29. Aurora: What More Can Go Wrong?

Chapter twenty-nine

Aurora – What More Can Go Wrong?

What a great time we’re having. Bella sure knows how to throw a party. Although I’m not part of the wedding party, per se, I feel such a part of the festivities. I know that the cake I’ve designed will be a delight for Bella and Ethan. They want it to be a surprise and gave me full reign to create whatever I think will be nice. Well, nice is too insignificant a word. I’m going for spectacular!

Even though the wedding is relatively small, I feel the minimum I can go for is four tiers, all in their deep red and green motif with wedding bells and holly as accents. I hope that she feels my love coming through each bite!

And as an additional surprise, I’m planning to create my signature Cake Bombs for each of her guests to take home after the reception. I’ll leave the rainbow interior, of course, but carry on the wedding theme with white frosting and tiny red bows. Instead of the plain white boxes I found the most exquisite little heart-shaped ones covered in tiny silver bells. Just perfect, I hope.

After a delicious breakfast of pancakes, I’m literally skipping down the hotel hall, looking for Jake. I got a text from him saying to meet him by the hot tub, where we’d all had fun last night after all the party games. I feel myself getting warm at the thought of what transpired last night. He stared at me like I was the only woman who existed, and never let me out of his sight even for a second.

I run into Bella, who looks shocked to see me, and she stutters out a greeting.

“W- where are you going, Aur?” she asks, fear written all over her face.

“The hot tub. Jake says to meet him there. Why?” I ask, raising my brow at her attitude.

“Oh, it’s n-nothing. Could you please come help me check something out in my room?” she asks quickly, as I make to move forward to find Jake.

“Okay, Bells. What’s that?” I ask, ready to follow her back into her room, but I hear Jake’s voice nearby, and I feel a smile creep on my lips.

“Let me just talk to Jake really quick, then we can go back to your room together,” I say, already moving towards the corner in the passage where I think he will be.

“Aurora, no!” Bella yells, as I round the corner of the passage.

But it’s already too late. I feel my breath literally getting knocked out of me as pain slams into my heart. It’s all a misunderstanding I think to myself. Sophia is forcing herself on Jacob.

A second passes, two, and then three, but Jake stands there with Sophia’s hand gripping his face. I feel nausea roll up my throat, the image of them kissing forever burned into my memory. These are the same lips that kissed mine yesterday, whispering to me how I am the most beautiful girl in the world.

I turn back from the scene, absentmindedly registering Bella’s tear-stricken face telling me she has no idea what is going on and was only stopping me from going there so I wouldn’t get hurt.

She keeps mumbling something about her not betraying me, but I pay her no attention. Betray me? She has done nothing to betray me, why is she the one apologizing to me?

I head back toward the room I share with Brittney in a daze, the forbidden image burning in my brain, taunting me. I feel my eyes burn from holding back so many tears, and my heart won’t stop squeezing painfully in my chest.

Why am I even hurt? It’s not like we’re in a real relationship. It’s all fake, and that’s all it will ever be.

I run into my room. Pain, anger, and, of course, embarrassment cut through my heart, squeezing it with pain and anguish. I flop on the bed, not even trying to hold the tears back from falling now. After what seems like an eternity, I’m able to stop sobbing and go to the sink to wash my face and get myself under control.

I register that Brittney is not here, thankfully, as I can’t talk with anyone right now, not even my closest and dearest friend. Devastation covers me inside and out.

My phone rings and I see an unknown number flashing. I stare at the phone dumbly until it stops ringing, when I see a lot of notifications for texts and missed calls from an unknown number. I feel my heart skip a beat at the thought of an unknown person desperately trying to reach me that many times. That cannot be a prank.

Still, I feel a hint of fear trickle down my spine as I dial the number back. The person answers on the first ring and I’m met with silence from the phone.

“Hello, are you there?” I ask tentatively, but there is no response. The reply I get is a shaky breath from the other side of the phone.

“Hello?” I call out, but there is no response. I feel myself getting angry more than I already am at the thought of getting scared over a prank call. I’m in no mood for getting prank calls from a group of little delinquents who like to waste other people’s time. I move the phone away from my ear, about to end the stupid call, when a voice speaks up.

“Bunny?” asks a soft voice cautiously, and I feel the remains of my heart drop down onto my feet in a bloody mess, my already bruised heart having no strength to take the hurt anymore.

“Bunny? It’s your mom.”

I want to yell sarcastically that I know it’s her, that she’s the only one on planet Earth who calls me Bunny. But I go mute, the shock numbing my tongue. I place a finger on the red button to end her call, but her next words have me going in shock, and the phone falls from my hand, bouncing onto the floor.

Faintly I hear: “Don’t hang up, Aurora. Please.”

“Mom?” I ask, in a broken voice. Can I get a break today already? “Why are you calling me?” I ask, a steely edge to my voice. “Did you call to ask about the money grandma left in my name?” I spit out bitterly, knowing the question will cause her pain.

Dad, being the only son of rich parents, I grew up to receive my share of old family money, which became accessible to me after college. The money now stands in the places of my three shops. I’ll forever be grateful to the woman I never met, but who thought of me before I was born, contrary to my own mother, who left me and my father without a backward glance.

“No, Aurora, that’s not it,” mom says in a low tone. “Please, listen to me,” she continues, sadness and desperation tinting her voice.

“What then?” I ask impatiently.

“It’s your father. He’s been in an accident.”

Apparently, no, I can’t get a break today. Because the universe has more in store for me. I feel my world crumbling down.