4
Aurora’s car arrived with surprising speed.
As I was getting in, Bella and Zoe ran out after me.
Bella grabbed my arm, her face a storm of fury. “Who is she?”
“My wife,” I answered truthfully.
“Bullshit! You’d ruin your own reputation just to spite us?”
I gave a weak, humorless laugh. What reputation? They had already destroyed it.
Taking advantage of my weakness, Bella yanked me towards her.
The next second, the sharp crack of a slap echoed in the midnight air.
“Let go of him,” Aurora’s voice was ice. “I don’t care if you’re his childhood friend. You don’t touch him.”
“Who the hell do you think you are? You hit my sister!” Zoe shrieked, lunging at Aurora.
Aurora sidestepped her with fluid grace, grabbing a handful of Zoe’s hair and yanking.
Zoe’s scream of pain brought Bella to her senses. She charged, only to be met with a swift kick to the stomach from Aurora.
Chapter 2
Bella crumpled to the ground, clutching her gut, her eyes filled with disbelief as she looked at me.
“Leo, you’re just going to stand there and watch her attack us?”
I leaned against the car door, a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead from the pain.
“If it makes my wife happy, I support whatever she does.”
13:35
Bella and Zoe stared at me, aghast, as if I had uttered the most heinous blasphemy. And in their world, I suppose I had. In the past, I would never have let anyone lay a finger on them.
Seeing how pale I was getting, Aurora shoved Zoe into Bella and quickly helped me into the car.
“My husband isn’t feeling well tonight, so I’ll let you off for now,” she said, her voice dangerously calm. “But if you ever dare to harass him again, I won’t be so merci-
ful.”
As she shut the door, Zoe’s furious scream cut through the night. “Leo, if you leave with this woman today, your career is finished!”
Aurora just scoffed. She gently guided my head onto her lap. “Don’t be scared,” she murmured, her voice soft and soothing. “I’m here. Nothing will happen. Get some sleep.”
When I woke up, I was in Aethelgard.
Aurora was asleep in a chair by my bedside, her hand still holding mine. The morning sun streamed through the window, illuminating her porcelain skin. She was
beautiful.
It reminded me of Bella and Zoe. Back before they were famous, whenever I was sick in the hospital, I would always wake up to find them asleep on either side of my bed, like two little guardians. But as I became more successful and self–reliant, they stopped.
shifted, tired of lying down, and Aurora’s eyes snapped open instantly.
“You’re awake? Are you still uncomfortable anywhere?”
She glanced at the nearly empty IV bag, pressed the call button for the nurse, and then felt my forehead. She only relaxed when she confirmed my temperature was
normal.
“Honestly, are you made of iron? You nearly perforated your stomach.”
I smiled sheepishly. “Sorry for all the trouble yesterday.”
Her eyebrows shot up, the gentleness in her voice replaced by a sharp edge. “Is that what you think this is? I’m your wife, legally speaking. Isn’t it my right to be trou- bled by you? Or would you rather be troubling some other woman?”
I shook my head quickly. “No, that’s not it. I’m just… not used to it yet.”
Her expression softened. “Getting used to things just takes time. More time together.”
Just then, the nurse came in to remove the IV. “Be gentle,” Aurora instructed her repeatedly, as if she were the one getting the needle removed.
The poor nurse, flustered, quickly removed the needle and practically fled the room.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I’m not that afraid of pain, you know.”
She looked away. “I know. But I am.”
I gaped at her, unable to figure out what she meant by that.
After being discharged, Aurora kindly drove me to my parents‘ building.
“You just got back, you must have a lot to talk about with your parents. I won’t go up today. But I’ll be back another day with my family to formally visit. Don’t you dare be scared then,” she teased.
I laughed again. “I’m the groom. I should be the one bringing my family to visit you.”
A faint blush colored her cheeks. “Oh, that’s not important. Just… tell your family, and I’ll bring mine.”
I didn’t say anything.
“Don’t worry about the online mess,” she added. “I’ll handle it.”
Before I could process that, she tugged on my collar, pulled my head down, and planted a soft, quick kiss on my lips before darting back.
My brain completely short–circuited. I forgot to even tell her I was planning to quit the industry.
She cleared her throat, then quickly got back in her car and sped away.
