|FIVE YEARS LATER|




"Thanks."

She dropped down from the cabby, pulling her shades to the top of her head. The driver came down and helped pull out her luggage, dragging them towards where she stood. She gave him a grateful smile and he tipped his head in response.

She watched the house in front of her with a nostalgic smile before moving to wrap her fingers around the luggage handle. Her steps were slow, the clicking of her booted heels resounding against the pavement.


Finally, she got to the front door. She took in a sharp inhale before rapping her knuckles against the glass frame. No response came and she knocked again, hearing a high-pitched 'I'm coming' echo from inside.

Aurora took a step back and waiting, listening to the rustling on the other side. She blinked and the door pulled open, revealing a disheveled Rosa.


"Diós mio!" Rosa gasped, wide-eyed and mouth parted in astonishment, "Aurora!"

She squealed in excitement, pulling her into her arms and squeezing her tightly. Aurora laughed softly, patting her on the back.

Rosa sniffled, pulling back to look at her, "Is this really you? I'm not imagining things, sí?"

Aurora smiled, tears beginning to gather in her eyes. She shook her head from side to side,

"No, Rosa. I'm home now."

She met with her dad later in the day and he was just as flabbergasted as Rosa. He'd hollered and complained about why she didn't tell him that she was coming beforehand. She told him that it was meant as a surprise and he countered that he didn't like this kind of surprise.

Natasha and Mason were no different, in the end everyone settled for throwing a surprise party, mainly for Ryan since he was the only one who didn't know that she'd returned.

"Are you sure he's going to come?" Aurora asked Mason when they ushered her into the living room, shutting off all the lights.

Mason winked at her, "Trust me, he will."

And true to his words, he showed up minutes later and when he saw Aurora as the lights came on. He stood for a moment, just blinking at her.

She chuckled and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, only then did he jolt awake, hugging her like his life depended on it. They shared a kiss that left her nearly weak in the knees and caused her friends to holler in excitement.

"I've missed you," Ryan confessed, pushing the hair away from her face and cupping her cheek tenderly, "I've fucking missed you."

Aurora smiled, leaning into his touch, "Me too, Ry. Me too."

Although, they've been facetiming regularly and texting on hours on end. She still craved his warm touch and kisses, his scent always had a way of comforting her should and talking to him only satisfied one quarter of thode desires.

The party went off from there, Louisa and Matt showed up later. She was stunned to see the blonde with a visible bulge in her lower region and when Louisa revealed that she and Matt tied the knot two years back, she was ecstatic for the both of them.

The party ended in a good note and with her father's approval, she and Ryan slept together on the same for the night. Aurora snuggled closer to him and allowed herself to be cocooned in his warm embrace.



..........



"Here she is."

Aurora nodded and her father threw her a wry smile proceeding to lead her through the door. Her fingers instinctively clutched tighter on Ryan's hand and he held her back,

They walked through the brightly lit hallway, the white coloured wall and the smell of antiseptic caused her stomach to churn uncomfortably. Finally, they came to a stop in front of a room, it had one of those large glass windows that allowed you to see what was happening inside.

And the sight of her mother scribbling a note caused a pang to hit her chest and she tightened her hold on Ryan.

"She was diagnosed with severe depression and some abnormalities in her brain. I had to register into a care center with more than enough nurses to care for her," Harry stated in a dejected tone, a small crease appearing between his brows as he spoke.

Aurora took a step forward, placing a palm on the window and gazing through the reflective surface. Miriam had a bleak look in her eyes, she didn't appear to listen to a word the nurse seated across from her was saying, it almost looked like she was immersed in her own world.

"How long has she been like this?" Her voice wobbled as she asked this.

Harry shrugged weakly, "She was diagnosed three years ago but the symptoms fully hit her last month. Doctors say the whole thing accelerated because she felt a sense of loss of something she greatly treasured."

Which was her, without a doubt.

She felt arms wrap around her shoulder and looked up to see Ryan staring at her softly. Her lips trembled when she tried to smile and she leaned against him.

"Will she ever get well?" The question came out as a tiny whisper but her father heard because he responded,

"We can only hope that she does."

Aurora shakily exhaled, watching the once powerful woman reduced to mindless scribblings and bleak eyes. Wasn't all of this her fault?

"Ryan?" She called weakly, looking up at him, "I need you to drive me somewhere."

The ride was spent in silence, she left her father behind and Ryan took the wheels instead. When they arrived at their destination, she just sat in the car, staring blankly at the towering metal gates.

"You don't have to do this, you know," She heard Ryan murmur from beside her and a heavy exhale left her.

"Actually," She started in a low tone, "I have to do this no matter what."

She climbed down from the car, Ryan coming down with her. She strolled towards the small patrol office and presented her ID, the gate was rolled open for her and she stepped in.

Just like the last time she was here, a stern looking officer ushered her into the small visiting room. The glass divider was still between them as usual and this time, she grabbed the telephone with much confidence.

The door on the other side went open and she saw him. For a moment, her heart skipped a beat, she had to pretend like she wasn't affected by his presence and hid her shaky fingers underneath the table. She instantly regretted asking Ryan to wait for her outside.

"Well, hello sister," Evan greeted, his usual wonky smile plastered on his face, "I guess staying away really did you much good."

Aurora cocked a brow, "How did you know-"

"Haven't you heard the phrase 'walls have ears' ?" He interrupted, leaning against the metal table, "The prison is a place filled with juicy information once you ask the right source."

She didn't have a respond to that so his grin widened.

"So, tell me? Did running away solve everything?"

Aurora bristled at the implication, "I didn't run away and yes, I do feel much better now. I took a course in business management and dad hired me as a finance advisor in his main branch at the city."

She didn't know why she felt the need to tell him but somehow, she felt indebted to him.

He nodded, "I guess you've achieved everything now; a life of your own, the man that you love and all these choices were yours. You should be kneeling in gratitude at my feet."

Aurora's lips curled and she smacked her lips together, digging into her bag to bring out a folder. She slid the folder through the little space underneath the glass and leaned against the backrest,

"What's this?" He asked with a brow cocked.

"Proof," She responded wryly, "That my mother had no hand in Racheal's death. The truck that hit her that night was at fault. The driver was drunk, he didn't see the road clearly and ran into your mother. Everything, including his profile is in there."

He pretended to be unaffected by the news but she could the flicker of surprise flash in his emerald orbs. She watched as he slowly reached for the folder, unearthing it's contents.

Aurora took that opportunity to rise to her feet, "You have only a year left and then you'll be free, I hope you give up your obsession with my family and truly seek the closure that you need."

She made to walk away when he called out, stunning her entire frame,

"And what about you? Do you have the closure that you've been seeking?"

Aurora didn't turn back to look at him. Her mind whirling from his question. She'd also asked herself that exact thing,

Did she have that closure?

She wasn't quite sure. Yes, she'd gotten the life she wanted, the friends she needed and the love that she'd always dreamed of but at what expense?

Her mother was currently in a care center and she could see the dreariness behind her father's grinning face. She'd gotten the life of her dreams at the expense of their marriage.

But was it worth it?

Aurora shook her head and walked out without another word. When she spotted Ryan leaning against the wall in the hallway, her heart sped up a notch.

He must've noticed her because he turned his head in her direction and his lips curved into the most heartstopping smile she'd ever seen that she almost swooned there and then.

At that moment, Aurora had gotten her answer and she walked up to him with an even brighter smile.