The Confession
Darkness swallowed the penthouse, thick and absolute. The only light came from the city skyline beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting faint, fractured shadows across the room. The silence was heavy, stretching between Selene and Aurora like an invisible force.
Then there was a sound, a quiet rustling sounds of footsteps.
Selene's grip on her phone tightened, the message still glowed on the screen.
"You waited too long."
Her muscles tensed as she scanned the shadows. Someone was here inside her home.
Aurora's breathing was shallow beside her. "Selene" her voice shevring
Selene lifted a hand, signaling for silence. If someone was inside, she needed to hear them before they heard her.
Another noise, closer this time with a deliberate shift of movement, as if the intruder wanted her to know they weren't in a hurry.
Selene took a slow step forward, her heartbeat controlled and steady. The air felt heavier now, charged with something unseen.
She reached for the small drawer by the bookshelf, fingers brushing the cool steel of the gun hidden inside.
Aurora's breath hitched. "Selene-"
Selene turned sharply, pressing a finger to her lips. Stay quiet, be still. Aurora swallowed but nodded.
Selene moved toward the source of the noise, her steps was precise and silent. The moment stretched, the tension coiling like a predator waiting to strike.
Then, there was a crash. Something shattered in the next room. A sound of glass crushing to the floor. The sound of window breaking.
Whoever was inside wasn't trying to hide anymore.
Selene moved, quick and sharp, her gun raised as she pushed open the door to the hallway.
The window by the balcony was wide open, the sheer curtains swaying from the cold night air. A gust of wind rushed through the space, lifting stray papers from her desk.
But there was no one there.
Selene scanned the corners, her instincts razor-sharp. Nothing. Whoever had been inside was gone.
She turned back, stepping into the living room where Aurora stood tense, her hands clenched at her sides.
"What the hell just happened?"
Aurora whispered.
Selene lowered the gun slightly, her voice calm despite the storm inside her. "Someone wanted me to know they could get in."
Aurora's golden eyes flickered with something unreadable. "Do you think it was Damian?"
Selene hesitated. Damian was ruthless, but he didn't operate in the shadows. He liked control, but he liked watching his opponents crumble even more. If this was him, he would have wanted Selene to know outright.
"No," Selene murmured. "This wasn't his style." Aurora swallowed hard. "Then who?"
Selene's grip tightened around the gun. "That's what I need to find out."
Aurora exhaled shakily, running a hand through her hair. "You're acting like this is normal for you."
Selene's lips curled slightly. "It is."
Aurora stared at her. "That doesn't scare you?"
Selene stepped closer, lowering her gun completely. "Fear is a distraction."
Aurora's gaze searched hers. "Is that what I am? A distraction?" Selene's pulse stumbled just for a second, Aurora saw it. Of course, she did.
Selene tilted her head slightly. "Is that why you're really here? To distract me?"
Aurora let out a breath, stepping closer. "No. I'm here because I need you."
Selene's fingers flexed at her side. "You need my help." Aurora shook her head. "No, Selene. I need you."
The words hit like a strike of lightning, that was something sharp and unexpected but Selene didn't move and didn't blink.
Aurora exhaled, her voice softer now. "You can pretend this is just business, pretend that you don't care, but I know you." Her gaze was unwavering. "I know that when you close your eyes at night, you still remember."
Selene's throat tightened. Damn her. Damn the way she always knew exactly where to aim.
She stepped forward, slow and deliberate. "What is it you think I remember, Aurora?"
Aurora's breath hitched as Selene closed the space between them. "Us."
Selene's voice was smooth and unreadable. "There is no us."
Aurora swallowed, her gaze dropping briefly to Selene's lips before snapping back up. "Then why do you still look at me like this?"
Selene's pulse thrummed against her skin. This was dangerous. This was exactly the kind of weakness she had promised herself she wouldn't fall into again.
But then Aurora reached for her hand but Selene didn't pull away.
Aurora's fingers curled around hers, warm and familiar. "I know I hurt you," she whispered. "I know I don't deserve another chance. But Selene" her voice broke slightly, raw with something real. "I never wanted to leave you."
Selene's breath caught, but she forced herself to remain still. "And yet you did."
Aurora's grip tightened. "Because I had no choice." Selene's jaw clenched. "You always had a choice."
Aurora shook her head, her next words slicing through the air like a knife.
"My father threatened to ruin you."
Selene froze.
Aurora exhaled shakily, her grip on Selene's hand got tightening. "You think I walked away because I didn't love you? I left because if I stayed, you would have lost everything."
Selene's world tilted slightly, her mind catching up to the weight of those words.
Aurora's father. Of course.
She had spent years wondering why had Aurora left? Why had she disappeared without a word, without a fight? and now, the truth had been in front of her all along.
Selene's voice was quieter now but sharper. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Aurora swallowed hard. "Because you would have fought back and I couldn't let you do that." Selene's breath was steady, but inside, a storm raged.
For complete five years she had hated Aurora for abandoning her, for breaking her and now, she realized that Aurora had been protecting her all along.
Selene pulled her hand away slowly. "You should have told me."
Aurora's expression crumpled slightly. "Would it have changed anything?"
Selene exhaled sharply. "Everything."
For a moment, neither of them moved then, a sudden crash outside. Selene's head snapped toward the balcony and Aurora stiffened. "What was that?"
Selene moved quickly, grabbing the gun from the table and stepping toward the window. The glass reflected the city beyond but something that look like someone was moving in the shadows.
Selene's pulse spiked.
A figure stood on the rooftop across from her penthouse, barely visible. Watching her and then, before she could react, the figure disappeared.
Aurora's breath was shaky behind her. "Selene"
Selene turned, her eyes turned dark, her decision already made.
She had spent too long waiting for answers. Too long being hunted. Now? It was time to hunt back.