Aurora felt as though her mind exploded in a deafening roar. Justin, the man she had always regarded as an older brother, was now confessing his love for her!
“No, no, no. This can’t be real,” Aurora muttered. She wasn’t new to confessions, but this was different. She now had a child on the way and a fiance-things Justin knew all too well.
“Aurora, I truly love you,” Justin said earnestly. “I know your fiance is wealthy and treats you well. I may not have as much money as him, but I can give you a life free of worry. I’ll treat you well, even your unborn child. If you don’t like my job, I’ll quit. We can settle in any country you want. Just say yes, and I’ll become whatever you need me to be.”
Justin tightened his grip on Aurora’s hand.
Aurora tried to pull away several times but couldn’t free herself. “Justin, you’re hurting me!”
“Sorry, I’m sorry.” He immediately let go.
Aurora could no longer force a smile. She saw the sincerity in Justin’s eyes. He wasn’t lying-he truly loved her.
“Justin, this isn’t right. If you truly love someone, you should wish for their happiness, not try to possess them. I don’t love you.”
“Aurora, I know this is wrong, but I can’t stop myself from loving you. I want to see you, to see you every day!”
“Justin, if you keep saying things like this, I’ll start to hate you. You’re a good person, even a lifesaver for me and my child. I don’t want to hate you.” Aurora frowned deeply.
“Even if you hate me, I can’t help it,” Justin said with a pained expression. “Aurora, I will never let you go, not in this lifetime. Even if it makes you unhappy, I won’t let go. I’m sorry.”
With that, Justin turned to leave.
Aurora’s smile disappeared completely. She had known that confessing the truth would change everything, but she hadn’t expected this.
“Justin, holding someone against their will is illegal,” Aurora said coldly.
“For you, I’d even kill without hesitation. I’m not afraid of breaking the law because my very existence already defies it.” Justin paused and turned back to face her, his expression somber.
“What… what do you mean?” Aurora asked, confused.
“You’re on a ship that isn’t ordinary,” Justin said slowly, meeting her eyes. “And I don’t think you want to know what this ship really is.”
“What is it?” Aurora’s heart began to race. She sensed that whatever Justin was about to reveal would be something she couldn’t accept.
“This is a pirate ship,” Justin declared, his voice steady and deliberate. “Every single person on this ship is a pirate. And I am not only the captain of this ship but also the leader of the pirates.”
Aurora’s eyes widened in shock. She had lived a life full of excitement, but this… this was beyond anything she’d ever imagined. Pirates? Until now, the word had only existed in books and movies.
In her mind, pirates had always been ruthless criminals. Yet, the people aboard this ship, though rough around the edges, seemed kind enough. And Justin, with his tough exterior and tender heart, didn’t fit the image of a pirate at all.
Seeing Aurora’s stunned expression, Justin delivered his final words: “Once you’ve boarded this ship, you’ll never have the chance to leave.”
Aurora stood frozen as Justin walked away. Outside, she heard him giving orders.
“Keep an eye on her. We’ll dock soon. Don’t let her leave the ship.”
It was only when she heard him speaking that Justin truly resembled a pirate. He was nothing like the kind, gentle brother figure she had once known.
“Justin, why are you doing this to me?” Aurora cried out, her voice trembling. “I’ve done nothing to wrong you. I don’t belong to you!”
But Justin was serious.
What about her unborn child? If she couldn’t contact Julian, her fiance, he might think she was dead. And her grandfather, who was already old-how could he bear such a shock?
“You don’t belong to me now,” Justin said. “But one day, you will. I’m going ashore soon. If you need anything, I can bring it back for you.”
“I don’t want to stay on this ship! I want to go home! I want to go home!”
Pregnancy had made Aurora more emotional. In the past, she could always keep her composure, but now tears streamed down her face.
Seeing her cry, Justin gently wiped her tears. “Don’t cry. I don’t want to hurt you.”
Aurora slapped his hand away. Once, she would have thought of him as a kind brother comforting her. Now, she realized the truth behind his intentions.
“Don’t touch me!”
The coldness and distance in her eyes made Justin’s heart ache. He hadn’t wanted things to come to this, but what choice did he have?
For days, he had wrestled with himself, torn between letting her go and keeping her by his side. The more time he spent with her, the more he couldn’t bear to let her go. She was so perfect, and all he wanted was to keep her with him.
“Aurora, don’t do anything reckless. Even if you don’t care about yourself, think about your child,” Justin warned.
Justin was smart. He knew that relying solely on others to watch Aurora wasn’t enough. The child she carried was the one thing that could truly tether her.
Without the baby, Aurora might resort to drastic measures to escape. But now, with the baby, she wouldn’t dare risk it.
This child, conceived after so much difficulty, was precious to her. Even though it wasn’t born yet, Aurora treasured it deeply and wouldn’t let anything happen to it.
What’s more, the first three months of pregnancy were the most critical. Many women miscarried during this time. Aurora had already survived a brush with death once-she couldn’t take any more risks.
Justin left, and Aurora bit her lip as she watched his retreating figure. Why hadn’t she seen through him sooner?
“Miss Montgomery, you’d better stay on the ship. The boss will treat you well,” one pirate said. His once-friendly face now seemed menacing to her.
Mrs. Woolf brought her a meal. “I made you some steamed egg custard today. Try it. Once we resupply water and food, I can cook you something fresh.”
Aurora didn’t even look at it. She slapped the dish away. “You want to keep me trapped on this ship forever?”
This fiery Aurora was nothing like the gentle, sweet woman from before. Mrs. Woolf noticed the change and realized what had likely happened-Justin must have revealed everything to Aurora before docking.
It was no surprise she was furious. If Mrs. Woolf had been in her shoes, she might have flipped the entire ship over.
“Of course not, Aurora,” Mrs. Woolf said gently. “I can’t say much about love, but I’ve watched Justin grow up. He’s never cared for anyone before. Falling for you has made him unwilling to let go.
“You can blame him, and that’s fair. But believe me, he has no ill intentions. He only loves you too much.”