Trapped by the Past

Chapter 17: What Happened?

    Aiden's POV

I was sitting in Aurora's room near her bed, waiting for her to wake up. She has been out for nearly two days. I looked at her. 

Her beautiful blue eyes have been closed for two days, her face was pale and I was worried regardless of what the doctor have said. 

I sat back and closed my eyes. The past few days have been hell, especially since we got back from Caleb's. 

The past few days were replying in my head, from the moment that Ethan called her damaged. I saw her heart break. I might not know what happened to her but what he told her was not what she deserved. I saw the change in her face when Elisa came, her became a mask I wasn't flirting with her, I was just trying to be friendly. When I saw her with Logan I got jealous and but I wasn't going to admit that to her. So I decided, in a drunken mind and jealous as I was, I decided that it was a good idea to let Elisa kiss me. But when she looked at me with the look she had in her eyes, I don't think she would ever forgive me and every time I closed my eyes, her face would appear in front of me or how she fell. 

I didn't tell her that I was jealous because that wouldn't have done any of us any good, I don't even know what I was jealous of, or why. 

"Aiden." I heard Aurora's voice. I opened my eyes ad saw that her were open. I hurried to her side and took her hand. "Water." Her voice was weak and raspy. I nodded and gave her a glass of water and helped her drink it. 

"I have to tell you father and call the doctor, ok?" I said to her and she nodded. I went outside her room. "Tell the King that the princess is awake. Also, call the doctor." I told one of the guards outside her room, e nodded and left to do what I said. 

I went back inside and saw that Aurora was trying to get up. 

"Slow down." I said and pushed her down gently, and she laid down easily. 

"What happened?" She asked and I sighed. 

"What do you remember last?" I asked. 

"Dad told me something about you taking me out." She said. "Then I left the hall and started up the stairs. Then there was a sharp pain at the back of my head." She looked at me with questions swirling in those blue eyes. "What happened to me? Why am I in my bed?" 

"You were hit in the back of the head." I took her hand and brought it to my lips. "They were going to kidnap you but-"

"But Aiden stopped them." A voice said from the door. I turned around and saw Ethan standing in the doorway. After a few seconds his father appeared behind him. Both came toward Aurora. I got up and the King took my place. Ethan was standing on the other side of the bed, frustrated. 

I looked at Aurora one last time, a small smile coming to my lips, before starting toward the door.

"Aiden." Aurora's voice made me stop in my tracks and smile at the way she called my name. I turned around covering my smile. "Where are you going?"

"I was going to give some family time." I said with a smile. 

"You are part of the family." She said and gestured to the spot next to her. "Weather you want it or not." We stared at each other. 

She doesn't know how happy I am that awake now, how happy I am to see her after so many years, all I wish is that it was a different situation. 

I went and sat down on the chair in the corner. Even though Aurora said I was part of the family, I still felt like an intruder. Aurora's voice brought me out of my thoughts. 

"Can someone tell me what happened?" Aurora asked. All her brothers were in the room. When did they come in? 

"Aiden told you what happened already." Ethan said. 

"What he told was vague." Aurora complained. "And I need to know what happened." Everyone was silent, looking at each other. 

"After you left the hall," I said and got up from the chair I was sitting. Everyone was looking at me. "I saw you. It took a while, since I had to ditch Elisa. When I reached you, you were being carried with a lot of blood coming from head." 

"Aiden." King Henry warned me. 

"She needs to know what happened to her." I said, not taking my eyes off of Aurora's sea of blue. "If she knew what was waiting for her, she wouldn't have left hall without someone to protect her." I finally looked at the King. "I called for help, but couldn't just stand there. So I got into a fight with the man who was carrying you. I took a while until the help came. When they took the man away, you already have lost a lot of blood." I tried to keep the details to a minimum, but knowing her, she would ask questions.

"How long have I been unconcise?" She aske after a few minutes of dead silence.

"Two days." I said, since no one else volunteered to say anything. The room was back to silent. No one dared to break it. Everyone was looking at Aurora, waiting to see her reaction. 

"Aurora?" Oliver called out, clearly worried. 

"Who was he?" Aurora asked, looking at me but not seeing me. No one said anything. She tried to make eye contact with someone, but everyone looked any where except at her. "Who was he?" She asked, louder this time. 

"Aurora," Oliver tried to say. "You-" 

"Out." Aurora said, in a quiet but strong voice. "I said out." She said gain when no one moved. 

"Aurora." King Henry warned. "You need to calm down." 

"I want to be alone. Her hands were starting to fist, her jaw was locked. She closed her and took a few deep breathes in an effort to calm herself. 

"Maybe," I said in a quiet voice. "We should go out, leave her alone to calm down." 

"Yeah." Ethan agreed. "Maybe we should." 

Everyone got up and left. I was the las to leave. When I reached the door, I looked her. Her eyed were closed and she was taking deep breathes.

