Aurora’s heart raced as she hurried down the corridor. Her mind was still spinning from the events of the past few hours. She had barely been able to process everything that had happened, but she couldn’t waste any more time. She needed to talk to Damian. She needed to explain herself before Lina’s lies twisted everything.
She reached Damian’s room and knocked quickly. Her palms were sweaty, her chest tight with anxiety. She had to get this right. She couldn’t lose him. Not after everything they’d been through.
The door swung open, and there stood Damian, his face unreadable. His eyes met hers, and for a moment, there was silence. Aurora took a deep breath, her throat dry.
“Damian, I need to talk to you,” she said quickly, her voice trembling.
Damian stepped aside, allowing her to enter. She walked in, the door closing softly behind her. She turned to face him, her heart thumping loudly in her chest.
“I didn’t do anything with Raphael,” Aurora blurted out. “It was all a trap. Lina set it up to make it look like I slept with him. She gave me wine to get me drunk, and then… then she left me in that room with him.”
Damian didn’t say anything at first. He studied her face, his gaze intense. Aurora fidgeted nervously, waiting for him to respond. She could feel her words hanging in the air between them.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Damian smiled. It wasn’t a mocking smile, though. It was more of a knowing smile. His eyes softened, and he stepped closer to her.
“I believe you,” he said quietly. “I know Lina is playing a dirty game. She’s trying to cause trouble between us. I won’t let her succeed.”
Aurora blinked in surprise. She had expected him to be angry, to accuse her of something she hadn’t done. Instead, he was calm, understanding, and-was that trust she saw in his eyes?
“Really?” Aurora asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “You believe me?”
Damian nodded, his smile widening a little. “I’ve known Lina long enough to recognize her tricks. She’s been trying to drive a wedge between us from the start. I knew she’d try something like this eventually.”
Aurora let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Relief washed over her like a wave. She didn’t have to explain herself further. Damian trusted her. He believed in her.
But as much as she wanted to savor this moment, Damian’s next words made her pause.
“We have to make Lina think that I don’t trust you,” he said, his voice steady and serious. “We need to make her believe that her plan is working.”
Aurora frowned, confusion clouding her mind. “What do you mean? You want me to… pretend like we’re not okay?”
Damian’s gaze hardened slightly. “Exactly. If she thinks I’m starting to doubt you, she’ll keep pushing harder. She’ll think she’s winning. But really, we’ll be one step ahead. We need to play along with her game and make her think she’s succeeded. She’ll let her guard down, and that’s when we’ll strike.”
Aurora’s heart skipped a beat. It was a dangerous move, but it made sense. If Lina thought she had the upper hand, she’d let her guard down, and that’s when Damian and Aurora could turn the tables on her.
“But… won’t it make things worse between us?” Aurora asked softly, fear creeping into her voice. “Won’t Lina see that we’re playing along? Won’t she think it’s all part of the plan?”
Damian stepped closer to her, his hand gently brushing against hers. “No. Lina’s smart, but not that smart. She’ll be so focused on making me doubt you that she won’t notice we’re working together. She’ll just think that I’m getting frustrated with you, and that will give us the chance we need to trap her.”
Aurora hesitated for a moment. She had never been one for manipulation or lies, but this felt different. It felt like a way to protect their relationship, to protect Damian from falling into Lina’s trap.
“Are you sure about this?” Aurora asked, her voice still unsure. “What if things get out of hand? What if Lina does something even worse?”
Damian smiled reassuringly. “I’m sure. We’ve been through worse, haven’t we? And we’ve always come out stronger. This is just another obstacle we have to overcome. We’ll handle it together.”
Aurora nodded slowly, her resolve strengthening. She trusted Damian she had to. If this was the only way to keep Lina from tearing them apart, then she would do it. She would play her part, no matter how uncomfortable it felt.
“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Aurora said quietly, her voice firm. “I just want us to be okay.”
Damian smiled, his hand now fully enveloping hers. “We will be. I promise.”
The next few days were tense. Damian and Aurora followed the plan, each move calculated, each word chosen carefully. They exchanged little glances when no one was looking, the silent understanding between them growing stronger with every passing day.
Lina, of course, had no idea. She was too busy scheming, convinced that Damian’s trust in Aurora was beginning to crumble. Every time they had an argument, every time Damian grew colder toward Aurora, Lina’s confidence grew. She was convinced that she had won, that her plan had succeeded. But what she didn’t know was that every move she made was only drawing her closer to her own downfall.
Aurora could feel the tension growing between them. It wasn’t easy to pretend like everything was falling apart, especially when it wasn’t true. Every time Damian raised his voice or gave her a cold look, her heart ached. But she knew it was necessary. She had to keep up the act if they were going to fool Lina.
And it worked. Lina became more bold, more confident in her belief that Damian was starting to doubt Aurora. She started making little comments to Aurora, trying to provoke her, trying to get under her skin. But Aurora refused to bite. She stayed quiet, her face a mask of hurt and confusion whenever Lina spoke to her.
One evening, after a particularly heated argument between Damian and Aurora, Lina walked up to her, a smug look on her face.
“I knew it,” Lina said, her voice dripping with satisfaction. “I knew you couldn’t keep up the act for long. Damian doesn’t trust you, does he?”
Aurora looked at her, her expression blank. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Lina laughed, her eyes glinting with malice. “You don’t have to pretend anymore. I’ve already won.”
Aurora forced herself to look away, to keep her face expressionless. But inside, she was counting down the days until they could reveal the truth to Lina, until they could watch as the woman’s world crumbled around her.
As the days passed, the tension between Aurora and Damian continued to grow, but so did their bond. They were playing the game, but in reality, they were growing closer. Every glance, every touch, every whisper of reassurance was like a promise that they would make it through this, no matter what Lina did.
Damian’s plan was working. Lina was falling right into his trap.
And soon, they would turn the tables on her just like they always had.