Aurora was busy knitting a sweater for Dylan, her grandson, when she heard a knock at the door.
“Come in,” she called softly. The door opened, revealing Cassius. A smile crept onto her face as she patted the side of her bed. “Come sit, sweetie.”
Cassius nodded and sat beside her, smiling. “I’ve missed seeing you knit.”
Aurora chuckled, her voice filled with joy. “It still feels like yesterday. I find it hard to believe I was in a coma for over six years,” she said, her eyes flashing with sadness. “The thought of you sitting by my side, wondering if I’d ever wake up… it makes me feel sad for the pain I caused you.”
“I told you to stop blaming yourself, didn’t I? It wasn’t your fault,” Cassius said, holding her hand. “It’s all over now. You’re safe here… with me.”
“Hmm,” she hummed, reaching up to pinch his cheek lightly. “You’ve gotten so handsome and more mature. You have no idea how much joy it brings me to have you here with me.”
Cassius laughed softly, his voice thick with emotion. The room fell into a brief silence, tension filling the air as their gazes remained locked.
“Go ahead and ask, son,” Aurora said gently, and Cassius sighed.
“It’s…” he hesitated. “It’s about Father.”
For as long as Cassius could remember, he had never cared to ask about his father. Whether the man was alive or dead didn’t matter to him. He had focused solely on helping his mother through thick and thin. He always assumed the man had left or didn’t care about their existence, as Aurora had never spoken about him.
Aurora had once asked why Cassius never inquired, but he had simply avoided the topic. She had been relieved, as her encounter with his father was a terrible memory. Cassius must have sensed the sensitivity of the subject and decided not to push.
However, Aurora knew that one day, Cassius would finally ask. It was something she couldn’t keep from him forever.
“I just thought I should know… it’s okay if you don’t want to…”
“I’m glad you finally asked. I want to tell you,” she said, setting her knitting aside and turning to face him.
“When my father was at war, I was a bay. One of his most trusted men took me to an orphanage for safety, but he was murdered before he could inform my father. When I turned twelve, I was adopted by a new couple, but they died in an accident when after three years. People saw me as bad luck and threw me out onto the streets. That’s when I started struggling to survive. I managed to get a job at a bar, and it paid well enough for me to rent an apartment.”
Cassius listened intently, though his heart clenched at the thought of his mother suffering. His grandfather, Holden, had explained some of this to him, but hearing it from his mother was different.
Aurora continued, “By the time I turned eighteen, I had made friends, had a life, and even had a lover who took care of me. But everything fell apart in one night of betrayal.”
—
FLASHBACK
After hours of working, Aurora felt her bones ache and her eyes droop from exhaustion. She had picked up a side job to help her lover, William, with his growing company. They both dreamed of getting married and starting a family. The thought of it alone gave her the strength to keep working.
“Aurora,” her close friend Karin called after serving a customer. When Aurora smiled at her, Karin teased, “Did you win the lottery or something?”
Aurora had been friends with Karin for the two years she had worked there.
She chuckled at Karin’s words, her one-sided dimple making her even more beautiful. “No, William proposed to me yesterday.”
Karin’s smile faltered, and her eyes widened. “Really? Oh my God, I’m so happy for you!”
“Thanks,” Aurora sighed. “I can’t wait to leave this place and have a good life with him. I’m going to make that happen no matter what,” she said, placing drinks on the counter, unaware of the jealousy flashing in her friend’s eyes.
Around the corner, a group of men sat at a table, tension thick in the air.
“Drogo betrayed us. I told you not to trust him, but you didn’t listen,” one of the men said to a man whose cold eyes and menacing aura revealed his simmering anger. He looked younger and more dangerous than the others.
His blue eyes opened slowly. A trusted ally had betrayed him and killed his sister. Though Drogo had been caught, it didn’t ease the guilt gnawing at him for having caused his sister’s death.
Ever since he had inherited his late father’s empire, he never imagined something like this could happen. He needed a distraction.
“Leave. I need something to clear my mind,” he said to the men.
“A girl will help you relax, Silence. Once you’ve cleared your head, we’ll be waiting for you back at the clan.”
After the men left, Silence drank beer after beer while his second-in-command watched.
“Find me a girl,” he ordered in a husky voice, and his assistant stood to carry out the task. As he waited, Silence’s gaze darkened. He hoped the girl they brought could handle him.
—
“Hey, William is here to see you,” Karin said, causing Aurora’s brow to crease.
“Will? Why is he here? I told him not to visit me at work. Where is he?” Aurora asked, scanning the bar but not seeing him.
“He’s in one of the guest rooms. He said he needed to see you urgently, that it’s something really important. I’ll take you to him and cover for you,” Karin said sweetly.
“Thank you.”
“Let’s have a toast before you go,” Karin suggested.
“A toast?”
“Yeah, to celebrate your engagement to William,” Karin chuckled.
“Oh, sure,” Aurora agreed, watching as Karin poured a drink for them. They clinked glasses and drank.
As Karin led her down the narrow hall, Aurora wondered why William was here. Was something wrong? Her thoughts were interrupted when Karin stopped in front of a room.
“He’s in here. I’ll head back to the counter,” Karin smiled before quickly leaving.
Aurora sighed and opened the door. The room was strangely dark, and the air gave her goosebumps, making her heart race.
“Will?” she called, a sigh escaping her lips as her body suddenly felt strange. She was unusually hot, and her pulse was racing. Was she coming down with something?
Her thoughts were shattered when a strong hand grabbed her neck like a vice, a lip pressed hard against hers into a passionate kiss that left her breathless.
“What are… you doing, Will?” Aurora managed to push him away.
“Don’t fucking stop me,” a voice growled, grabbing her again. His touch ignited a fire in her, and desire pulsed through her, clouding her mind. She didn’t realize it wasn’t William’s voice.
She didn’t understand why William was being so forceful, but one thing was clear-she wanted him just as badly. They both reached for their cloth tearing it apart and landed on the bed.
Her cruel fate unfolded that night.