Felix’s call came through while I was already in line at the boarding gate.
Eleanors muffled sobs on the other end of my own phone call were breaking my heart.
I kept trying to comfort her, only to be interrupted by the ringing from his call.
Finally, I just declined his call and turned off my phone.
“Aurora, they just disinfected your wound, they didn’t even bandage it properly! You have to promise me you’ll go to a hospital and get it looked at as soon as you land, waaah
We hugged, both of us crying, and I gently wiped the tears from her face.
The airline staff kept urging the line forward. I finally had to let go, walking away as she watched me go, her eyes swimming with tears.
The truth was that I was running away.
It felt like a defense mechanism, my brain deliberately shutting down the pain, pushing me not to think about those people or what had happened.
It wasn’t until I was on the plane, staring out the window into the pitch–black night, that it finally hit me: I had truly left the city I’d lived in for over twenty years.
I was really on my way to a new, completely unknown future that was all my own.
Meanwhile, outside a hospital room in Chicago, Felix stared at his phone as it went to voicemail again, his brow furrowed in a deep scowl.
This was the tenth, maybe fifteenth, call he’d made to Aurora.
No matter how much they fought, he’d never been unable to reach her like this.
He scrubbed a hand over his face in frustration. “Damn it! She causes all this trouble and then dares to ignore my calls!”
His words were harsh, but the worry in his eyes was growing deeper.
The way Aurora had looked at him when she left the wedding, his heart ached just thinking about it now.
She must have taken her anger out on Stella because she was mad at him, right?
He’d really lost his temper today. No matter what, he never should have thrown that wine.
“Still can’t get through?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t worry, she was fine when we left…”
Gideon’s voice lost confidence as he spoke.
Was she fine?
He had a nagging feeling he’d missed something.
For instance, the soft gasp Aurora had made when he pushed her.
He had noticed it at the time.
It had always been like this, ever since they were kids. Wherever Aurora was, his attention was immediately drawn to her.
Even when the situation screamed that there were more important things to do, that someone else needed him more.
A part of him was always unconsciously tuned in to her, tracking her every move.
Aurora had been acting strangely all day, but he hadn’t asked her what was wrong.
23:01
Dear Brother You Picked the Wrong Sister to Retrav
Chaper
Her furrowed brow, her eyes slowly welling with tears, and that look of desperate reliance on him that he hadn’t seen in years…
That hurt, despairing plea.
“Gideon, believe me, you have to believe me!”
“Hah!”
His heart felt like it had been stabbed, and Gideon suddenly clutched his chest.
“Felix, the doctor said Stella didn’t break anything, she probably just bumped it. You stay with her. I’m going back to check on Aurora.”
Wait, I’m coming too.”
You stay here with Stella!”
For some reason, he had a gut feeling that he didn’t want Felix to come, and he definitely didn’t want to wait for Stella’s check–up to finish.
He was beginning to sense that something was spiraling out of his control, heading in an increasingly unpredictable direction.
He couldn’t yet put his finger on what it was, but he knew one thing: he needed to see Aurora.
As soon as he saw her, he would apologize.
I was just a wedding, right? They’d have it. He’d arrange everything himself.
That way, Aurora won’t be angry anymore, right?”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.