Chapter 4
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Aurora’s POV
That night, I couldn’t sleep. I just lay in bed, staring at the darkness.
Shawn lay beside me for a while, but I noticed when he slipped out of bed at midnight, thinking I was asleep.
I kept my eyes shut, breathing calmly till the door clicked shut behind him.
For a long time, I lay there in silence. I could hear Shawn’s voice and Tiffany’s giggles.
I pressed my hands to my belly, I had life growing inside me, but Shawn didn’t know yet, and I would make sure he never did.
The next morning, Shawn walked in with a smile on his face, like he hadn’t just spent the night in another room with my best friend.
“Aurora,” he said carefully, “we need to talk.”
The way he said it made my stomach twist.
“What now?” I asked, scowling instantly.
He hesitated, then he cleared his throat. “Tiffany… Tiffany shouldn’t be cramped in the guest room. She’s pregnant. She needs space and comfort.”
I blinked at him. My mind tried to process his words. “Comfort?”
He nodded. “Yes. The master bedroom is bigger and more comfortable. It makes sense for
her to have it.”
For a moment, I thought I had heard him wrong. I released a laugh of disbelief. “You want me to give up my bedroom… to Tiffany?”
His jaw tightened. “It’s not forever. Just until the baby is born.”
I stared at him, resisting the urge to strangle him.
I wanted to shout that I was pregnant too. That my child deserved space and comfort, not Tiffany’s bastard.
But I said nothing. He was a murderer, he didn’t deserve to know.
He continued. “Aurora, you’ve been enjoying the comfortable room for years. Tiffany is pregnant. Shouldn’t she be the one most comfortable now? Don’t you think it’s time you made a little sacrifice for your best friend?”
I kept her lips pressed together, forcing myself not to react. What was the point? In a day, I would be gone and forever erased.
So I swallowed the scream. My nails dug into my palms. “Okay,” I whispered shakily.
Besides, it was convenient for me because I was already packing my things
His shoulders relaxed and he sighed in relief. He leaned forward and kissed my forehead
gently. I felt so repulsed that I almost shuddered.
“Shawn?” Tiffany called from down the hallway.
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Immediately, he turned to leave.
“Hold on, Shawn.” I said calmly. “I need your signature on something.”
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I forced my hands to stay steady as I picked up the folder I had placed on the table. “Before you go,” I said calmly, “I need your signature on something.”
He frowned impatiently. “Aurora, not now-”
“It’s just some minor paperwork,” I interrupted softly. “It won’t take time.”
He hesitated, narrowing his eyes, then Tiffany called him again. “Shawn!”
“Fine. Give it here.” He snapped.
I handed him the document, with a blank expression on my face. He didn’t even glance at the words as he signed.
I kept my face neutral, but inside, my heart pounded. He had no idea what he had just done.
“Is that all?” he grunted.
“Yes,” I whispered.
He didn’t wait for more. He was already out the door before I could even finish replying.
Immediately he left, I called my lawyer.
“My divorce with Mr. Carter is done. Pull out all my support and investment from Carter Enterprise.”
Shawn had no idea that I had been helping him from the shadows. Supporting him, and sponsoring him. But now, all those were over.
A humourless laughter escaped my lips, then I continued packing.
However, some minutes later, Tiffany appeared in the doorway, her voice filled with fake sweetness. “Aurora, let me help.”
Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. I knew that smile. I had seen it when she comforted me
after Jasmine’s death.
I wanted to scream at her to get out, and yank her hair out. Instead, I forced a smile. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it.”
She walked in anyway, glancing around at the empty shelves. “Don’t worry, I’m good at organizing. I’ll take care of everything.”
She walked straight to my dresser where I kept Jasmine’s things. I hadn’t been able to empty them yet.
“Careful, don’t go there.” I snapped.
Tiffany’s smile widened, and she picked up a snow globe from the corner. It was Jasmine’s favorite toy. A tiny ballerina danced inside when you shook it.
Sometimes, when the pain was too much to fear, I held the snow globe in my hands until
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sleep finally came. Watching the tiny ballerina dance inside always calmed me.
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“This is pretty,” Tiffany said softly, tilting it back and forth. “It belonged to Jasmine, right?”
My chest ached. “Yes. Put it down.”
She gave me a smile, her eyes gleamed with mischief. “Oops” she said as she released the snow globe from her hand.
The globe shattered as it slammed on the floor. The ballerina broke into two, and water spilled everywhere.
“Oh no,” Tiffany gasped, her hand flying to her chest in fake shock. “I’m so sorry, Aurora. My fingers are so clumsy these days. Pregnancy brain, you know?”
Her eyes danced with glee as she watched me, waiting for my reaction.
For a heartbeat, I couldn’t move. That snow globe wasn’t just a toy. It was the one thing that carried me through the nights.
Now it lay in pieces, destroyed by Tiffany’s deliberate “accident.”
I dropped to my knees, gathering the pieces with shaking hands, not caring as they sliced
skin. Tears blurred my vision as I held the broken ballerina in my palm.
my
“It was her favorite,” I whispered.
Tiffany crouched beside me with a small and satisfied smile on her face. “Don’t worry, Aurora. You’ll have more children. You’ll move on.”
My chest burned as I lifted my gaze to her.
At that moment, everything pressed down upon me, and I snapped.
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