A Regret in Red

"Miss Aurora? Are you alright?" The nurse's voice snapped me out of my daze.

I opened my eyes to see blood backing up in the IV line. A stark, dark red blood was backing up against the tubing, and it was quite scary.

"How long has it been like this?" My voice was hoarse.

"About seven hours." The nurse replaced the IV carefully, her tone cautious. "Why wasn't anyone watching you? Your arm is already swollen. Luckily, there's no infection."

"Where's your Alpha mate?"

"He's not my mate," I answered flatly.

Seven hours.

I closed my eyes, a bitter, almost mocking smile tugging at my lips.

"Thank you, I can manage myself." I pulled out the IV and walked out of my ward, ignoring the nurse's protests.

The hallway was busy with people coming and going.

"Did you hear? The Blackmoon Group's Alpha pulled out all the stops for Miss Clara last night. He called in every tech team. It was all over the news."

"They mobilized their best legal and PR teams, just to protect one foundation?"

"It's for Clara, though. She's the Alpha's favorite, you know."

The gossip at the nurse's station made me stop in my tracks. So, during those seven hours after he left, Damian had been busy working for Clara.

I drifted toward the elevators, numb, desperate to leave this place that smelled of disinfectant.

Somehow, I ended up outside Blackmoon Group's headquarters. It was just a short walk from the hospital.

Through the glass of the main lobby, I saw a scene that made my chest ache.

Damian was gently handing Clara a cup of coffee. My father sat next to her, chatting warmly with Clara, a softness in his eyes I'd never seen directed at me.

The three of them sat together on the couch, sunlight streaming through the tall windows, wrapping them in a golden glow.

The sight stung so much I had to turn away. I couldn't bear to see that a second time. Tears rolled down freely.

"Aurora," I told myself quietly as I walked away, "Who are you crying for? No one cares about you. Don't cry!"

Damian didn't show up after that.

I finished my treatment alone in silence. Once I had fully recovered, I was planning to leave the hospital.

At the front entrance, I ran into Damian. He looked tired, but his mood seemed good. Clara was clearly doing fine now.

"Get in the car." His tone left no room for argument and was filled with threat.

I didn't budge. "I'm going home."

"Home?" He gave a cold laugh, grabbing my wrist. "Or do you want them to target you again?"

After being shoved into the car, he handed me a tablet as he started the car. "A catalog for one of the top art galleries. Lots of masterpieces. I'm taking you out for a walk to clear your head. You've been holed up in there for too long."

I flipped through the catalog absently, barely paying attention. Suddenly, on page seventeen, a familiar painting caught my eye. It was one of my mother's last works.

My mother had been an artist, and that painting was her favorite.

After Elena married into our family, she claimed that "the deceased's belongings will bring misfortune" and forced my father to get rid of everything my mother left behind.

I thought that painting was destroyed. I never imagined it would show up at an auction.

"How much is this?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.

Damian glanced over. "The starting bid is five hundred thousand. The estimated selling bid is around two million."

Two million… Even if I sold all my jewelry, I could barely scrape together one million and five hundred thousand.

At the auction, I unexpectedly ran into Clara.

She wore an elegant white outfit, laughing and mingling with a group of art collectors.

As soon as she saw us come in, she made a beeline for us.

"Aurora! I told Damian I wanted to apologize, and I can't believe he brought you here. I know I was wrong that day. Will you forgive me?"

I looked at Damian, but he just kept flipping through the auction catalog in silence.

So that was the real reason for this trip. So Clara could apologize. The whole “clearing my head” excuse had just been a cover.

I felt empty inside, as if something inside me had been hollowed out, but I didn't even have any tears left to cry.

Clara reached for my hand, her eyes full of regret. "I really didn't mean to hurt you. I was just so excited. After being away so long, it's nice seeing everyone again, and I can't help but feel happy about it."

I pulled my hand away. "Are you done apologizing?"

Clara bit her lip, her voice trembling, almost about to cry. "I really do want to be your friend. We're family, aren't we?"

"Friend? Family?" I let out a cold laugh. "You think you deserve that?"

The auction was about to begin. I found a seat in the corner as I clutched my bidding paddle tightly.

This was my last chance.