She lifted her knuckles but hesitated when it was just an inch from the door, a heavy exhale slipped past her lips and she dropped her hand to the side. Aurora raked her fingers through her wavy hair, muttering a curse under her breath.

When she walked through the driveway, she was stunned to see two police cars parked out front. It wasn't hard to guess who had made the call, her mother was overdramatic sometimes.


Her initial plan was to sneak back in, cook up an elaborate story about getting lost and put the blame on Evan since it was partly his fault. Now how was she going to do it if there were cops around?

She faced the door with determination again and this time, rapped her knuckles against the wooden frame. The door opened a second later, revealing Lottie, a blonde petite maid that worked in the kitchen. Her baby blue eyes widened significantly when they fell on Aurora,

"Miss Rochester!" She squealed, pushing the door wider, "Please come in, everyone has been worried sick."


She bet they were, a sarcastic voice in her head cooed and she pursed her lips tightly.

As she threaded closer to the living room, she could clearly hear her mother's hysterical screams and the strange voices, which she guessed were from the cops, telling her to calm down.


"How can you tell me to calm down, officer!" Her mother cried out, "My daughter is-"

Aurora chose that moment to step out from the pillar she was previously hiding behind. Five pairs of eyes fell on her and she gulped down the anxiety brewing in her chest,

"Mom," She said in a weak tone, putting on her best teary-eyed look.

Her mother gasped in shock, placing her palms over her gaping mouth, "Aurora! Oh my god, you're back!" She rushed towards her, enveloping Aurora in a hug.

Aurora stiffened in reaction to the embrace, her eyes meeting her father's and then Evan who did not look too happy. Her mother pulled back, cupping her face in her warm hands,

"Are you okay? Why didn't you pick up any of my calls? Did anyone hurt you-" Her mother kept rambling on and on and it was starting to get dizzying. She staggered back, placing a hand on her throbbing forehead,

Her father luckily stepped in, placing an arm around the rambling woman, "Okay Miriam, I think we should let Aurora get some rest yeah!" He pulled her away making Aurora exhale in relief, "I'm sure she'll answer any questions you have tomorrow, won't you?"

She nodded, giving them both a thumbs-up. Her father nodded once before facing the two officers,

"Thank you, I truly appreciate your help."

The older-looking one from the duo, tipped his hat kindly, "It's our pleasure but try to stay safe. This city isn't safe enough for a young girl to walk about unprotected." With a meaningful glance her way, the two officers stepped out, leaving her with her family.

The silence was jarring and she waited for the backlash to come. It did because when she felt the hard thwack on the side of her face and the burning that followed after, it didn't surprise her as much,

"What the hell were you thinking putting yourself out there?" Her mother screamed furiously. Gone was the mother who pretended to care for her missing daughter, now she was her real self.

A monster who sought her perfection through her daughter.

Aurora swallowed up the bile that rose in her throat and turned her face so she could stare at her mother, "Evan didn't-"

"Yeah I know Evan didn't pick you up when he was supposed to and believe me, your father has gotten his fair share of punishment," Her eyes flew to her father's but he wasn't looking at her, "Did you know how worried I was? I thought you were kidnapped or something!" Her croaky voice screamed, piercing at her eardrums,

She grabbed Aurora's arms, sharp nails that felt more like talons dug into her skin and she suppressed a pained wince.

"You will never do that to me! Ever again, do you understand?" Her mother shook her and she nodded, the pain paralyzing her. "Good," Her mother released her and traced the side of her face tenderly,

"It will never happen again because Calvin will resume his duties tomorrow. It'll be just like it was before, from the institute and then back home, no in-between," Her breath was trembling and her fingers shook badly. When her mother pressed a wet kiss on her forehead, it took everything in her not to shove the woman away,

"Go to bed now, you have a big day tomorrow," Her mother smiled brightly before patting her cheek.

She watched silently as the woman sauntered off, disappearing past the stairs. For a moment nobody said anything and she wondered if they were as stunned as she was.

Her cheek still throbbed but it was nothing compared to how she felt on the inside. How long was she going to continue like this?

Her mother was mentally unstable and her father turned a blind eye to everything. To make it worse, she had a blackmailing brother who looked like he wanted to strangle her half the time.

"You two should go to bed," Her father's voice broke the eerie silence, he was still refusing to look at her and she swallowed her hurt. "Good night," He said before rushing towards the stairs as well.

It was only Aurora and Evans left now and all she wanted to do was take a hot shower and then curl up in her bed. When she looked at her brother, she was surprised to see his intense eyes on hers.

She ignored it and bounded towards the stairs. She hadn't even taken the first step when he decided to speak,

"How long are you going to pretend?"

She stopped, her fingers freezing around the silver-coated bannister, "Excuse me?"

There was a small furrow between his brows and he took a small step forward, "How long will you keep pretending to be what you're not?"

She blinked dumbly, pretending not to understand what he had just said and put on a mask of puzzlement.

He scoffed, tucking his hands into his pants pockets, "Your life is even more fucked up than mine."

As she watched him leave, the mask melted and a frown pulled at her mouth. He had asked a valid question, one she didn't have an answer to;

How long was she going to keep pretending?