Aurora’s POV
I let my hands shake when I opened the door. And Jake really liked that. Weakness made him generous.
He stood there with concern carefully arranged on his face, eyes scanning me like he was checking for cracks he could widen.
I hadn’t slept much, and I made sure it showed. No makeup. Loose sweater. Hair pulled back carelessly. The woman he saw was exactly who he wanted me to be—abandoned, broken, easy to guide.
“Aurora,” he said softly. “You don’t look well.” I stepped back and let him in.
The apartment felt smaller with him inside it. Like the walls leaned away. I wrapped my arms around myself and stared at the floor as if it were the only thing holding me upright.
“I didn’t expect you to come,” I said.
“I was worried,” he replied. “After everything… I thought you mig
