Chapter 7 – The Breaking Point

Aurora’s POV

My fever must have been messing with my head.

There was no way Damien Blackwood was sitting beside me on my bed, touching my face, staring at me like I was the most fragile thing in the world.

But the warmth of his fingers on my cheek was real.

The way his golden eyes burned with emotion was real.

And the way my entire family was staring at us in stunned silence was, unfortunately, very real.

I was losing my mind.

I swallowed hard, shivering despite the heat in my body.

His voice was low, rough. “You scared me.”

My breath hitched. What the hell did that mean?

His fingers grazed my skin before slowly pulling away, but his gaze never left mine.

I should have pulled away first.

I should have said something.

But I just sat there, frozen, while my dad finally found his voice.

"Alright, that's enough. Someone better start explaining."

I snapped out of my trance, my head whipping toward my dad.

Oh. Right.

My parents were still here.

And so was my annoying little brother, who looked way too entertained by this.

Kill me now.

Mom's eyes flicked between me and Damien, clearly waiting for an answer.

I opened my mouth, but Damien spoke first.

“Aurora’s not feeling well. I wanted to check on her.”

His voice was calm, controlled, but there was something possessive in his tone.

Dad wasn’t buying it.

"Since when do you two even talk?" His voice was sharp, suspicious.

I felt my stomach twist.

Good question.

Damien and I were never close—at least, not in a way that my family would understand.

What was I supposed to say?

I felt Damien tense beside me.

And then he did the most shocking thing yet.

He turned to my dad and met his gaze head-on.

“I care about her.”

My heart stopped.

The room went dead silent.

Mom’s jaw dropped.

Noah nearly choked on his laughter.

Dad? Oh, Dad looked like he was about to murder him.

Oh my God.

I felt my entire body heat up.

Damien, what the hell are you doing?!

---

Damien’s POV

I didn’t care.

I didn’t care that her family was watching.

I didn’t care that her dad was looking at me like he wanted to kick me out of the house.

I only cared about her.

The way she shivered despite her fever.

The way her lips parted in shock when I said I cared about her.

The way her pulse fluttered in her throat, betraying her emotions.

She felt it too.

She just didn’t understand it yet.

But she would.

Soon.

Her father was still glaring at me. “You care about her?”

I met his stare without hesitation. “Yes.”

His jaw tightened. “And what exactly do you want from my daughter?”

I could feel Aurora stiffen beside me, but I didn’t look away.

I kept my voice steady. “To protect her.”

To have her.

To make her mine.

But I didn’t say that.

Not yet.

Dad scoffed. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, kid, but I don’t like it.”

I clenched my fists under the table, forcing myself to stay calm.

I didn’t blame him.

If I were him, I wouldn’t trust me either.

Not with someone like Aurora.

She was too pure. Too delicate. Too… perfect.

And I was none of those things.

I could feel Aurora's eyes on me, waiting for me to say something.

I could tell she was confused.

But there was something else in her gaze, too.

Something she wasn't ready to admit yet.

So I stood up, slowly.

“I’ll go.”

Her family visibly relaxed.

I turned to her, my gaze locking onto hers.

Her lips parted slightly, her breathing uneven.

She was feeling it.

The pull. The connection. The heat.

I smirked slightly.

Good.

This was just the beginning.

Before I left, I leaned down—close enough that only she could hear.

“Don’t miss me too much, little one.”

Then, before she could react, I walked out.

But I knew one thing for certain.

She wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about me.

---

Aurora’s POV

I was going to kill him.

Or maybe myself.

Because what the actual hell just happened?!

My parents were still staring at me like I had some kind of explanation.

I didn't.

I had nothing.

Noah, of course, had no such filter. “So… when’s the wedding?”

I grabbed the closest pillow and threw it at him. “SHUT UP.”

Mom sighed, rubbing her temples. “Sweetheart… is there something you’re not telling us?”

Dad looked ready to interrogate me for hours.

I had to get out of here.

I forced a weak cough. “I don’t feel good. Need sleep. Bye.”

Then I yanked my blanket over my head and prayed they would drop it.

They didn’t.

I could hear Dad muttering something about ‘keeping an eye on that boy.’

Mom sighed, but I could tell she was still suspicious.

And Noah? Well, he was just enjoying every second of my misery.

I groaned into my pillow.

Damien Blackwood was going to ruin my life.

And the worst part?

A small, secret part of me didn’t hate it.

At all.

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