Chapter 11

Daniel picked up a pillow and tucked it behind Aurora’s back, then rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, revealing strong, muscular forearms.
He opened the insulated container on the nightstand and poured out some soup. The savory aroma filled the room, and right on cue, Aurora’s stomach rumbled.
She reached out to take the bowl.
Daniel pulled it away and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Let me feed you,” he said.
In that moment, his normally sharp features softened, and for a moment, there was even a hint of tenderness in his eyes.
Aurora felt almost disoriented, as if there had never been any rift between them over Eleanor.
“I can do it myself,” she said, refusing his help.
But Daniel, unhurried, lifted the spoon to her lips.
Aurora frowned, uncertain what to make of him. Back in the car, he’d accused her of bullying Eleanor and demanded she apologize. Now, here he was, acting as if nothing had happened.
Was it possible that his conscience had finally gotten the better of him after what he’d said in the car? Latest content publıshed on.net
She stared at the creamy soup in the spoon. “If you have something to say, just say it,” she said.
A gentle light flickered in Daniel’s dark eyes. “What happened with the baby was my fault. I want to make it up to you.”
He sounded sincere.
Aurora’s eyes stung with tears, her chest tight with grief.
Make it up to her? How exactly did he plan to do that?
Suddenly, even the soup in the spoon looked unappetizing.
“I’m not hungry. I don’t want to eat.”
“Don’t be stubborn,” Daniel’s face darkened.
“If you still have feelings for Eleanor, I’ll step aside. We can end things peacefully,” Aurora said, her voice steady and earnest.
Daniel set the bowl down and leaned in until his face was inches from hers, their eyes meeting.
“We got married on paper-”
She cut him off. “I know. When we signed the agreement, we agreed to three years. There are three months left.”
Her nose burned, her voice turning hoarse.
Yes, their marriage had started as a transaction, but she had done her best to make it real, to treat him as a husband, as family-someone she could spend her life with.
But perhaps, from the very beginning, what wasn’t truly hers was never meant to be.
“There’s a mandatory one-month waiting period before divorce is final
“Even if there’s only one day left, you’re still Mrs. Chambers,” Daniel snapped, suddenly angry.
He picked up the soup bowl again. “Taking care of my wife after what happened is my responsibility as a husband.”
Swallowing her tears, Aurora drank the soup.
So this was all it was: Daniel fulfilling his duties, not out of remorse or anything deeper.
When she finished the bowl, the room felt heavy with unspoken words.
Aurora slowly lay back down and closed her eyes.
Daniel put the container away, his gaze lingering on her pale face. She was so weak, yet still found the strength to fight and argue. He couldn’t begin to understand the minds of women.
The next morning, Aurora woke to find Daniel already gone. The housekeeper soon arrived and quietly made sure she ate breakfast.
She had barely set her spoon down when a well-dressed, imperious woman swept into the room, her tone sharp and accusatory.
“What did you do to Eleanor?”
Aurora leaned against the headboard, her expression cool and detached as she looked at the woman-her mother in both blood and law, Fiona Zade.
She had never liked this daughter. Seeing Aurora’s blank expression only fueled her irritation, and her words grew even harsher.
“Your sister just got back home. Instead of helping her, you humiliated her in front of everyone. What exactly were you trying to do?”
“That dress-why did you insist Eleanor take it off and give it to you? And then you didn’t even want it! You handed it to a staff member in front of all those people. Did you have to embarrass your sister like that?”
Word of the dress incident had already spread in their social circle. Aurora was already well-known for her exceptional talent as a perfumer and her discreet personal style, and Daniel had been present as well.
Now, Eleanor was the talk of the town, the subject of gossip and ridicule. She’d cried herself to sleep, her eyes swollen and red.