Chapter 98: Hidden Intentions
(Aurora's POV)
I sipped my tea slowly, the warmth soothing my hands as I cradled the mug. The steam curled upward, but my gaze was fixed on the message from Hazel on my phone. Her words lingered in my mind.
"Sometimes you have to let him help you, Aurora. Men like to feel needed. Stop trying to be so strong all the time."
I frowned. Let him help me? The idea of showing vulnerability on purpose felt foreign. I wasn’t someone who relied on others—not since my childhood. And beside Alex, I had learned the hard way that giving someone too much of your trust and showing too much weakness could backfire.
But Hazel wasn’t wrong.
The memory of Isabel flitted through my thoughts, her pitiful expressions, her quivering voice, her endless cries for help. She
