Chapter Fifty-Eight

Chapter Fifty-Eight
Aurora’s POV

Before I left the restaurant, I slipped a couple hundred dollars across the table toward Clarissa. 

She tried to refuse, but I pushed it into her hand. “Take it. Get yourself something to eat, or use it for the baby. I don’t care what, but don’t leave yourself with nothing.”

She looked down at the money like it burned her fingers. “Aurora—”

“I’m not doing this for you,” I cut in quickly, standing up. “I’m doing this because of the baby.”

Her eyes welled again, and she just nodded without saying anything else.

I left the restaurant with my chest tight, wondering if I had made a mistake. On my way back, I stopped at Jennifer’s favorite donut shop, bought a dozen of the chocolate-glazed ones she couldn’t resist, and carried them in a white paper bag.

When I opened the front door of her house, Jennifer was sitting on the couch scrolling through her phone. She looked up immediately. “Where have you been?”

I placed the donut bag on the coffee table and smiled faintly. “Out. I met an old friend.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Uh-huh. And you brought me donuts.”

She leaned forward, opened the bag, and squealed when she saw what was inside, but the excitement lasted two seconds before her face changed. She looked at me suspiciously. “You only buy me donuts when you’re trying to bribe me. What do you want?”

I held my hands up innocently. “Nothing. Can’t I just do something nice for my best friend?”

She gave me a long stare. I sighed and sank into the chair across from her. “Okay, fine. I went to see my sister.”

Jennifer froze, donut halfway to her mouth. “You what?”

“I went to see Clarissa.”

She slammed the donut back into the box, her face twisting with anger. “Why the hell would you do that, Aurora? After everything she did to you?”

I clasped my hands together in my lap, trying to keep calm. “Because… everyone deserves a second chance.”

“Second chance?” she repeated loudly. “She stole your inheritance, she left you broke, and she laughed in your face when you confronted her! And you think she deserves a second chance?”

I lifted my chin. “I didn’t say I forgave her. And I haven’t forgotten anything she did. But she’s still my sister, Jennifer and she’s pregnant. She's stuck in a toxic relationship with some abusive boyfriend. Her karma already caught up with her.”

Jennifer shook her head, still glaring. “So now what? You’re just going to open your arms and let her walk back into your life like nothing happened?”

“No,” I said firmly. “But I can’t just watch her drown, either. She’s all the family I’ve got left.”

Jennifer leaned back against the couch, crossing her arms. She stared at me for a long moment before sighing. “I understand. I really do. But I don’t buy it completely, Aurora. Be careful, that’s all I’m saying. Don’t let her pull you down again.”

I stood and walked over to her, hugging her tightly. “I’ll be careful. I promise.”

She patted my back before pulling away and finally picking up the donut again. “Good. Because if she hurts you again, I swear I’ll kill her.”

That made me laugh for the first time all day.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

The next morning, I drove to the hospital. Nico’s laughter was the first thing I heard as soon as I walked into his room, and all the tension in me eased.

“Mum!” he shouted happily, sitting up in bed when he saw me.

I rushed over and hugged him, kissing the top of his head. “How’s my boy doing?”

“Good,” he said proudly. “I’ve been doing my exercises like Dr. Freeman told me. Look!” He stretched his arms wide.

Nico stretched his arms again like he was showing off.
I laughed. “You’re getting stronger every day. Soon you’ll be chasing me around the yard, and I won’t be able to keep up.”

His face lit up. “Really? You think so?”

“I know so,” I said, tapping his nose.

He paused, looking at me curiously. “Mom… are you married now? Nurse Laura was saying I have a new daddy.”

The question caught me off guard, Nurse Laura and her bug mouth. I blinked and forced a smile. “Yes… I am.”

His eyes grew wide. “So… Do I have a daddy now?”

I froze, my chest tightening. My mouth opened but no words came out. Instead, I forced a smile and tickled him under the arms, making him squeal with laughter. “We’ll talk about that later, mister. For now, let’s see how many tickles you can handle!”

He giggled uncontrollably and I used the moment to distract him from the question I didn’t know how to answer.

After spending some more time with him, reading a story and talking about what he wanted to do once he got out of the hospital, I left his room and walked down the hall to Dr. Freeman’s office.

He was sitting at his desk going through some files when I knocked and stepped in.

“Mrs. Kane,” he said with a polite smile. “Come in, please. How’s Nico today?”

“He’s doing great,” I said, sitting across from him. “Stronger every time I see him. He even sat up on his own.”

“That’s good progress,” he said with a nod. “The treatment is working and his determination helps a lot. He’s a fighter.”

“I know,” I said softly.

After a few minutes of discussing Nico’s health and the treatment plan, Dr. Freeman leaned back in his chair and studied me for a moment. “And how are you doing, Aurora? You’ve had a lot happen these past two weeks.”

I forced a smile. “I’m fine.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You don’t look fine.”

I blinked, caught off guard. “Excuse me?”

“You’re carrying too much on your shoulders,” he said calmly. “I can see it in your face. You don’t have to tell me, but if something is bothering you, sometimes it helps to talk about it.”

I don’t know why, but something about his calm tone made me let down my guard. I found myself telling him everything, from the honeymoon to the scandal, the lies, the betrayal I felt, and the way Conan had shattered my trust. Words tumbled out one after the other until I realized I had given him every piece of the storm in my head.

He didn’t interrupt. He just listened, nodding occasionally, his expression steady and kind. When I finally stopped, breathless and drained, he leaned forward.

“Not everything is always what it looks like, Aurora,” he said. “Remember when the gossip tabloid reported false information about Nico’s condition? Everyone believed it, but you knew the truth. Sometimes situations are like that. What you see might not be the full picture.”

I looked down at my hands. “So you think I should give Conan a chance to explain?”

“I think,” he said gently, “that if you still care about him, you owe yourself that much. At least hear what he has to say before you decide.”

I sat in silence for a long moment, then finally nodded. “Thank you, Doctor.”

“Anytime,” he said with a small smile.

I left his office feeling lighter than I had in days. For the first time since everything fell apart, I felt a clear determination building inside me. I wasn’t ready to forgive Conan, not yet, but I knew I needed to hear him out.

And this time, I was going to listen.