The days dragged on in a tense silence, the atmosphere in the house colder than ever. Aurora had never felt so distant from Damian. Each day, she watched as he grew more affectionate toward Lina and colder toward her. It was hard to keep pretending that everything was fine, especially when she could see the way Lina seemed to take pleasure in Damian’s indifference toward her. Every time Damian ignored her, Lina’s smile seemed to grow wider, her confidence rising.
Damian’s behavior was a calculated move in their plan, but it still hurt. The way he would look at her with cold eyes, the way his voice would be sharp and dismissive it was as if she was nothing to him. And perhaps that was the hardest part of all: realizing that, in this game, she really was nothing to him anymore.
But it wasn’t just about the coldness. Damian had taken to treating her like a servant in front of everyone. He barely spoke to her unless it was to give an order. She would serve him in silence, her heart sinking with each command. Every time he would speak to Lina, laughing, touching her arm in ways he had never touched Aurora, she couldn’t help but feel a sharp pang of jealousy.
Lina, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying every moment of it. The way she would look at Aurora with that smug expression, as if she had already won, made Aurora want to scream. But she couldn’t. She had to play her part. She had to keep pretending that she was okay with this because it was all part of the plan.
One evening, after a long day of serving Damian and watching him fawn over Lina, Aurora found herself standing in the corner of the room, feeling more like a shadow than a person. She was invisible to Damian now, nothing more than a tool he used when needed. He barely even glanced at her as he sat beside Lina, their laughter filling the room, while Aurora stood quietly off to the side.
Lina, always quick to notice the smallest shift, caught Aurora’s eye and grinned. “You look so… alone over there, Aurora,” she purred, her voice dripping with mock sympathy. “Isn’t it sad? I’m sure Damian would love for you to join us.” She laughed lightly, the sound almost cruel.
Aurora didn’t respond. She didn’t even move. She knew what Lina was trying to do, and she wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of seeing her hurt.
Damian glanced at Aurora, his eyes cold, before turning his attention back to Lina. “Aurora,” he said sharply, his tone making her flinch. “Stop standing there like a statue. If you’re not going to be useful, go back to your room.”
The words cut through her like a knife. She had grown used to the coldness, but hearing him speak to her like that still made her heart ache. She nodded and quickly left the room, not trusting herself to say anything. She didn’t want to show any weakness, not in front of Lina.
Once in the privacy of her room, she leaned against the door and closed her eyes. The quiet of the space felt like a relief, but it was short-lived. The harsh reality of her situation weighed heavily on her. She had agreed to this, agreed to pretend that everything was fine, but sometimes, the weight of it all was suffocating.
Meanwhile, in the living room, Lina couldn’t hide her amusement. She leaned closer to Damian, her voice soft and sweet as she spoke to him. “You’re so cold to her. I almost feel bad for her.”
Damian smirked, but there was no warmth in his smile. “She’s nothing to me anymore,” he replied bluntly. “I told you, I need to make her think I’ve lost all interest. If she’s going to play her part in this, she needs to be nothing more than a servant.”
Lina’s eyes sparkled with satisfaction. “I like the way you’re handling this,” she said, her voice laced with pleasure. “It’s so satisfying to see her realize just how little she means to you. You’ve made it clear that she’s nothing more than a tool for your use. And I can see how much she’s suffering. It’s… awesome.”
Damian chuckled darkly, his gaze flickering toward the door where Aurora had just disappeared. “She’ll get over it,” he said, as if it was nothing more than a minor inconvenience. “This is the only way to get rid of her for good. She has to feel the loss of power before she finally accepts her role.”
Lina smiled wickedly. “It’s perfect. The more you ignore her, the more she’ll crave your attention. She’ll do whatever you want, just for a little bit of affection.”
Damian didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he leaned back, his eyes cold as he thought about their plan. The idea of using Aurora’s emotions, her attachment to him, made him feel nothing but detachment. He couldn’t afford to care about her anymore. But the thought of making her desperate, making her feel worthless, gave him a sense of control. And right now, that’s all he cared about.
Aurora, meanwhile, sat on the edge of her bed, her head in her hands. She was tired. Tired of the coldness, tired of pretending. But she had to endure it. For Damian. For the plan. She couldn’t back down now, not when they were so close to getting what they wanted. But as she lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, she couldn’t help but wonder how much longer she could take it.
The next day, Damian’s coldness reached a new level. When Aurora entered the room to serve him, he didn’t even acknowledge her presence. She set the tray down on the table without a word, her hands shaking as she did. She couldn’t help but glance at him, but he didn’t look back. He was too busy talking to Lina, his eyes softening when he spoke to her, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder.
Aurora forced herself to keep her eyes on the floor, her heart breaking with every passing second. But Lina, ever the opportunist, noticed the hurt in her eyes and couldn’t help but smirk. “Are you sure you’re okay, Aurora?” she asked sweetly. “You look so… pitiful. I guess that’s what happens when you’re ignored for too long.”
Damian didn’t even look up. “Lina’s right,” he said coldly. “If you’re not useful, you should leave. Don’t waste my time.”
Aurora bit her lip to keep herself from breaking down. She had to stay strong. She had to keep pretending that she was okay with all of this. But deep down, she was crumbling.
Later that evening, as she was cleaning the room, Lina approached her with a smug expression. “You know, I think Damian’s starting to enjoy watching you suffer,” she said, her voice dripping with malice. “It’s kind of… cute, watching you try to keep it together.”
Aurora clenched her fists, but she didn’t respond. She couldn’t. Every time she spoke, it felt like she was giving Lina more ammunition to use against her. So, she stayed silent, focusing on the task at hand.
Damian, sitting in his chair, watched the exchange with a cold, calculating gaze. He didn’t care about what Lina said or how Aurora felt. His mind was on the bigger picture. But as he watched Aurora move around the room, head down, trying to keep her composure, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of something-something like guilt, something he quickly pushed aside.
Lina, however, seemed to enjoy every second of it. She watched Damian with a knowing look in her eyes, a satisfied smile playing at the corners of her lips. She had won, she was sure of it. Damian’s indifference to Aurora, his cold treatment of her, was proof that she had finally taken her place in his world.
And as the night wore on, it became clear that the distance between Damian and Aurora was growing wider. She had become nothing more than a shadow in his world, a servant to be ordered around, while Lina stood at his side, the one who had his attention, his affection.
For now, it seemed like Lina had won. But Aurora wasn’t ready to give up just yet. She knew that somewhere deep down, Damian still had feelings for her. She had to hold on. She had to believe that one day, he would see her for who she really was again.
But for now, she would remain silent, her heart breaking, as Damian and Lina grew closer and closer.