Aurora couldn’t sleep well this night, perhaps due to the absence of his company. Tossing and turning, she felt something was amiss. Indeed, she used to sleep while holding him every night, accustomed to his warmth and his embrace.
Unfortunately, the weather was uncooperative, and rain began to fall around midnight. Aurora’s greatest fear was a thunderous night. During a stormy night in America, she had narrowly escaped an assault by a man, and since then, she harbored a deep-seated fear of storms. Previously, Julian’s embrace had allowed her to sleep soundly.
As a flash of lightning crossed the sky, the already restless Aurora woke up with a start, instinctively reaching out to touch the empty space next to her in the bed. The warm body was no longer there; only the cold sheets remained.
Aurora covered herself with the blanket, and although the lightning was no longer visible, the sound of thunder persisted. “Julian, where are you?” she murmured from within the blanket, feeling as lonely as a child. She took out her phone but lacked the courage to dial his number.
She was not doing well, and neither was Julian, who had never truly left. He had silently moved from the neighboring balcony to Aurora’s, watching over her tiny figure through the window. When she used to curl up in his arms, she didn’t seem so small, but now alone in bed, she appeared so vulnerable.
Another lightning strike illuminated the sky, and the woman abruptly sat up in bed, reaching toward the space where she usually slept. Finding it empty, a look of loneliness crossed her small face. As the thunder sounded, she hurriedly burrowed into her blankets.
“Julian, where are you?” Her soft murmur reached Julian’s ears, and hearing those words, he longed to enter and hold her, to comfort her. His hand reached for the doorknob, hesitating; perhaps if he entered now and spoke softly to reassure her, they would reconcile.
But then the issue with Eric would only linger as an unresolved problem. This was merely a temporary fix; he needed to remove the malignant Eric from their lives entirely. Julian was a rational man, and entering now would disrupt his plans for a smoother future relationship with Aurora.
The phone screen lit up-Aurora had sent him a message with just two words: “I’m scared.” Those mere two words deeply pained him. Once again, his resolve wavered, but he watched those words silently, biting his lip and ultimately not responding.
After waiting half an hour without a reply, Aurora’s anxiety grew. She called Julian, only to hear a woman’s voice say, “Sorry, the number you have dialed is switched off.” Aurora’s hand trembled as she held her phone. Was he truly angry? Mixed emotions overwhelmed her heart.
As the thunder outside gradually subsided, Aurora fell asleep amidst her chaotic thoughts. Seeing the small figure now peacefully asleep, Julian could no longer restrain himself and entered the room. He carefully lay beside her, and feeling the warmth beside her, Aurora instinctively hugged Julian without waking, burying her head in his embrace and murmuring, “Julian.”
These three small words melted Julian’s heart. He kissed her forehead, tender and devout, whispering, “I’m here, Little Bunny, I’ve always been here.”
Never had he been so emotionally invested in a woman. He studied her face closely; although her beauty was not that of a stunningly gorgeous woman, it was her and only her that had captured his heart so deeply.
Her eyes were slightly larger than others, her mouth a bit smaller, her nose a bit higher, and her chin a bit sharper. Through Julian’s eyes, she was breathtakingly beautiful. When he fell in love, it was a love from which he never wanted to let go again. “Little Bunny, I must have been incurably poisoned by you,” he confessed. Only holding her could steady his heart, and with his presence, Aurora’s sleep improved greatly.
Even the wind and rain in the dead of night couldn’t disturb her anymore, for she felt safe subconsciously. When Aurora awoke, Julian had already left. Before, she could open her eyes to his handsome face and his sturdy chest. His morning kiss energized her for the day, often followed by playful banter between them. Now, she woke to emptiness beside her.
The room’s arrangement was as before, but Aurora felt unaccustomed. Habit was a terrifying thing, as addictive as the direst poison, impossible to quit once acquired.
The second thing Aurora did was reach for her phone beside her, which, besides a few spam messages about loans or some investment opportunities, bore no reply from Julian. Even if he fell asleep last night, he usually woke earlier than she did; didn’t he see her missed calls and messages?
At that moment, holding her phone, Aurora felt lost. Since her return to the country, Julian had dominated her world with his imperious demeanor. Initially cold, he gradually became tender, indulgent, and attentive, sparing her from any worries. Yet, one day, he vanished from her world, and Aurora felt as though her heart had soared into the clouds.
Her heart ached. Perhaps he had urgent matters, or maybe his phone had died. She hoped he would reply once his phone was charged. Aurora comforted herself with these thoughts, realizing during their time together how indispensable he had become. She hadn’t noticed when he was present, but now his importance was painfully clear.
She touched the now cold bed beside her. Last night, she dreamt he had returned to hold her. Had she grown so fond of him? Aurora chuckled self-deprecatingly, then got up to dress and wash. What had been routine for twenty years didn’t compare to a month with him; without him, her mornings grew significantly colder.
Aurora stood blankly in front of the mirror for a long while, feeling dissatisfied with one dress and then another outfit. If he were here, he would surely pick something with a smile, saying, “Little Bunny, wear this one; it’ll look great on you.”
His taste had always been impeccable. Ultimately, Aurora chose a dress, perhaps because of a time when he had urgently wanted her and she had been wearing pants. Julian had suggested, “Wear dresses in the future; they’re convenient.”
At the time, Aurora had mocked him for being a rogue, but since then, she often really did choose dresses, like today. She applied light makeup and sprayed his favorite perfume.
The woman in the mirror was the same as before, but her expression was tinged with a sorrow that makeup could not conceal. This was another phase of love, a suffering that everyone must endure.