Chapter 167: Unfinished Business
Aurora’s POV
"Um.. I heard from the healer that your friend will be okay."
Leonardo said quietly, sounding unsure.
"She's just a little hurt."
I didn't look at him, keeping my eyes on Annie.
I didn't know what to say, anyway.
He had worked with the same person who kidnapped me and nearly got my friend killed.
If Alessandro and his brothers hadn’t shown up when they did, Annie might not be lying here recovering.
She could be lying in a morgue.
And I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.
Leonardo must have taken my silence as an opening. I saw him from the corner of my eye stepping closer to Annie’s hospital bed, his hands nervously clenched together.
"I want to apologize for hurting you, Annie," he said, his voice tight with guilt.
"I didn't know what I was doing, and—"
Annie cut him off with a sharp laugh.
"You knew exactly what you were doing, Leonardo."
That's just how Annie was, direct and honest.
She wasn't going to be nice just because he felt bad now. But he needed to hear the truth.
"You got obsessed with Aurora. You thought she belonged to you, and you didn't want her with your brother, even after you hurt her over and over."
Leonardo winced.
Annie's voice grew louder.
"Aurora was loyal to you, Leonardo.
She stuck by you, and you made promises you never kept.
I lost count of how many nights she cried on my shoulder, hoping you'd finally choose her.
That you'd stop trying to please your dad and just love her." She paused to catch her breath.
"And what about when that beta tried to hurt her?
She came to you for help, and you believed her mom and that beta instead of her.
The woman you claim to love." Her words felt like a weight in the room.
I still didn't say anything because everything Annie said was true.
Annie crossed her arms, her voice steady and cutting.
“So if you think ‘sorry’ is going to fix things…”
She shook her head.
“I’m sorry, it won’t.”
Annie's gaze flicked to me before returning to Leonardo, her expression unwavering.
"I know Aurora's hurting.
She's not ready to talk to you about it yet, but as her friend, the one who's been there for her through all the tears she's cried over you... I'll speak up."
Leonardo's face tensed, but Annie continued, her voice filled with emotion.
"You never truly loved her. If you had, you wouldn't have cheated on her with Lena or any of those other betas who threw themselves at you when she was right there, waiting for you to love her back."
Her voice cracked, but she pressed on.
"She gave you her heart, Leonardo. And you crushed it like it meant nothing."
The silence that followed was oppressive, heavy with unspoken regret.
I still couldn't bring myself to look at him because everything Annie said was the painful truth I couldn't verbalize.
"You messed up, Leonardo," Annie said, her voice soft but resolute.
"Big time." Leonardo hung his head, his clasped hands a testament to the weight of his guilt.
“I… I deserve everything you said, Annie. Every word,” he admitted quietly.
“But please…”
He looked up at me.
"Can I talk to Aurora alone for a minute?
I need to say some things to her. Please."
Annie turned to me, her expression softening slightly.
She didn't say anything, but her eyes asked if I was okay, if I was ready to talk to him.
I sighed, feeling a knot in my chest.
Then I nodded slightly.
"It's okay," I said softly.
Annie's concerned smile stayed on me as she nodded.
I stood up, and Leonardo opened the door for me, following closely behind as he shut it softly to let Annie rest.
The hallway felt oppressive in its silence. Leonardo's voice was cautious as he turned to me.
"Would you like to grab a drink at the pack's bar? Somewhere quiet, just us.
So we can talk?"
I hesitated, instinctively wanting to decline.
But seeing the remorse in his eyes, I felt a pang of curiosity.
"Okay," I said softly.
Leonardo's face showed a flash of surprise, then gratitude.
We walked side by side down the hallway, the silence between us heavy with unspoken words, as we headed toward a conversation that was long past due.
****
The pack's bar was quiet, with a few warriors chatting softly over drinks.
The low lighting and gentle music created a calm atmosphere. Leonardo led me to a secluded corner booth, and I followed, sitting across from him.
He didn't speak at first, instead signaling the bartender to bring us drinks.
When they arrived, he set mine in front of me carefully, as if I might shatter if he moved too quickly.
I wrapped my hands around the glass but didn't take a sip.
Leonardo finally broke the silence.
“I’ve played this conversation in my head a hundred times.
And now that it’s actually happening… I don’t even know where to start.”
“Try the beginning,” I said flatly.
He gave a sad smile. “Fair enough.”
He looked down at his drink, staring into it like it held the answers to everything.
“I was angry,” he began, his voice low.
“At Alessandro. At my father. At myself.”
He let out a long breath, shaking his head.
“I felt like I couldn’t breathe under the weight of all the expectations my father had for me.
I tried to break free, Aurora. I really did.
But I’d spent so many years trying to be the perfect son… the obedient heir who never questioned orders, who lived to make his father proud.”
He paused, swallowing hard.
“I didn’t realize how much I was hurting you with all the empty promises I made.
I kept saying I’d choose you, that I’d fight for you… but I never did.”
His voice cracked slightly, and I saw him clench his fists before continuing.
“When I broke up with you, I told myself it was to protect you from Lena.
I thought I was saving you… But really, I was saving myself from making a hard choice.
And in doing that, I destroyed us. I pushed you away.”
His eyes finally lifted to meet mine.
“So when I saw you falling for Alessandro… I hated it.
Because he became the man I never could be for you.
He chose you. He fought for you. He stood by you when I didn’t.”
Leonardo looked down again, his voice quieter now.
"I see it now. You and Alessandro are meant to be together. And I won't try to ruin what you have.
You deserve someone who loves you without doubt." He took a deep breath, his voice shaking with emotion.
“I’m sorry for siding with my uncle. He let his life be ruled by resentment and entitlement… just like I did.
He believed the world owed him something. And I…I followed that same path, thinking pain justified betrayal.”
His gaze softened, filled with genuine remorse.
“I’m sorry, Aurora.
For all of it.
For not being the man you needed. For not believing you. For every time I broke your heart.”
He seemed like he wanted to say more, but the silence between us felt awkward.
I looked at his face, trying to figure out what was going on in his mind
Then, he spoke, and his words shocked me.
"There's something else I need to tell you. Something I've kept secret."
I felt my heart sink.
I held the glass tighter as I looked up at him.
"What is it?" I whispered.
He hesitated, looking down with a guilty face.
"Lena's pregnant," he said finally.
"With my child."
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