Chapter 2

“Daniel, did you know that-” Aurora hesitated, the words about the baby hovering on her lips.
“Aurora!” A sweet voice called out, accompanied by the sound of the door opening, cutting her off.
Eleanor entered in a flowing pink dress, her dark hair swept up elegantly. Atop her head sparkled a diamond tiara that only made her soft beauty more striking.
“Aurora, are you alright?” Eleanor hurried over, concern written across her delicate face.
Aurora swallowed back her words. Every time she saw Eleanor, she remembered all those unanswered calls, the endless ringing in the dead of night, the cold rain soaking her skin as she clung to life. The memory stirred a wave of bitterness she couldn’t control.
“Still breathing, barely,” she replied, her voice icy and distant.
Eleanor’s eyes filled with guilt, her lashes wet with tears. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked Dan to come to the party last night.”
Aurora closed her eyes, exhaustion weighing on her body and soul.
“Eleanor, this isn’t your fault,” Daniel interjected, his brows knitting together. He was clearly annoyed by Aurora’s tone, convinced she was being unreasonable- just as she’d always been with his family, and especially with Eleanor, who had only returned from abroad a month ago. In that short time, Aurora and Eleanor had already fought several times.
Eleanor, still tentative, tried to reassure her. “The baby comes first, Aurora. Please don’t be upset. I’ll keep my distance from Dan from now on.”
“So you knew I was pregnant all along.” Aurora’s lips curled into a faint, mocking smile.
Eleanor had spent the past month pulling Daniel away at every opportunity, always needing something, always calling him.
Tears brimmed in Eleanor’s eyes, her lips pressed into a trembling line.
“Eleanor, would you give us a moment?” Daniel soothed her, gently ushering her toward the door.
Biting her lip, Eleanor hesitated at the threshold. “Don’t fight with Aurora, okay? She’s expecting.”
She lingered at the door, casting one last worried look before slipping out.
Aurora tilted her head back against the hospital bed, her gaze fixed on her husband-cold, empty, and unflinching.
Here she was, lying in a hospital bed, body aching, with her husband glaring at her, convinced she’d tried to ruin Eleanor’s birthday out of spite. Now, it was another woman who had to remind him not to fight with his own wife.
Daniel’s gentle demeanor toward Eleanor vanished as he turned back to Aurora. “Aurora, don’t drag Eleanor into our problems. She’s done nothing to you.”
The way he defended Eleanor made Aurora’s heart ache so fiercely it felt like she might drown in it.
She and Daniel had been married for three years. What started as a marriage of convenience had gradually become something more—at least for her. She’d let herself believe that, maybe, Daniel had learned to love her too. Get full chapters from.net
But when Eleanor came back, the truth became painfully clear. In three years of marriage, Daniel had never given her his heart. All of his tenderness was reserved for Eleanor.
She’d spent those years thinking that, if she just held on, eventually she’d find happiness. But reality was harsh. She had never managed to warm his heart.
“Daniel, let’s get a divorce.” Aurora stared at the IV drip, her voice soft but steady, each word ringing with quiet resolve.
She’d thought about divorce ever since Eleanor returned, but some part of her hadn’t wanted to let go-hadn’t wanted to give up on what they had.
For a moment, something shifted in Daniel’s expression. “I know pregnancy makes emotions run high, and it’s easy to get carried away. But Aurora, Eleanor is your sister. There’s nothing going on between us.”
Aurora turned her face away from him, a single tear slipping down her cheek as she gently placed a hand over her stomach.
“It’s gone,” she whispered.
Daniel, the baby is gone.