Chapter 8
Aurora never expected to wake up again.
The sterile scent of antiseptic filled her nose. It took her a long time to realize she wasn’t dead.
A doctor hovered beside her, checking her vitals with a visible breath of relief.
“We worked on you for over ten hours,” he said, voice tight with fatigue. “You were this close to crossing over. Thank God
you made it.”
Her throat burned like sandpaper, but she managed a hoarse whisper.
“Thank you… for saving my life.”
The doctor gave a small nod. He hesitated before asking, “The people who brought you in… were they your biological
parents?”
Aurora’s lips parted, but she said nothing.
Her silence spoke volumes.
The doctor gave a quiet sigh and didn’t press further. He turned and left.
She stayed in the hospital for another two days.
No one came to visit.
No one called.
It wasn’t until the day she was discharged that her parents finally showed up.
But not to check on her recovery.
They came to remind her of something else.
“Tomorrow’s the wedding,” Mr. Wyndham said flatly. “Since you agreed to leave, make sure you’re gone before the
ceremony starts.”
As if they were discussing logistics for an unwanted guest.
Aurora nodded without protest.
Her compliance seemed to please them. Her mother even managed a faint smile.
“It’s for your sister’s happiness,” she said. “Let her have this. Once she and Sterling are settled and start a family, we’ll bring you back to visit. We’ve already transferred money to your card-use it to take care of yourself abroad.”
And just like that, they left.
Off to dote on Scarlet again.
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Aurora stood in silence, watching them walk away.
Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out the plane ticket to London.
And tore it into pieces.
Instead, she booked a flight to Australia.
They wanted her gone?
Fine.
She’d vanish so thoroughly, they’d never be able to find her again.
Before leaving the hospital, Aurora met privately with the doctor and signed a legal document-a severance agreement formally terminating her familial ties.
Her signature was steady.
She placed the document inside a small wooden box.
Then, carefully, she added something else: a cassette tape she’d once recorded while staying with Sterling at the old
Blackwood estate.
Late at night, he would lie beside her in the dark and tell her stories to help her sleep. She had recorded one of those moments-his voice gentle, low, and full of warmth.
She had tried so many times to give him that tape.
To remind him of who she truly was.
But he had never spared even a minute to listen.
Now, she no longer cared whether he heard it or not.
That part of her life was over.
And she would be, too-gone from their world forever.
That night, the house was chaotic with last-minute wedding preparations. Music, footsteps, laughter echoed from every
floor.
Aurora barely slept.
At dawn, she rose early, ate breakfast, and carried her suitcase to the car, loading it into the trunk.
Just as she was about to leave, the wedding motorcade pulled up to the front gates.
She looked up and saw Sterling stepping out of the lead car, immaculate in his tuxedo, his presence as polished as ever.
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She gave a polite nod-and for the first time, called him by his rightful title.
“Brother-in-law.”
And for the last time.
Sterling froze, clearly caught off guard. His gaze flicked to the car behind her, a faint frown tugging at his brow.
“You don’t have to attend the wedding,” he said after a pause. “Just stay home.”
She knew what he really meant: Don’t make a scene. Don’t ruin the day.
Aurora didn’t argue. Instead, she handed him a small box-a carefully prepared parting gift.
“I’m not here for your wedding,” she said calmly. “And I won’t interrupt your happiness. Congratulations. Goodbye.”
Then she turned, opened the car door, and climbed inside.
Sterling watched the car start up, his heart pounding.
For some reason, his heart pounded.
He opened his mouth to call out-to ask her where she was going, to say… something.
But before he could speak, a familiar voice rang out.
“Sterling, come hold me!”
It was Scarlet, radiant in white, standing on the steps like a princess waiting for her prince.
He looked away from Aurora… and back toward Scarlet.
Aurora watched through the rearview mirror.
She saw Sterling toss the wooden box casually to his assistant and smile as he swept Scarlet into his arms.
The car rolled forward, leaving the Wyndham estate behind.
Aurora lowered the window.
Then she pulled out her phone-and threw it out into the wind.
The old Aurora Wyndham was dead.
And the new Aurora… was headed toward a future no one would ever control again.
Chanto
