Chapter 257

Chapter 257:

I shut my eyes as his words sank in. Thank goodness I hadn’t taken my life. Who knew my brothers weren’t dead?

I swallowed hard, blinking rapidly as I tried to suppress my emotions.

“I love you, though you can be a pain in the ass,” Jasper chuckled, hitting my shoulder.

I tried to grab him, but he was quick to avoid my hand. “Don’t forget you’re talking to your King.”

“Long live the King,” he said, and we both laughed it off.

But our laughter was cut short when we heard sounds of choking from the corridor.

I motioned for Jasper to stop laughing as we moved closer, trying to get a clearer view of the figures standing in the dark corridor. The moment I was hit with the scents of peach, lavender, and vanilla, I halted in my tracks.

A deep frown settled on my face as a wave of hurt spread through me. It felt like my heart was being crushed as Aurora came into view. For a brief moment, I was confused.

As much as I would love to let Rosa choke Aurora to death for the hurt she caused me, at the same time, I felt a twinge of pity. I shrugged, pushing those feelings aside.

How dare she step onto my castle grounds after I explicitly banned her? She was lucky I was in a good mood, or her head would’ve been mounted as a decoration outside the gate.

Her days here were numbered. Once I was done attending to my brothers, I would send her into the woods where she belonged. A slut and a traitor like her had no place in my castle.

There was no way I would allow her to stay after what she did to me. Seeing her made me despise myself for falling in love again. I feared what I might do to her.

“What’s wrong, my King? The ward is this way, why are you going the other way?” Jasper asked, walking toward me.

I was about to turn away from the scene, head toward the ward, and pretend I hadn’t seen anything, but Aurora’s teary face filled my mind.

Goddess knows how hard I tried to push my feelings aside, but I couldn’t help myself. I hated that I couldn’t look past her discomfort, and her pain only brought me pain.

Why did she even come back?

Why was she messing with my feelings?

Why couldn’t I ignore her, despite everything she had done to me? I still felt a strange connection between us that I hated, something I found impossible to understand.

“Don’t you dare lay your hands on her! Leave her at once!”

Damon

I didn’t know when those words slipped out of my mouth, but it was too late to take them back.

Regret began to prick at me as I faced the two women, both trembling in fear before me.

I cursed softly under my breath, hissing as guilt and anger overwhelmed me. I looked away from Aurora, avoiding her gaze. I wasn’t going to let those innocent eyes fool me this time.

Despite how hard I tried to fight it, my eyes found hers, and for a few seconds, our gazes locked.

Her silver-grey eyes shimmered softly, tears gathering in them.

I got lost in her stare, and a wave of emotions hit me all at once. They say the eyes are the window to one’s soul, but all I saw was a broken soul.

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