Aurora’s pov
When the doorbell rang, Ryan released me from his embrace. I stayed back, unaware of the storm heading my way.
The door opened, and my heart nearly stopped.
It was her. The woman from the party last night-Karen. But this time, she wasn’t the sweet and polite person I had met. No, she was all over Ryan, kissing him, holding him, calling him “babe” like I wasn’t even standing right there.
“We meet again, Aurora,” she said, a smirk playing on her lips.
I froze. That friendly tone from last night was gone, replaced with something sharper, something almost cruel. She looked at me as if she had already won some battle I didn’t even know I was part of.
“Yes, we meet again,” I said, though my voice sounded weak, even to me.
I glanced at Ryan. He was trying to pry her hands off him, but Karen wasn’t letting go.
It all clicked then. She was the one who called him that night, the one who made him so tense.
She must have known I was with him. That’s why she asked me those weird, indirect questions at the party, like she was trying to figure out my connection to him.
She’d seen me with him, holding his hand, smiling at him. And now, here she was, making her claim loud and clear.
Who was she? His girlfriend? Fiancee? His wife?
The thought sent a sharp pain through my chest. My mind raced, and I felt like the ground was slipping away beneath me. Ryan had lied to me, or maybe he didn’t lie exactly, but he’d kept this from me.
Karen must have noticed my silence because she turned fully to face me, her smirk widening. “Let me introduce myself properly, so there’s no confusion.” She tilted her head, her voice dripping with mockery. “I’m his soon-to-be Luna, or, sorry, fiancee.”
I just stared at her. Completely frozen.
“Aurora,” Ryan said, stepping toward me, but I took a step back.
“There’s nothing to say, Ryan,” I managed to whisper.
Karen’s fake concern returned. “What’s going on here? Did the two of you… have something?” she asked, pretending to be shocked, though her smirk never wavered.
“Stop it, Karen,” Ryan snapped, grabbing her wrist.
Without another word, he pulled her toward the door. Before leaving, he turned to me. “Don’t go anywhere. Wait for me.”
Then the door slammed shut, leaving me alone in the silence of the apartment.
I shouldn’t have cared. Ryan and I weren’t in a relationship. We weren’t anything… were we?
But my chest felt heavy, like something was pressing down on me. We’d kissed
Twice.
Wasn’t that something? Or had it all been meaningless?
I tried to convince myself it didn’t matter. “It was nothing,” I muttered, pacing the room. “We’re just… we’re nothing.” But no matter how many times I said it, my heart wouldn’t stop aching.
I glanced around the apartment. Everything was already in place, my belongings, my furniture, even small decorations. Ryan had done this for me. But now it all felt tainted. He had a fiancee, a stunningly beautiful one at that.
What was I even thinking? He’s not your class, Aurora. You don’t belong in his world.
I grabbed my old apartment key and shoved it into my bag. I couldn’t stay here. I didn’t care if it was safer or nicer. It didn’t matter anymore.
As I headed down the stairs, I spotted Ryan’s driver standing nearby.
“What’s he still doing here?” I muttered under my breath.
He walked over as soon as he saw me. He looked young, maybe close to my age, 21 or 22 at most.
“I’m Jamie,” he said, offering a hand.
I ignored it, my mind too clouded to care about introductions.
He dropped his hand awkwardly and added, “Ryan asked me to stay nearby and drive you wherever you need to go.”
Ryan. Always trying to control everything. I let out a bitter laugh and turned away, continuing down the steps.
“Aurora, please,” Jamie called after me. His tone softened. “I don’t want to get in trouble with the Alpha-I mean, my boss.”
I froze. There it was again. Alpha. This was the third time I’d heard someone call him that. And every time, they corrected themselves like they’d said something they shouldn’t have.
What did it mean?
I sighed, glancing back at Jamie. He seemed harmless, sweet even, and I didn’t want to get him in trouble.
Without a word, I walked back to the car and got in. Jamie followed, taking his place in the driver’s seat.
“Take me back to my apartment,” I said quietly.
He nodded, and we drove off. But as the car moved, my mind stayed behind, tangled in questions I couldn’t answer.
****
We reached my apartment, and I didn’t say a word to Jamie as I got out of the car. I hurried inside the building, not even glancing back until I reached the door. I looked out the window and looked down. Jaime was still there, leaning against the car, waiting.
Waiting for what or what?
I focused on my keys and tried to unlock the door. The key didn’t turn. I tried again, harder this time, but it still wouldn’t work.
Why the fuck wasn’t it working?
Frustration bubbled up inside me, and I gritted my teeth. This day couldn’t get any worse, could it?
I kept twisting the key, over and over, hoping for a miracle, but the lock wouldn’t budge.
I shouldn’t feel this frustrated, but I did. Everything felt like it was falling apart.
I liked Ryan. I hated to admit it, but I did. Even though it was too soon. Even though I knew better.
I dropped my hand to my side, my shoulders slumping. There was only one person who could help me now.
The landlady.
She was always downstairs, so I made my way down to her.
“Hello,” I said as calmly as I could manage.
She looked up from her phone, her eyes barely meeting mine, and said nothing.
“My keys aren’t working,” I started, forcing a polite tone. “I wanted to know if you knew what the problem was.”
Her expression didn’t change. She just stared at me for a moment before finally speaking.
“The apartment doesn’t belong to you anymore,” she said bluntly.
“What?” I asked, my heart sinking.
“Yes,” she said with a shrug. “You packed out, remember? Some men came here and carried all your things.”
“And you just let them? Without confirming anything first?” I asked, my voice shaking with disbelief.
“Baby girl,” she said with a dry laugh, “this isn’t a five-star hotel.”
Then she looked back down at her phone, dismissing me completely.
I stood there, stunned. What was I supposed to do now?
I didn’t have a choice. I had to go back to the new apartment, even though it was the last place I wanted to be.
Taking a deep breath, I handed her the keys and walked out of the building.
Jamie was still by the car, leaning casually against it like he had all the time in the world. He didn’t say anything, but the way he looked at me told me he already knew what had happened.
Without a word, he opened the car door for me. I slid in, and he got behind the wheel.
He didn’t ask where to go. He knew.
The drive back was quiet and slow, every moment from earlier replaying in my head like a bad movie. Karen, Ryan, everything.
When we reached the new apartment, I went inside without saying anything to Jamie. I went straight to the bedroom and threw myself on the bed.
The mattress was soft, but it didn’t matter. None of it mattered.
Ryan was all I could think about.
No, I told myself. Ryan wasn’t the problem. Nothing was the problem.
I needed to get him out of my head. We weren’t anything. There was nothing there to begin with, Aurora. Stop making this something it’s not.
Lost in my thoughts, my phone buzzed. A text.
*Sophie: Hey girl, how was your trip? Can’t wait to see you tomorrow so you can tell me all about it 🙂
I stared at the screen for a moment before typing back.
*Aurora: Hi Sophie, the trip was fine but I won’t be at work tomorrow. Please fill in for me. Thanks xxx
A reply came almost immediately.
*Sophie: Is there a problem? Why aren’t you coming tomorrow?
*Aurora: No, there’s no problem. My mum called and said she was sick. I’m just going to see her to know how she’s doing.
*Sophie: Okay love, see you soon 🙂
I set the phone down, staring blankly at the screen. My chest felt heavy, but I tried to push the feeling away.
I was going back to my mum tomorrow.