chapter 4

The words were like a sharp blade stabbing into Aurora's heart, causing her body to stagger.

An outsider?

All these years, she had been nothing more than an outsider in Zane's eyes?

She felt utterly pathetic.

Isabelle felt a rush of joy upon hearing Zane's words, though she still feigned concern and said, "The room can wait. It's just that Ivy's wound is serious. Zane, could you take her to the hospital to get it treated?"

Zane didn't answer the question. Instead, he scooped up Ivy, and they all began heading out.

But Aurora stopped him, her face blank as she said, "Zane, let's break off our engagement."

Zane didn't believe her words at all. He thought she was just playing hard to get. Without turning back, he replied, "Enough. Stop with these silly tantrums. Stay home and reflect on yourself!"

With that, Zane hurriedly left with Isabelle and Ivy.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Aurora felt as though all her energy had been drained.

She slowly crouched down, holding the painting as if it were her entire world.

The rising heat in her eyes dampened her heart, clogging her nose and mouth, making it hard to breathe, and everything before her blurred.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there when the vibration of her phone snapped her out of her reverie.

It was a friend request from Isabelle.

Aurora accepted it, but no message came through.

Just then, a message from a colleague popped up: "Dr. Larson, I need to gather likes for a Facebook post. Can you give it a like? Thanks!"

Aurora exited the Messenger app and began scrolling to find the Facebook post, but her attention was drawn to a post just shared by Isabelle.

The post contained a few photos of Zane sitting by the bedside, cutting apples for Ivy. The caption read, "Thank you, God, for bringing him to me."

Aurora clicked on it, only to find that it was a live photo with the background sound still on. Isabelle and Zane's conversation had been clearly recorded.

Isabelle sounded concerned as she said, "Zane, is Dr. Larson all right?

"I saw her packing up earlier. What if she gets angry and leaves the Jansen residence?"

Zane sounded indifferent, even slightly mocking. "She's just an orphan. Where else can she go?

"She'll probably just go for an out-of-town surgery. I've seen this kind of act before."

Aurora turned off her phone and closed her eyes with a bitter smile.

How pathetic she was.

All the memories of how Zane had protected her in the past now felt like boomerangs coming back to strike her.

They pierced her bones, digging deep into her soft spots.

In the following week, Aurora had been working overtime at the hospital and hadn't returned to the Jansen residence.

However, she hadn't done it on purpose. She was indeed overwhelmed with work. Aside from needing to quickly clear the surgeries she had previously taken on, a massive fire had broken out in downtown Riverwood.

The number of patients requiring surgery had skyrocketed, and all the surgeons were working nonstop.

"Dr. Larson, you've worked hard. Take a rest."

Aurora removed her mask and nodded to her colleague before changing out of her scrubs and heading back to her office. She hadn't even had a chance to drink some water when Isabelle barged in with Ivy in tow.

"Dr. Larson, please don't kick Ivy and me out!"

The nurse leading the way hadn't even left the office when Isabelle dragged her daughter to kneel at the desk.

She hadn't put on any makeup today, and her face looked noticeably more haggard than before. When she cried, her tears fell in a way that broke one's heart.

The young nurse stood there in shock before hastily closing the door and running off, too afraid to look any longer.

Aurora remained seated in her office chair, her expression cold and unyielding. She then said with a frown, "Zane's not here, so you can drop the act now."

Isabelle continued crying, her voice full of grievance as she said, "Dr. Larson, I know you hate me, but I never meant to compete with you for Zane.

"My daughter and I are unfamiliar with Crestwyn. We just want a temporary place to stay. We'll move out of the Jansen residence soon, but if you have someone kick us out of there now, how are the two of us supposed to survive?"

Aurora responded impatiently, "When did I—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the phone on her desk suddenly rang.

It was Zane's grandmother, Sophie May, calling.