Chapter 99

• Aurora POV
• My heart pounds as I sit on the edge of the massive bed, the silence of the room pressing against me. Lucas’s shock, his shouted curse, and the way he bolted still echo in my mind. I shouldn’t have shifted like that, not so suddenly, not without warning him more. But he wanted proof, and I gave it to him—too much, too fast. My hands tremble as I pull the sheet from the bed, wrapping it around my naked body, the fabric cool against my skin. I need to find him, to explain, to see if I’ve broken whatever fragile trust we were building.
• I pad barefoot out of the bedroom, the sheet trailing behind me like a makeshift dress, my steps hesitant. The apartment feels too quiet, the city’s hum beyond the windows a distant murmur. I find Lucas in the living room, slouched in an armchair, a glass of whiskey in his hand. The bottle sits on the coffee table in front of him, half-empty, and his eyes are fixed on the amber liquid, swirling it slowly. He doesn’t look up as I approach, but his shoulders tense, like he senses me there.