on the floor.

The bracelet—the one I’d given Aurora.

I bent down to pick it up, examining it closely in my hand.

The clasp was broken, bent at an odd angle, as if it had been forcefully ripped off.

A chill ran down my spine.

Had she been here? Had she seen us?

“Enzo?” Sophie appeared in the doorway, her brow furrowed, her face full of worry. “Is everything alright?”

I stuffed the bracelet into my pocket. “I’m fine. I have to go home.”

“Of course.” She took a step closer, a hint of guilt flashing across her face. “I’m so sorry to have taken up so much of your time. Your wife must be angry with you.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I grabbed my coat and headed for the elevator.

“Aurora isn’t the kind of person who causes trouble. She knows her place.”

I drove straight home. When I arrived, the manor was pitch black. The guard at the gate nodded silently, gesturing for me to come in.

I found Aurora in our bedroom, curled up on her side, her back to the door.

The curtains were drawn. She didn’t move when I entered.

I frowned. What was wrong with her?

I stood there, gazing at her thin shoulders for a long time.

If she had seen me with Sophie at the clinic, she would have come at me immediately.

That was the Aurora I knew. It was how she’d always been.

If she sensed something was wrong, she’d keep asking until you said what she wanted to know.

I slowly exhaled, the tension in my chest gradually dissipating.

Aurora had always been a pampered little princess. She was the Blackthorne family’s beloved only daughter, and everyone doted on her.

If things didn’t go her way, she’d throw a tantrum.

She demanded attention as if it were her birthright. She loved passionately and expected an equally passionate response.

I used to find her adorable. For example, if I forgot to bring her her favorite flowers, she’d pout; or she’d sulk for days over some perceived slight. When she looked at me with those hopeful eyes, I could easily forgive her bad temper.

But if she found out the truth about Sophie and Ethan, if she found out about the child, and everything I’d been hiding, she’d make my life a living hell.

I would never tolerate it.

Aurora was my Donna, but she needed to understand that some things were beyond her control. Some things she could only accept.

I sat on the edge of the bed and took out the bracelet.

“Aurora.” I gently patted her shoulder. “Wake up.”

I tried to help her put the bracelet on, but she immediately opened her eyes. I held up the bracelet. “Why did you leave this at the clinic?”

She stared at the bracelet as if it were a venomous snake about to strike. “I lost it when I went to visit my mother.”

She had clearly discovered my secret.

I waited for her to explode, but she remained calm.

This unsettled me more than any of her outbursts.

“Put it on.” I reached for her wrist.

She pulled away. “No.”

“Aurora.”

“I don’t want to.” Her voice choked. “It… it’s nothing special. It’s nothing.”

“Okay.” I placed the bracelet on the bedside table, trying to sound patient. “I’ll buy you a better one.”

She laughed, a laugh that stirred a dark and intense possessiveness within me.

I reached for her again, my hand sliding down her waist.

“Come here.” I pulled her closer, my lips lightly brushing her neck. “Let me make it up to you.”

She pushed me away.

“Stop.” Her voice was hoarse. “Don’t do this.”

“What’s wrong with you? You’ve been acting crazy these past few days.” I growled in a low voice.

“Crazy?” She sat bolt upright, her eyes blazing with anger. “It’s you…”

My phone rang.

We both froze. Sophie’s name flashed on the screen.

Aurora lunged for the phone.

Instinctively, I grabbed her arm to stop her, but she turned her head and still reached for the phone, my grip stronger than I intended.

She fell.

She hit the ground hard — a dull thud, then a piercing scream.

I stood there, stunned, unsure what to do. I wanted to go over and check if she was hurt, but then I remembered all her tantrums, all her attempts to play the victim and get her way.

No, not this time.

She needed to learn her lesson. This behavior was absolutely unacceptable.

I took her in, gave her a home.

She had to respect that, or face the consequences.

I picked up the phone and walked out without looking back.

Aurora’s POV

I lay on the cold floor, my buttocks throbbing from hitting the edge of the bedside table, the angle of my bent wrist making me nauseated.

But more unbearable than the physical pain was the sound of his footsteps descending the stairs.

He didn’t even turn around, not once.

My heart felt like it had been ripped open, a wound that would never heal.

I tried to sit up, but my arms wouldn’t obey me.

Why? Why was I being treated like this?