123

123
AURORA'S POV

Leo clutched his little stuffed giraffe tighter as the nurse left. The sunlight streaming through the window hit his hair just right, giving him this soft golden halo. He looked up at me, then at Cassian, who stood awkwardly near the foot of the bed, hands tucked in his pockets.

“Daddy’s here,” Leo said, voice small but certain. He pointed one pudgy finger straight at him, like he had just discovered something worth naming. My stomach dropped. I blinked hard. Cassian looked like he had been punched in the chest, then given air for the first time.

I forced a smile, but it felt brittle. “Yes, sweetheart. He is here.” I ran my fingers through Leo’s hair, trying to keep my voice steady. Cassian stepped closer. Not too close. Just enough to crouch near the edge. His voice cracked when he spoke.

“Hi, Leo.” He gave a little wave, like he was not sure if he was allowed to do more. “You remember me?” Leo nodded quickly, then leaned forward with his arms open. “Up.” My heart slammed into my ribs. Cassian hesitated, like the moment was too fragile.

He lifted Leo gently, careful like he might break. Leo tucked his head into Cassian’s neck, that soft sigh he only made when he felt safe. I bit the inside of my cheek. That should not have hurt, but it did. Because I remembered that same sound against my shoulder.

I stood and crossed to the other side of the room, pretending to adjust Leo’s IV stand. Anything to keep from watching too long. “He usually only does that when he is sleepy,” I said, voice clipped. “Or when he trusts someone.” Cassian glanced up at me.

“I will take care of him,” he said. “No matter what it takes.” I met his eyes, sharp and cold. “You had your chance, Cassian. You do not get to rewrite the past just because it makes you feel better now.” My throat felt tight, but I swallowed the ache.

Cassian’s grip on Leo stayed gentle. “I am not asking for the past. I am asking for now. For him.” He rubbed Leo’s back, his voice softer now. “He deserves more than being caught between people who cannot even look each other in the eye.”

I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “You are right. He does. Which is why I am going to make sure he never learns what it feels like to be forgotten.” Cassian’s jaw tensed. He nodded once, but it was slow. Measured. Like he was swallowing a thousand words.

Four slow breaths passed before either of us moved. I took Leo’s chart from the table, flipping through the latest notes just to give my hands something to do. “You do not get to be the hero now, Cassian. You do not get to show up and pretend you care.”

“I never stopped caring,” he said quietly. “You just stopped believing me.”

CASSIAN’S POV

Her words landed like slaps. Clean. Precise. No yelling. No dramatics. Just ice under every syllable. And somehow, that cut worse. Leo wiggled in my arms, half-asleep. I held him closer, pressing my cheek to his hair. I had missed so much. Too much.

Aurora turned away, her shoulders stiff. I watched her fingers flutter over the keyboard at the nurses’ station. They trembled slightly before she tucked them into her sleeves. She was breaking in places she thought no one could see. I saw. I always saw too late.

“I know you do not trust me,” I said, not moving. “But I meant what I said. If there is a line I have to cross to keep him safe, I will cross it.” She glanced over her shoulder. Her eyes held that guarded look she always used in boardrooms.

“You mean like the line you crossed when you signed those merger papers behind my back?” she asked. “Or the line where you denied ever being married to me?” My grip tightened. “I was trying to protect the company. I thought—” She cut me off.

“You thought I was disposable,” she said. “It is fine. You can say it. You have already proven it.” Her voice broke for half a second, but she covered it fast. I hated how well she had learned to hide her pain. Like I had trained her to do it without ever realizing.

“I did not know you were pregnant,” I said, my voice low. “If I had, I would have done everything differently.” She turned fully then. “But that is the problem, Cassian. You did not know because you never asked. You never listened.”

Leo stirred in my arms. I rocked him gently, his weight grounding me. “You have every reason to hate me,” I said. “I am not asking for forgiveness. I am asking for a chance. A real one. For him.” Aurora stared at Leo for a long time before she spoke again.

“You think showing up now makes up for everything?” she whispered. “It does not. You do not get points for doing the bare minimum.” I stepped forward, slowly, careful not to wake Leo. “I am not here for points. I am here because I love him. Because I love you.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You do not get to say that.” Her voice was quiet but sharp. “Not after what you did. Not after how you made me disappear.” The silence between us was brittle. One wrong word, and it would snap in half.

AURORA’S POV

I stood there, breathing hard. My hands clenched at my sides. I wanted to scream, but Leo was asleep. I wanted to cry, but I would not give him that power. Not anymore. Cassian stood still, like he knew one step closer might make me shatter all over again.

He whispered my name like it was fragile. Like it might fall apart if he said it too loud. I hated that it still sounded like a prayer. I shook my head. “You do not get to fix me with words. You broke something that words cannot reach.”

He opened his mouth. Closed it. Good. Because if he had said one more thing, I might have said something I could not take back. I turned and walked to the window, gripping the sill. The city below buzzed with life. People going on, unaware that my world had cracked.

I heard his footsteps. Leaving. Finally. I closed my eyes, pressing my forehead to the glass. “I hate that he wants you,” I whispered. “I hate that he smiles like that when you are near. I hate that I still care.” But the wind outside said nothing back.

Then Leo stirred. “Mama?” I turned around quickly. “I am right here, baby.” He rubbed his eyes. “Where did Daddy go?” My throat burned. I knelt beside the bed. “He just stepped out for a bit. He will be back later.” Leo nodded sleepily. “He is nice.”

I kissed his cheek and held him close. “Yes. He is learning how to be.” But inside me, the storm still raged. Because I knew love could not survive on second chances alone. And I did not know if I had anything left to give.

Then my phone buzzed. Unknown sender. I opened it, expecting more reports. Instead, one message blinked on the screen. One line.

“You should have stayed gone.”

I stared at it, heart thudding, while Leo slept soundly against me.

And the room felt colder than before.