Chapter 143: More Lies
Aurora’s POV
The morning light pressed heavily against my eyelids. I didn’t want to wake up. Every muscle in my body felt heavy, bruised, and stiff. As consciousness slowly seeped back in, so did the memories of yesterday—the cold club room, the sting of the leather, and the way I had practically begged a man whose face I’d never seen to take everything from me.
I felt a warm weight beside me and realized Oliver was still there. He was awake, propped up on one elbow, staring at me with an expression I couldn’t quite read.
"Good morning," he whispered. His voice was soft, but his eyes... they looked different.
"Morning," I croaked. I tried to pull the duvet higher, but as I shifted, my nightdress dragged across my thighs. I couldn’t help it—I winced, my breath catching in a sharp hiss.
"Aurora? What’s wrong?" Oliver’s hand moved instantly, reaching for the edge of the blanket.
"Nothing! I’m just... stiff. I slept weird," I lied, my heart starting to hammer against my ribs.
But he was faster. Before I could stop him, he peeled back the duvet. Cool morning air hit my skin as my legs were exposed. My stomach turned. I had tried to wash it off at the club, but in the harsh daylight, the evidence was undeniable. Faint, dark streaks of black wax were still stuck to the creases of my skin, and the red, angry welts from the flogger had blossomed into deep, purplish bruises.
Oliver’s hand froze in mid-air. I saw his jaw tighten so hard I thought it might snap.
"What is this?" he asked, his voice dropping to a deadly, low vibration. He reached out, his fingers hovering just an inch above a particularly dark bruise on my inner thigh. "Aurora, you’re covered in marks. And this... is this wax?"
"I... I tripped," I stammered, my mind scrambling for a lie that made sense. "At the hospital. There was a cart, and I fell against it... and the salon, they used this new treatment, a hot mud wrap, maybe it stained..."
"You tripped?" He looked up at me, his eyes burning with a mix of fury and something that looked like pure agony. "You tripped, and it left lash marks on your legs? You had a mud wrap that left black stains exactly where a man would touch you?"
I pulled the blanket back over myself, my hands trembling. "Oliver, please. I’m just stressed about James. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going."
He didn’t say anything for a long time. He just sat there, staring at me as if he were seeing a stranger. The silence was suffocating. Finally, he stood up, his movements stiff.
"I’m going to get us some coffee," he said flatly.
As soon as he turned his back, I scrambled for my phone on the nightstand. My heart stopped when I saw a notification from Raymond.
Raymond: Check your bank account, Pet. I just sent the first installment. Don’t be late next time.
I felt sick. I quickly swiped the notification away, but I wasn’t fast enough. Oliver was standing by the door, his eyes locked on my trembling hands and the glow of the screen.
"Who was that?" he asked.
"Just... the hospital," I lied, my voice shaking. "About the bill."
"Right. The bill," he repeated. He walked over and grabbed his keys. "I’ll be back. I need some air."
I watched him leave, feeling the walls of my own lies closing in on me. I waited until I heard his car pull away before I broke down. I hated myself. I loved Oliver—I really did—but my revenge on Raymond was my greatest aim. How could I tell Oliver that I was selling myself to a monster just so I could carry out my revenge?
An hour passed. Then two. I tried to call James’s nurse to distract myself, but she didn’t pick up. When Oliver finally returned, he wasn’t carrying coffee. He looked cold, his face set in a frown.
"I went to the hospital, Aurora," he said, stepping into the room.
I froze, the blood draining from my face. "You... you did? How is he?"
Oliver walked toward me, stopping just a few feet away. He looked like he wanted to scream, but his voice was eerily calm.
"I talked to the head nurse on James’s floor," he said. "I wanted to see if there was anything else I could pay for, any specialist I could fly in."
He took a step closer, his shadow looming over me.
"She told me James had a stable night. She also told me that no one called you yesterday with an emergency. In fact, she said you hadn’t been by to visit him yesterday."
He leaned down, his face inches from mine.
"So tell me again, Aurora... where were you yesterday?"
"I—I didn’t want to worry you," I stammered, the lies slipping easily from my mouth. "I didn’t go to the hospital because I couldn’t bear to see him like that. I just drove, Oliver. I drove for hours and ended up at a park, just crying. I must have fallen against a bench or a fence. I’m just a mess right now."
I looked at him, my eyes wide and pleading, praying the "grieving sister" act would cover the stench of the club. Oliver stared at me for a long beat, his expression unreadable. For a second, I thought he was going to roar, to demand the truth he clearly sensed was missing.
I waited for him to question it—to point out the flaw in my lie, to ask how I could claim I fell in the hospital when I hadn’t even been there...
But he didn’t.
Instead, he let out a long, weary breath. "Fine," he whispered, though the warmth didn’t return to his voice. "I need to clear my head. Let me use the bathroom."
As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, I went for my phone. My hands were shaking so violently I almost dropped it. A new message sat on the screen.
Raymond: I’m thinking about the way you screamed ’Red’ yesterday, Pet. I want to see you again tonight.
My breath hitched. My skin crawled with the memory of his hands, his cold commands, and the raw power he held over me. I hated him. I hated every breath he took. The only reason I let that monster touch me was to get close enough to destroy him.
He would pay for what he did to my family, and I would burn my soul to ashes if it meant I could finally plunge a knife into his heart.
I wanted to text back no. I wanted to tell him I couldn’t move, that my body was broken. But I couldn’t. Not if I wanted my revenge.
I’ll be there, I typed, my vision blurring with tears of pure rage.
"Aurora?"
I jumped, nearly tossing the phone across the room as Oliver walked back into the living room. He looked different... there was a distance in his gaze that terrified me.
"I’ll be receiving a prestigious award today, baby," he said, sounding proud. "The Wolfy is hosting a gala for the unification treaty. I want you to come with me. I want you by my side."
Tonight.
Raymond wanted me tonight.
And Oliver wanted me beside him.