Divorce ME, Then Regret Me

Chapter Two

Blackthorn Royal University

Five Years Earlier

The first thing Aurora Valentina Kingsley noticed about Blackthorn Royal University was how beautiful it was.

The second thing she noticed was how exhausting the students were.

Everywhere she looked, there were luxury cars parked outside lecture halls, designer clothes worth more than some people's annual salaries, and students whose last names carried enough power to influence entire industries.

For most people, Blackthorn was a dream.

For Aurora, it was freedom.

At least, as much freedom as a princess could hope for.

"You're thinking too hard."

Aurora looked up from her notebook.

Her best friend, Lily Carter, dropped into the seat beside her with a dramatic sigh.

"I've known you for exactly three weeks," Lily continued, "and I've already figured out that face."

Aurora laughed.

"What face?"

"The face that says you're overthinking something."

"I do not have that face."

"You absolutely do."

Aurora shook her head, smiling despite herself.

The two girls had met during orientation and had become inseparable almost immediately.

It was nice.

For once, someone liked her without knowing who she really was.

No title.

No expectations.

No royal obligations.

Just Aurora.

The thought alone made her smile.

"You're doing it again."

Aurora groaned.

"What now?"

"Smiling."

Lily narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Either you're in love or you've finally lost your mind."

Aurora rolled her eyes.

"Neither."

"Sure."

Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden wave of whispers spreading through the courtyard.

Students began turning their heads.

Some even stood.

Aurora frowned.

"What now?"

Lily followed everyone's gaze and immediately sat up straighter.

"Oh no."

"What?"

"He's here."

Aurora blinked.

"Who's here?"

Lily looked at her as if she had asked who the president was.

"Lorenzo De Luca."

The name meant nothing to Aurora.

Clearly, it meant something to everyone else.

A black sports car pulled up near the main building.

Several students immediately stepped aside.

The driver's door opened.

A tall man stepped out.

Dark hair.

Sharp features.

Tailored black suit.

The kind of confidence that came from never hearing the word no.

He looked completely out of place on a university campus.

More like someone running a company than attending classes.

The crowd parted naturally as he walked.

Nobody asked him to move.

Nobody challenged him.

They simply got out of his way.

Aurora found herself staring.

Not because he was handsome.

Although he was.

It was the way everyone reacted to him.

As though he owned the place.

"Why is everyone acting like that?" she asked.

Lily looked horrified.

"Please tell me you're joking."

"I'm not."

"That's Lorenzo De Luca."

Aurora waited.

Lily stared.

Aurora continued waiting.

"Am I supposed to know who that is?"

Lily nearly fell out of her chair.

Before she could answer, Lorenzo disappeared into the main building.

The whispers followed him.

Aurora shook her head.

"Weird."

Lily looked offended.

"He's practically royalty around here."

"That's concerning."

"You're impossible."

Aurora grinned.

"Thank you."

Later that afternoon, Aurora escaped to her favorite spot on campus.

A large oak tree stood near the lake, hidden from the busiest parts of the university.

It was peaceful.

Quiet.

Exactly what she needed.

She sat beneath the tree and opened the novel she'd been trying to finish all week.

For nearly an hour, she lost herself in the story.

No royal duties.

No family expectations.

No curious classmates.

Just silence.

Then a shadow fell across her book.

Aurora frowned.

Someone was blocking the sunlight.

Slowly, she looked up.

And immediately wished she hadn't.

The same man from earlier stood before her.

Lorenzo De Luca.

He looked down at her with an expression she couldn't quite place.

Annoyance, maybe.

Or impatience.

"You're sitting in my spot."

Aurora blinked.

"My what?"

"My spot."

For a moment, she genuinely thought he was joking.

Then she realized he wasn't.

She glanced around.

The campus stretched for acres.

There were dozens of benches.

Hundreds of trees.

An entire lake.

And somehow this specific patch of grass belonged to him?

Aurora closed her book.

"Did you buy it?"

A faint crease appeared between his brows.

"The tree."

She pointed upward.

"Did you buy the tree?"

For the first time, Lorenzo seemed caught off guard.

A few nearby students slowed their pace.

Clearly, they were expecting a disaster.

Aurora didn't understand why.

She had simply asked a reasonable question.

"If you bought the tree, I'll move."

Silence.

Then something unexpected happened.

Lorenzo laughed.

Not a polite laugh.

Not a fake one.

A real laugh.

Even he seemed surprised by it.

Aurora stared.

Well.

That wasn't the reaction she expected.

Before either of them could speak again, a sharp voice interrupted.

"Lorenzo!"

A blonde woman approached quickly.

Beautiful.

Elegant.

And visibly annoyed.

She slipped her arm through Lorenzo's.

Then her gaze landed on Aurora.

The friendliness vanished instantly.

Aurora recognized the look.

She'd seen it before.

Judgment.

"What are you doing here?" the woman asked.

Aurora raised an eyebrow.

"Reading."

The woman didn't look amused.

Lorenzo, however, looked like he was trying not to laugh again.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Aurora stood and tucked her book under her arm.

"You can have your tree back."

Lorenzo crossed his arms.

"My tree?"

A smile tugged at her lips.

"That's what you called it."

For the first time, she saw genuine amusement in his eyes.

And for reasons she couldn't explain, it made her stomach flutter.

Aurora ignored the feeling immediately.

That seemed like the smartest decision.

Without another word, she walked away.

She could feel his gaze following her.

Watching.

Curious.

Neither of them realized it then.

But years later, they would both remember that afternoon beneath the oak tree.

Because that was the moment everything began.