Chapter 69
Aurora’s POV
Whoever said being in a relationship with a gorgeous man is it easy, they were lying straight through their teeth.
Not that thorn and I were in a true relationship. We weren't, and I knew that period from the beginning I knew this was temporary. I knew not to get attached. I knew he would get tired of me eventually.
Did I listen to myself?
No. I let my heart guide the way instead of my head, which was a mistake. I should have been more careful because thorn wedged himself so deep under my skin and so far into my heart that I can't function.
It's pathetic. It hurts.
Not feeling comfortable with returning to the house, I took the bus after work to the hospital. My sister's new room comes with a couch and is much more spacious than her tiny room before. Even though she was already asleep when I arrived, I made my way to the couch, grabbed a blanket, and laid down.
I didn't sleep well, tossing and turning all night while keeping an eye on Sophie at the same time. At least that's what I tell myself as I walk into work the next morning with burning eyes and the low energy.
When I first get to my desk, I don't notice Ivy coming up behind me. I'm putting my things away when a hand lands on my shoulder and yanks me back. Startled, I cry out and grab onto the desk so I don't fall over.
“What did you do?!” Shrieks Ivy. She shoves me back and I stumble, falling into my desk. Pain smarts in my hip where the corner digs into me as I turned to look at her.
“What are you talking about Ivy?” I really don't have the time or energy to deal with her shit today.
“I'm talking about the silverware and table settings for the wedding,” Ivy hisses. She throws a paper at me, which I don't catch. I watch as the paper flutters to the floor and then look back up at Ivy. She's fuming, her face is red, and her fists are clenched.
For a second, I wonder if she's going to swing at me but she starts shouting again, “the table settings are all wrong. The colors are horrible... Why did you change the color of the silverware from gold to silver?”
“I had nothing to do with your table settings or silverware,” I tell Ivy, crossing my arms over my chest defensively. At that moment Jackson walks up and wraps an arm around Ivy's waist, pulling her to his side as she begins to sniffle.
Ivy then leans into Jackson's side and buries her face in his chest, crying. More like fake crying. There were no tears in this woman's eyes as she turned away from me.
“I knew you were a gold-digging bitch,” Jackson growls as he hugs Ivy closer to him. “But I didn't realize you were trying to ruin our wedding because you're jealous and petty. You should get over the fact that I'm in love with Ivy now. I don't want you, so you should leave us alone.”
Gasps ripple through the room, and when I look around, our coworkers are all standing around us. They watch me with wide eyes and surprised gazes as they begin whispering behind their hands to each other.
Great. This is just what I needed today.
I scan the crowd, wondering what kind of damage this is doing. If Jackson and Ivy continue this way, they might just ruin my chances of a peaceful workplace; although, with Angeline around, it hasn't been very peaceful.
I'm tired of feeling frustrated and degraded all the time. Why does everyone take out their anger on me? Is it just a human's fate for things to turn sour on them?
Without responding to Jackson, I grab my phone and walk away. This early in the morning, the break room should be empty, so I make my way there and close the door behind me, leaning against it and sliding to the floor.
I'm not sure how long I stay here, but when someone jiggles the door handle and pushes hard enough to make me fall forward, I stand up.
“Oh, I'm sor—” the lady stops mid-sentence and stares at me, a look of disgust crossing her face before she pushes her way into the room. It seems that I'm already becoming hated for what Jackson and Ivy said.
Maybe this is a sign that it's time to look for something else.
As the clock strikes five, I jump out of my chair and rush towards the exit. No need to stay here longer than I have to.
I make it outside with no issue, and when I start walking to the bus stop, my phone rings. Mrs. Ashford's name pops up on the screen, and I immediately answer.
“Aurora, I'm glad you answered. I would like to set up another meeting with you,” Mrs. Ashford says. “Would it be possible for you to bring your mother along as well, since she is the one who found you and the necklace on her doorstep?”
“I'm sure she wouldn't mind. I’ll have to ask her, though.”
Mrs. Ashford tells me that she'll send me the date, time, and location before letting me know that she'll be in touch soon. So, instead of getting on the bus to go to the hospital, I wait for the line that stops near my mother's house.
The ride is uneventful, and when I reach my mother's house, I knock. Surprisingly, my mother does not answer the door. My stepfather does. He smiles when he sees me and tries to pull me aside, but I push his hand away and pin him with my best glare, “I already told you that I won’t be giving you any more money. Don’t think I forgot about what you did. If you continue bothering me, I will contact your Alpha and tell him what you did. I’m sure he won’t take kindly to you practically selling a woman to pay your debts.”
Little does my stepfather know, Thorne- his Alpha- already knows.
He growls in frustration as I pushed past him into the living room where my mother sits. She's knitting, like she does when she is stressed about something. I don't have to ask to know that she's probably stressed about my stepfather's debts.
It's the same thing she's always stressed about.
Ignoring my stepfather, I sit next to my mom and decide to ask her straight out, “I talked with the woman who bought the ring. She wants to meet both of us, and she wants to ask you some questions. Mrs. Ashford is from a high-ranking Lycan family who has had the ring in her family for a very long time.”
“That's... Very surprising,” my mother says, clearly speechless.
“I wasn’t expecting it either, since I’m not a werewolf or a Lycan, but she’s willing to look into the matter with us if we’ll talk to her,” I tell my mom. She nods and takes my hand in hers, squeezing it gently.
“Honey, I'll do whatever I can to help, just let me know when and where, and I'll be there.”
