Everything in the room was exactly as it had been three years ago. She remembered the house looking this way when she was sixteen. At that time, she believed she was the happiest little princess, with a huge bed adorned with gorgeous pink drapes that swept the floor. The floor was covered with a light pink carpet, and the entire room was decorated in her once-favorite style. It was like a fairy tale world. Every item here contained her memories. She recalled every time she got chided at home, she would escape to this sanctuary of hers. The desk still held some of her favorite books and sheet music from those days. Surprisingly, there were also sweet photos of the two of them, which now seemed more painful to look at.
“Aurora, do you remember this place?” Hayden tried to evoke her sweet past. The sweeter the memories, the more cruel they seemed to Aurora, reminding her of how everyone had conspired to push her from heaven to hell.
“Does it even matter whether I remember or not?” she tossed her handbag aside.
“Aurora, as long as you want, this is your place, and you’re always welcome here, whether in the past or the future,” Hayden said.
“Are you sure?” Aurora suddenly asked.
“Of course, I’ve kept it just for you, and besides the cleaning staff, no one else has set foot here,” Hayden gently replied.
“Alright.” Aurora slowly moved towards the desk, her white fingertips gliding over the immaculately cleaned picture frame.
Hayden thought she was recalling everything from the past, but the next second, he was shocked to see her suddenly grab the picture and throw it directly into the trash can. “Aurora, what are you doing…” He watched as she threw all the photos of their past into the trash can. He felt as if his heart was being sliced open, but then he remembered what he had done to Aurora in the past. If this could make her feel better, then let it be. After all, he had kept copies of the photos.
Aurora held the last picture in her hand. It was shot at Grand Everstone Hotel where he was playing the piano. She thought he looked like a prince when he played the piano, and this photo was once her favorite. As Hayden saw Aurora hesitate, he still held a glimmer of hope that she ultimately had feelings for him. However, the words that came out of her mouth were so hurtful: “Didn’t you say this place was mine? Don’t I have the right to deal with this trash?”
Trash? In her words, all their past was called trash. Hayden clenched his fists tightly, and after holding back all evening, he finally burst out, “Aurora, you weren’t like this before!”
Aurora ruthlessly threw the last picture into the trash can, a seductive smile playing on her lips as she stepped closer to him. “If I wasn’t like this, then what was I?” she said with a light laugh. Hayden suddenly felt she was so unfamiliar, almost unrecognizable except for her face. If it weren’t for the tear mole by her eye that was exactly like before, he would almost doubt that this woman was just someone with a face like Aurora’s. “You are nothing like her!” Hayden took a step back. The current Aurora was like a deadly poison. At such close proximity, he could smell the enticing fragrance of her perfume. Especially in such a setting, he feared he could hardly resist such temptation.
He stepped back while she advanced, leaving him no place to hide.
“I am Aurora. Why should I be like myself?” she chuckled devilishly.
“Mr. Alvarez, your heart is beating very fast…”
Her hand reached his chest without him noticing.
Through the touch of her fingertips, she felt the rapid flutter of his heart. He was nervous, and she clearly understood what troubled him.
If Aurora had been a naive and innocent girl three years ago, she was now a toxic flower, hardened by those years, a flower bristling with thorns, enticing to all men.
“Let go…” Hayden feared that if this continued, he might truly lose control.
She had only just returned, and he did not wish to leave such a terrible impression on her.
“Mr. Alvarez, why do you look so nervous? You’re sweating. Could it be because the air conditioning is off?” she laughed softly.
“Just stay away from me.” Hayden tried to push Aurora away, not forcefully, yet she seemed to cling to him.
“Mr. Alvarez, all the way here you’ve been reminding me of the past. You brought me here, and now there’s no one else around. What exactly are you trying to do?” Aurora whispered deliberately close to his ear, her breath as fragrant as flowers, making Hayden shiver involuntarily.
“Aurora, I’ll say it again. Stay away from me.” She was no longer the young girl of those days, nor was he the young man.
“You haven’t told me what your purpose is.” She stepped forward, pushing the unsuspecting man onto the bed.
As she slowly leaned over, getting closer to him, Hayden swallowed hard.
The bed’s canopy danced ambiguously with the wind as she sat directly on his waist.
“Aurora…” With her provocative posture, a certain wicked thought began to rise in his heart.
She had been the woman he loved for many years. Now, in such an intimate moment, which man could resist?
Ever since Aurora returned, he could not fathom her actions. Didn’t she hate him?
Why then was she now so close to him? It was said women were fickle creatures, and he was truly experiencing this. Yet from another perspective, although she hated him, could it be that she still loved him? The deeper the love was, the deeper the hatred was, right?
“What do you want to do?” Her red lips descended, barely ten centimeters from his.
Her breath on his face set Hayden’s heart fluttering.
His fingers involuntarily wrapped around her waist. “Aurora, I want you…”
“But you are about to get engaged.” Aurora reminded him.
“I can handle that.” His lips were poised to kiss hers.
Aurora shifted her lips away, her expression aggrieved. “I’ve had enough of the mistreatment at my home. When I left this place, it wasn’t because of you. It was my stepmother trying to harm me. I had no choice but to leave…”
“What exactly happened back then?” Hayden thought her anger had subsided a bit and quickly pressed her about the past.
This might be his chance to open Aurora’s heart, and he was determined to get some answers.