Untangling a Heart From the Past

Xavier forced himself to stay calm, steeling his heart as he turned to take Violet to the hospital. Ethan followed suit with a worried look on his face, leaving Aurora alone in the villa to deal with the breath-robbing pain that seized her.

"Why… doesn't anyone believe me?" Aurora's lips trembled as her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her injuries were far worse than Violet's, but neither her brother nor fiancee cared enough about her to stay and help.

Tears of resignation and heartbreak streamed down her face. She was about to reach for her phone to call for an ambulance, but the moment she hoisted herself upright, black spots flooded her vision. She fell forward helplessly, all the strength leaving her.

Aurora didn't know how long she'd blacked out for, but she woke up in a splotch of dried blood. The villa was still and silent, and the sky had darkened outside.

The feverish heat spreading through her body told her she needed to go to the hospital right away. Groaning, she propped herself upright. Each step she took seemed to set fire to her injuries, and she panted and grunted as she walked.

She staggered forward, but no sooner had she opened the door than she saw a horde of people barging through the foyer like a pack of rabid dogs.

"Ms. Aurora Bowman, are you truly the one in all those explicit pictures online?"

The press was a motley crew armed with cameras and microphones. Aurora winced as the bright camera lights went off in her face.

"You're the heiress to a prestigious family. Why would you feel the need to sell yourself like that?"

"Rumor has it that you were forced to get an abortion a few days ago by your sugar daddy. Do you have a comment on that?"

The sharp and crude questions from the press were like daggers stabbing into Aurora's heart. However, the more panicked and terrorized she was, the more pressing and relentless the reporters became.

"Is it true that you grew up in an orphanage after getting lost as a child. Then, after you were reunited with your family, you tortured your parents' adopted daughter?"

The crowd jostled Aurora roughly. It was all she could do to put her arms over her head to keep from getting injured.

"What do you have to say about the orphanage director dying from a cardiac arrest after he heard all those rumors about you? Do you feel guilty or ashamed?"

Aurora's eyes widened upon hearing that. She grabbed the reporter's pant leg and demanded, "What was that? Did you just say the orphanage director passed away?"

No one answered her question. The reporters only wanted answers out of which they could spin stories to feed the masses. Gradually, a bigger crowd swarmed Aurora, and she'd lost count of how many people stepped on her.

Just as she was losing hope, Xavier hurtled toward the crowd and roared at them. He led the bodyguards to disperse the reporters, then anxiously scooped a fallen Aurora into his arms.

"Rory, I'm sorry. I should have come sooner. I'll take you to the hospital now."

Aurora clung to him, trembling. "Xavier, they told me the orphanage director passed away. That's not true, right?"

Her body was cold, and her clothes were covered in dirt and stains. A pained look flickered in Xavier's eyes, but he didn't answer, only nodded once in confirmation.

"How did this happen?" Aurora choked on a sob as fat tears slid down her cheeks.

The pain and emotional damage took a toll on her, and she passed out. Xavier had the best doctor tend to her and guarded her faithfully.

"Why isn't she waking up?" he snarled at the doctor, clenching his fists.

"Why are you getting all worked up, Xavier?" Ethan asked as he strolled through the door. "We talked about this, remember? We agreed we'd use the media to provoke her, then ruin her reputation to make her pay for what she did to Violet."

Xavier held back his anger and hissed, "Yes, we did agree on that, but look at how badly injured Aurora is!"

"It's only normal for accidents to happen. There was no guarantee that she'd be 100% safe from harm," Ethan countered.

He then frowned, seemingly realizing something. "Xavier, don't tell me you've actually caught feelings for Aurora."

Xavier felt like he'd just been struck by a bolt of lightning, his heart going still.

Tension edged Ethan's voice. "Don't forget why you got together with her seven years ago. Violet's still lying unconscious in the hospital because of her! If you have feelings for her, you aren't welcome in the Bowman family!"

Xavier chewed his lip and forcefully chased away the strange feeling that had overcome him earlier. He said with newfound resolve, "I started dating Aurora to get revenge on Violet's behalf, so why the hell would I catch feelings for her? Violet has always been the only one I love!"

Ethan was unconvinced. "You swear you've never caught feelings for Aurora?"

"On my life," Xavier replied, lifting his chin fearlessly.

At that moment, neither of them noticed the single tear that slid down Aurora's cheek as she lay on the bed.

"Good." Ethan let out a breath of relief. "It's Aurora's birthday tomorrow. Hash things out with her after you get out of marrying her for the last time. Don't let her attend the orphanage director's wake service or funeral, either. I want her to know how it feels to lose someone important!"

"Don't worry, I know how to maximize her suffering more than you do." Xavier rose to his feet and bit out icily, "We should go before she wakes up."

When they left, Aurora slowly opened her eyes.