Chapter 6

• Aurora’s Point of View
• Lunch was a special healthy meal from a Michelin-starred restaurant, light fish soup with small side dishes that looked very good.
• I had just taken a sip of the soup when a loud noise came from outside the door.
• Kevin’s annoying voice started again.
• “I’m her husband! Who are you to stop me? Tell Aurora to come out and see me!”
• “Aurora, you damn get out of here right now! We need to talk!”
• The bodyguards in black standing at the door were like two stone blocks, not reacting at all.
• Kevin pushed at them a few times, but they did not move even a little. Angry, he started yelling in the hallway.
• People nearby peeked out, whispering and pointing.
• I didn’t want him acting like some wild dog out there, making a scene and embarrassing me.
• I put down my spoon, used a napkin to wipe my mouth, and nodded at the bodyguards next to me.
• “Let him in.”
• The door opened.
• Kevin rushed in, his tie bent, his suit wrinkled, looking like a total mess.
• The second he stepped inside, he threw me a look full of anger.
• “Aurora, you really did it this time.”
• He pulled out a chair and sat down hard, legs spread, like he was about to question a criminal.
• “Where did you get the money to hire these guys? You're using our savings behind my back?”
• I looked at him like he was a bad joke.
• “That’s not something you need to know. What do you want? If you came to fight for Betty again, then get out right now.”
• Kevin stopped mid-talk, clearly not ready for me to push back this hard.
• But then, like he remembered something, he held back his anger and put on a helpless look, letting out a long sigh. “Yeah, I went too far yesterday, but I was only trying to look out for you.”
• I ignored him. He leaned in a little, cleared his throat, and softened his tone, “Betty and I are just friends. I never saw her as a woman; you’re the one taking it wrong. And anyway, you hurt her. Do you even know who Betty is? She’s from a rich family. If she ends up with a scar, this could turn into a huge problem.”
• He didn’t see Betty as a woman, yet expected her to do that for him?
• Kevin’s shameless thinking almost made me laugh.
• I pulled the corner of my mouth up into a cold smile and said two words, “So what?”
• Hearing me talk back, Kevin thought I was giving in.
• He rushed to say, “Go apologize to Betty. Tell her you lost your temper because of pregnancy hormones, and that will be the end of it. I’m willing to forgive your little mood swing this time. We’ll go back to how things were.”
• Looking at his smug face made my stomach twist.
• “Kevin, are you fucking deaf or what?”
• I stared at him, speaking slowly and clearly. “I’m not apologizing. I’m not going back with you. I’ll have my lawyer send you the divorce papers.”
• The moment Kevin heard the word “divorce,” he jumped up like a cat that got stepped on.
• “Divorce? You’re out of your mind!”
• He walked back and forth in the hospital room, his dress shoes scraping loudly against the floor.
• “Aurora, don’t be stupid. This is the key time for the company to win the Troy project. My image can’t take any trouble! You want to start a divorce mess right now? Are you trying to destroy me?”
• So it was all about his project.
• The Troy project was Kevin’s biggest hope this year. If he got it, his value would shoot up.
• At a moment like this, if news spread that he dumped his wife and kid, he would be finished.
• “That’s your problem, not mine.” I turned my head toward the window.
• Seeing that trying to force me wasn’t working, Kevin’s eyes shifted, and he changed his tone.
• He crouched by the bed, pulled a small smile on his face, and tried to act caring.
• “Aurora, I know you’re upset. It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have pushed you.”
• “Just think about me, think about this family. Can’t you hold on for a little while? After we get the project, I’ll take you and the baby on a trip. We’ll make up for the honeymoon we never had.”
• Hearing “honeymoon” only made my anger flare hotter.
• When we first got married, I had planned our honeymoon two months early.
• But right before our flight, Betty called and said the guys were going on a trip.
• Kevin’s feet froze at the airport. He couldn’t even move toward the gate.
• I saw him stuck between choices, and my heart softened. I told him to go.
• At the time, he hugged me tight and promised he would make it up to me. But after that day, he never spoke about it again.
• Turns out he didn’t forget, he just didn’t bother to pretend anymore. Now he was using it as a way to push me around.
• I turned back to him, cold and tired. “Kevin, I just want you away from me.”
• Kevin’s patience snapped, and he looked ready to blow up, but then his phone lit up.
• A message popped up on the screen, along with a picture.
• Even though he grabbed his phone fast, I still saw it clearly.
• It was a picture of a church set up for a wedding.
• White roses spread across the floor, a pretty arch at the front, and right in the middle, the names of the couple.
• Kevin & Betty.
• My stomach dropped. My whole body went cold.
• Kevin glanced at the message in a split second, and panic flashed across his face.
• He shoved his phone back into his pocket and avoided looking at me. “Something came up at work. I gotta deal with it. You stay here in the hospital and calm down. Call me when you’re ready to talk. And don’t bring up divorce again, or don’t blame me for being cold.”
• With that, he ran out of the hospital room like he was trying to escape.
• My phone on the bedside table buzzed.
• A text came from an unknown number.
• The photo showed Kevin holding Betty, her arm wrapped in bandages, and the two of them kissing like no one else was around in the hospital hallway.
• Underneath was a message:
• “Aurora, Kevin says my lips are way softer than yours. He can’t even get hard on your bed.”
• I stared at the photo, my nails digging into my palm.
• If you two enjoyed showing off your sweet little act so much, then fine, I would give them something to look at, too.