Aurora's POV
"Aurora? What are you doing?"
I froze. I didn't turn around immediately. I took a breath, trying to steady the frantic beating of my heart. When I finally faced him, he was standing by the back porch, looking at me like I'd lost my mind.
"The dress," he said, gesturing to the white fabric spilling out of the bin. "That cost a fortune. Why are you throwing it out?"
"It's damaged," I said, my voice flatter than I expected. "Beyond repair. There's no point in keeping something that's already ruined, Adrian."
He walked toward me, his brow furrowed. As he got closer, his eyes dropped from my face to my hands.
"What happened to you?"
I opened my mouth and closed it immediately. I looked down. My palms were raw, the skin still pink and scarred despite Alaric's
