Chapter 55: A Painful Truth.
Leonardo’s POV
I stood in front of the door to the infirmary, my heart pounding in my chest as I thought about what I was going to say.
I had no idea how to start this conversation. How could I possibly explain to Aurora why I had turned my back on her, why I had chosen to believe Marcus over her?
The guilt weighed on me like a heavy stone, but I knew I couldn’t avoid this any longer. I had to face her, even if it was the hardest thing I’d ever done.
Taking a deep breath, I gripped the door handle and pushed it open.
Aurora looked up as I entered, and the moment our eyes met, I saw the shift in her expression.
Her face tightened, the warmth in her eyes replaced with something colder—hurt, disappointment, maybe even anger.
And who could blame her? After everything that happened, I had failed her in the worst way possible.
I hesitated at the door, my mouth dry. The words wouldn’t come, and for a long moment, I just stood there, like an idiot, trying to find a way to make things right without even knowing where to begin.
“What do you want, Leonardo?” Aurora’s voice broke the silence, sharp and pointed.
Her words stung, but I deserved it. I stood there, feeling the weight of her gaze, the pain of her betrayal hanging between us like a thick fog.
“Aurora... I know I’ve failed you as a mate, and I know I’ve hurt you, but please, just hear me out.”
She scoffed, turning her face away from me in disbelief. “Hear you out?
After everything?
I called you, I texted you, and I even went to your room to talk to you. But you ghosted me.
You disappeared after we spent the most beautiful night together in that hotel room, promising each other our love.
And now, you’re telling me to hear you out?
What a load of rubbish!”
I nodded, clearly expecting that, "I know... I deserve that. But honestly, Aurora, I never meant to hurt you like this. I was just... confused."
She scoffed again and turned her gaze toward me. I could see the hint of tears in her eyes. "Confused?
About what? Me?"
I lifted my hand, trying to calm her. "No, not about you, Aurora."
"Then about what?" she demanded, her voice tight with emotion.
I sighed deeply, trying to find the right words. "About this whole responsibility of being the heir to this pack."
She furrowed her brow, clearly wanting more. "What are you talking about?"
I hesitated, not sure how to explain the weight I was carrying, but I knew I had to tell her, or things would only get worse.
"My father has picked a date for me to marry Lena. We’re getting married at the next full moon."
Aurora's eyes widened in shock at my words. "What...? No... no, that can't be true."
I nodded, feeling the full weight of my words. "So, I've been confused about what to do.
How to protect you. Because if our father finds out that we are mates, he would never accept us together.
And due to the pack’s politics, he would want me to marry Lena to keep the peace between the two packs.
I'm the scapegoat, tied to this huge responsibility to be with someone I don’t love and didn’t choose."
Aurora stood there, silent for a moment, her eyes locked on mine. I could see the anger and hurt circling within her, but there was also a flicker of something else something I couldn’t quite read.
"So, you’re telling me that all this time… all this pain… it was because of your duty to the pack?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly, though she was trying to keep her composure.
I nodded, guilt crashing over me like a tidal wave. "Yes. I didn’t know how to balance everything.
I thought if I just followed what was expected of me, things would settle. But now… now I realize I’ve hurt you in the process.
I don’t want to lose you, Aurora. Not like this."
She shook her head slowly, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"You’ve already lost me, Leonardo," she said quietly.
"You didn’t trust me when I needed you the most. You chose everyone else’s expectations over me. Over us."
The words stung, but I couldn’t deny the truth in them. She was right. I had let everyone’s demands drown out the one thing that should’ve mattered more than anything her.
"I didn’t mean to hurt you. I swear," I said, my voice barely audible. "I wanted to protect you, but I didn’t know how.
I was too scared of what would happen if I defied my father. If I went against everything he planned for me.
But that’s no excuse. You’re right. I failed you."
Aurora’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she stepped back, shaking her head.
"You didn’t fail me, Leonardo," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "You failed yourself. And you failed us."
I wanted to reach out, to pull her into my arms and tell her that I’d fix everything that we could figure this out together. But I knew it was too late for that.
The distance between us was too great now, built from lies, misunderstandings, and broken trust.
"I... I need time, Leonardo," she whispered, her gaze softening just a little. "I don’t know if I can forgive you for this. Not yet."
I felt my heart break at her words, but I couldn’t blame her. I had done this to us.
"I’ll wait. However long it takes," I said, my voice barely audible, as if speaking too loudly would make this all too real.
"I’ll prove to you that I can do better. I’ll show you that I’m not just my father’s puppet."
She didn’t respond right away. Instead, she turned her back to me, walking slowly towards the door.
Just before she left, she stopped, her hand on the doorframe, her back still turned.
"Don’t expect me to wait around for you to figure it out, Leonardo," she said quietly.
"I’m not the one who needs to change. You are."
And with that, she was gone….
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