Chapter 76: The Slow Road to Recovery.
Alessandro’s POV
Aurora had completely forgotten about dinner until just before I knocked. She barely had time to wash her face and fix the mess from all the crying. It was obvious she hadn’t even thought of an excuse to send me away.
She couldn’t stay in the same pack with Leonardo and Lena. It wasn’t good for her.
So, I had taken her to her friend Annie’s place to give her some space to heal from everything she’d been through.
She still seemed lost in her pain. Her face was swollen, and it was clear she’d cried herself to sleep.
Honestly, I didn’t know why I had agreed to this whole plan to protect her when it involved Leonardo.
She wasn’t in danger anymore now that Leonardo had chosen Lena. So, why was I still here? I wasn’t the caring, emotional guy she needed. I wasn’t even good at this kind of thing.
“Hey, Aurora,” I said, feeling awkward as I stood there. We weren’t close, and this situation didn’t exactly make things easier.
But a promise was a promise, and my idiot brother knew I’d keep my word.
She looked up at me, her voice quiet. “Hey, Alessandro. I’m sorry I didn’t thank you for bringing me here yesterday.
I… I wasn’t in the best state of mind.”
“It’s fine,” I replied, keeping my tone neutral. “I just did what I had to.”
I stepped inside, holding out a bag. “Uh… Rafael sent this.”
She looked at the bag curiously as I handed it to her.
“He said he knows you probably haven’t eaten after everything and made something to help you get your strength back.” I paused, feeling a little silly as I added,
“He also said to put it in the freezer if you’re not eating it right away and not to waste it. Apparently, he ‘put his whole heart into it.’”
She smiled faintly, the first hint of anything positive I’d seen from her since this whole mess started.
“Please… tell him I said thanks.”
I nodded, slipping my hands into my pockets to hide how uncomfortable I felt. “So… how are you feeling?”
Aurora hesitated, glancing at the bag of food before meeting my eyes.
She didn’t answer right away, but I could see the exhaustion and sadness in her face.
She sighed softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t know, Alessandro. I feel… empty. Like everything I had, everything I believed in, is just… gone.”
I nodded slowly, unsure of what to say. Comforting people wasn’t exactly my strength, but I couldn’t just walk out.
“That’s normal,” I said after a moment. “You’ve been through a lot. It’s going to take time.”
She hugged the bag of food to her chest, almost like it was a shield. “It just feels like I’m stuck. Like I don’t even know how to move forward from here.”
I leaned against the door-frame, crossing my arms. “You don’t have to figure it all out right now. Take it one day at a time. That’s all you can do.”
Aurora gave a small, bitter laugh. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It’s not,” I admitted. “But sitting here and drowning in it won’t help either.”
Her faint smile disappeared as quickly as it had come, and she looked away.
“I just don’t understand why he had to hurt me like this. Why pretend to love me if it was all just a lie?”
I stiffened at her words, but I didn’t reply right away. She didn’t need to know my thoughts on the situation, especially not now.
Instead, I said, “Sometimes people make choices for reasons that don’t make sense to anyone else. Doesn’t mean it’s fair or right, but that’s how it is.”
Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she was trying to read between my words. “Do you think he ever loved me?”
I hesitated. How was I supposed to answer that? Lie to spare her feelings or tell the truth and risk making things worse? Finally, I settled on something in between.
“I think Leonardo loved you in his own way, but he’s too caught up in what’s expected of him to fight for it.”
Aurora’s eyes filled with tears again, but she quickly blinked them away. “I just wish I’d been enough for him to choose me over everything else.”
“You were enough,” I said firmly, surprising even myself with how serious I sounded. “He just didn’t have the courage to see it.”
She stared at me for a moment, her expression unreadable. Then, she looked away, her voice soft.
“Thanks, Alessandro. For saying that. And for… everything.”
I nodded, pushing off the doorframe. “I’ll leave you to rest. If you need anything, I’m around.”
She gave me a small nod, her gaze drifting to the window. “Okay.”
As I walked out of the room and closed the door behind me, I couldn’t help but feel a strange mix of emotions.
Aurora wasn’t my responsibility, but somehow, I’d ended up in the middle of this mess.
And the more I watched her try to pick up the pieces of her broken heart, the angrier I felt at Leonardo for putting her in this position.
I didn’t know why, but I made a silent promise to myself as I walked away: I wasn’t going to let her break completely. Not if I could help it.
*****
“You’ve been crying, Aurora,” I said as she carried the dish to the kitchen. She didn’t answer, just moved to put it away.
I stayed where I was, watching her. Thinking.
“I’m sorry about yesterday,” I said after a moment. “It was hard for you, but maybe with time… you’ll find your strength again.”
She turned to face me, almost bumping into me before stepping back, pressing herself against the counter.
There was something electric in the air, a jolt of energy that I couldn’t explain. Maybe it was from me or maybe from her, too. I wasn’t sure.
“You’ve been through a lot these past few days,” I said, moving closer. I didn’t give her any space.
I placed my hands on the counter, one on either side of her, trapping her in.
Her eyes widened slightly, and I could see her trying to process what I was doing. She looked wary, guarded.
“But I think it’s time you stop thinking about Leonardo,” I said, my voice lowering, “and start thinking about me.”
Her brows pulled together in a frown, and she started to shift, realizing there was no easy way out.
I noticed the flush rising to her cheeks, the way her body tensed with nervous energy.
“What are you doing, Alessandro?” she asked, her voice shaky.
I smiled at her reaction. She was uncomfortable, and to me, that was a good sign, it meant she felt something.
I reached out, placing my hand on her shoulder. She flinched.
“No! Don’t touch me!” she said, her voice rising in panic.
But I didn’t pull away. My hand slid slowly down from her shoulder to her arm. Her breath hitched, and I could feel the tremor running through her body.
She was shaking, and every slight movement only drew me in further. Her pulse was racing, and it was thrilling to see her like this, caught off guard.
“Aurora,” I said softly, leaning closer.
“I want you to stop putting up walls. I want your defenses down.”
She stared at me, her breathing uneven, her eyes darting as if trying to find a way out.
“And when they’re down,” I whispered, “I’m going to take full advantage of it.”
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