Aurora’s POV
I was staring at the ceiling, trying so hard to figure out what was going on.
My mind was a complete mess. My emotions were all over the place. I wanted to cry. I wanted to scream. I wanted to pretend like nothing ever happened.
It was Bruno? Bruno tried to hurt me? But he was Sebastian’s friend. Why would he want to hurt me?
And who was that girl? Did I imagine her?
And why was Sebastian suddenly so affectionate? Was it because I was hurt?
I didn’t know how to feel about that. A part of me wanted to grab onto him and never let go. I felt like I finally got my brother back. But another part of me didn’t want him near me. He hurt me. He rejected me. Why did he suddenly want to be close to me again? Why did he leave me in the first place?
He said that he would explain, but I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to know. Something was telling me that it would hurt me like nothing and no one hurt me before.
“Okay, Aurora,” the doctor said as she finished checking my injuries. “I am done, honey. Are you okay?”
I looked at her and nodded.
“You can put your clothes back on, honey,” the doctor said softly. “I will invite the sheriff in. He needs to talk to you.”
I nodded and sat up.
“Did he do it?” I asked as I got off the bed.
The doctor gave me a small smile and shook her head.
“He didn’t, honey,” she said. “Your brother and your boyfriend got to you in time.”
I took a deep breath and released it slowly.
“I know it’s a lot to take in, Aurora,” the doctor said. “I can refer you to a therapist. It wouldn’t hurt to talk to somebody.”
I shook my head immediately.
“I am fine,” I said as I walked to the dressing panel in the corner of the room.
I heard the doctor leave the room. I heard Sebastian and Rhys’ voices outside. I heard the door burst open.
“Aurora?!” Sebastian exclaimed.
“She is putting her clothes back on, Mr. Anderson,” the doctor said.
I heard footsteps approaching the panel just as I started putting my shoes back on.
“Rory?” Sebastian called me. “He didn’t do it, Rory. He didn’t.”
My heart clenched every time he called me Rory. He didn’t do it for four months and I missed it so much.
But I didn’t want him to call me that. He would stop again as soon as he remembered why he left me the first time.
I didn’t want him to stop again. I didn’t want to go through that again.
And the only way to make sure of that was if he didn’t call me that ever again.
I took a deep breath and stepped back into the room. Sebastian pulled me to him immediately.
“He didn’t do it, Rory,” he repeated, leaning his head on mine.
I didn’t hug him back. I couldn’t. I wanted to step away from him, but I couldn't do that either. I wanted him to hold me.
“Aurora,” Mr., Williams called me softly.
I looked to my left and saw him and Rhys standing by the bed. Rhys looked tired and it made me feel guilty.
“We need to talk,” Mr. Williams told me. “It will be short, I promise.”
I nodded and Sebastian stopped hugging me. He took my hand in his and pulled me toward the bed.
“Sit,” he said and I listened.
I wouldn’t be able to stand anyway.
Rhys approached me and cupped my cheeks.
“Will you be able to do this, princess?” he asked, studying my face carefully.
I nodded.
“I am fine,” I said. “I can do this.”
Rhys furrowed his eyebrows a little. He gave me a small nod and leaned in to place a soft kiss on my forehead. He looked at his dad and nodded.
Sebastian sat behind me and pulled me to his chest. He kissed my temple and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. I felt so safe being in his arms, but at the same time, I didn’t want him to hold me. He was going to throw me away again and it would hurt all over again.
“Can you tell me everything you remember, sweetie?” Rhys’ dad asked. “Every little detail can help us.”
I gulped and tried to take a deep breath.
“I don’t remember much,” I said quietly. “I was in the kitchen and I was talking to my friends. I didn’t drink much because I didn’t want to get drunk. I drank maybe half a cup.”
Rhys’ dad nodded.
“Did you ever leave your cup unattended?” he asked me.
I furrowed my eyebrows and tried to think back.
“I did put it on a counter a few times,” I said. “But I was next to it the whole time.”
Rhys’ dad sighed and shook his head.
“It only took him half a second to put something in your drink,” he said.
Sebastian’s hold on me tightened. Rhys clenched his fists.
“What happened next, sweetie?” Rhys’ dad asked.
“I started feeling a bit weird,” I said. “I left to go to the bathroom and I was completely out of it when I finally got there.”
“I am going to fucking kill him,” Sebastian mumbled angrily.
“What did he give her, Dad?” Rhys asked angrily.
His dad looked at him and sighed.
“I don’t know,” he said. “The doctor took her blood. We need to wait for the results.”
Rhys looked at me and took a deep breath. He crossed his arms over his chest and tightened his jaw.
“Go on, Aurora,” Mr. Williams said. “What do you remember next?”
I furrowed my eyebrows and gulped. I wasn’t sure if I should tell them about the woman. I probably just made it all up. It was probably the drugs. They would have seen her in the room. They would have told me about it.
But what if I didn’t make her up? What if she really recorded him touching me? What if there was a video…
My stomach twisted and I felt bile rising.
I was going to throw up.
I broke out of Sebastian’s arms and tried to get out of bed. Sebastian stopped me, pulling me back to him.
“Aurora?!” Sebastian exclaimed, his voice laced with panic.
The doctor figured out what was going on. She rushed toward the bed and placed some metal bowl in front of me.
I was finally able to let it all out.
“Oh, fuck,” Sebastian mumbled as he started rubbing my back gently. “It’s okay, Rory. Let it all out.”
I didn’t eat for I didn’t even know how long, so I didn’t really have anything to throw up.
“Here you go, princess,” Rhys said softly and handed me a tissue after I finally stopped throwing up.
I took the tissue from him and pressed it against my lips. Sebastian pulled me back to his chest and I relaxed into his arms. I didn’t care about him leaving me again at that point, I just wanted to feel safe.
“It’s okay, Rory,” Sebastian mumbled quietly and placed a kiss on my temple. “It’s okay. I am here. No one can hurt you ever again.”
I felt Rhys’ fingers caressing my cheek. I looked at him and he gave me a small smile.
“Do you want some water?” Rhys asked and I gave him a small nod.
He turned around and the doctor was already there with a bottle of water. Rhys opened it and gave it to me.
“Thank you,” I said quietly as I took a small sip of water, letting it soothe my burning throat.
I looked around, trying to find the metal bowl. I needed to get rid of it.
“It’s already taken care of, Aurora,” the doctor said. “Don’t worry. We are here for you.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “Thank you.”
The doctor smiled at me and looked at Mr. Williams.
“Did you remember something, sweetie, or was it something else that made you throw up?” he asked, making me look back at him.
I took a deep breath and grabbed Sebastian’s hand.
“It’s okay,” he said, wrapping his arms around me tightly. “I am here.”
I felt my stomach turning again, but I didn’t have anything else to throw up.
“I am not sure,” I said quietly. “Maybe I made it up. Maybe it was the drug.”
Mr. William’s furrowed his eyebrows a little.
“What, Aurora?” he asked.
I gulped and bit the inside of my cheek.
“There was someone else with him,” I said quietly. “A woman.”
My voice started trembling. Mr. Williams’ eyes widened.
“She was filming it all,” I said so quietly that I wasn’t even sure if anyone heard me.
I knew they did when I felt Sebastian tense up.
I wanted it to be just a product of my imagination. I didn’t want it to be true. It couldn’t have been true.