"Aiden." She said as I was about to go out the door. I turned around and she was looking at me. 

"Yes?" I said. 

"Stay." It was more like an order than  question. I nodded and came back in. I closed the door behind me and stayed there, not knowing what to do. She patted spot next to her on the bed. I hesitated but went and sat there. 

"Is there something going on between you and Elisa?" She asked. 

Her question too me off-guard. Why would ask that? As if leading my thoughts, she added. "The night at the Gala, the day after that, all of it, you two acted like you were a couple. Or like something is going on between you two."

"No." I said trying not to smirk. "There's nothing going on between us. I know that you what happened between us in by the way you acted at the night of the Gala, but that's just what it is, a past that I can't do anything about. So don't worry nothing is going on between me or anyone else." She nodded, but didn't say anything. "I thought you were going to ask me who that guy was that knocked you out." I said after a few minutes of silent. She looked at me but didn't anything. She quickly looked away. 

"Can I have my phone?" She asked. I nodded and reached for the phone that was on the nightstand. I was taking out the phone I saw the bottle of pills from the day we were coming back. No one would tell me what they were for and if I ask them they tell me Aurora has to tell me. I sighed and closed the nightstand. 

I gave the phone to Aurora who just muttered a thanks and started to scroll on her phone. She didn't say anything and I was too tiered to say anything. These last few days I could barely close my eyes or leave Aurora's side.

"You didn't get any sleep these last few days, did you?" Aurora asked as I was thinking going to the room about going to the room they gave me here and sleep. I looked at her, trying to keep my eyes open, suddenly it was too hard to keep them open. I shook my head and was about to say something but she pulled my hand and I fell next to her on the bed. "Get some sleep." She whispered and gave me some of her blanket. I was about to et up and complain but she shushed me. "Get some rest. You look like a zombie." I couldn't say or do anything. I nodded and closed my eyes. I didn't take long for me to fall asleep. 

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"Aiden." Someone called my name. "Aiden, wake up." I groaned and turned the other way. A girlish giggle got me groaning again. "I know you are tiered, but you need to wake up." The voice was familiar, but whose voice was that? "Aiden." The voice said again. Aurora's face came to my mind. 

Suddenly , everything from the last few days came back and I opened my eyes. 

"Aurora?" I said, my voice barely audible. She rolled her eyes at me. 

"Yes, now get up." She said and pushed me. 

"Ok, ok." I said and got up. The room was dark. How long have I been asleep? I looked at the nightstand that had a clock, it was eight. 

"How long have you been sleep?" I asked. 

"Nearly two days." She said and my eyes went wide that made Aurora laugh. 

God, how long has it been since I heard her laugh. And I made her laugh. 

"You haven't slept for three days." Aurora said when she was finished laughing. I nodded and yawned. 

"Why did you wake me up?" I asked and she rolled her eyes at me

"First you stink." She said while getting up and looking at me. "Second, you haven't eaten anything, you need to eat something." She took something off of the nightstand, and put a plate of food in front of me. "Eat."

I looked around. This was not the room they gave me, this is Aurora's room. I looked at her. 

"I'm in your room." I stated, she rolled her eyes at me again and muttered something underneath her breathe. 

"Yes, now eat." She said. 

"Where did you sleep?" I asked. 

"There are a lot of rooms in this Palace." She said. "Now eat." Her tone was firm. 

"Ok, fine." I started to eat while she went to the desk in the room. "What did I miss?" I asked after a few minutes of silent.

"Not much." She said, not even looking at me. For some reason that made me frustrated. I started to eat while she was writing something. 

"What are you doing." I asked her when I finished eating. She just shook her head. I sighed and got up from the bed. 

"I'll go take a shower." I said while going toward the door. She didn't say anything. I looked at her one last time and saw her staring at something on her phone. as much as I wanted her to talk to me, I knew she wouldn't say anything. I went to the room they gave me to shower. 

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"Where's Aurora?" I asked when everyone was sitting at the dinning table. 

After leaving Aurora's room, I took a long shower and I was in the room, trying to catch up with everything that I have missed these last four days at school. The last thing I wanted to was to give my dad something to complain about. But I couldn't understand any of it. I haven't seen Aurora since I left her room. What was she even writing about? 

"She won't come out of her room." Oliver said. 

"Why?" I asked confused. "What happened?" When I left her room she was ok, or at least that's what I thought. 

"You haven't seen the news, have you?" Oliver said. I shook my head. "The night of the Gala, you were supposed to be Aurora's date. But you were caught, on camera, making out with Elisa." I could feel myself freeze. That's bad, really, really bad. 

"But that was four days ago." I said. I could feel everyone's stares, throwing daggers at me. 

"Yes, but that's still trending." Ethan answered. His voice was cold, so were eyes. "'And that's not why she is upstairs. She is used to being on the news, but someone told her something about her." 

"What?" I asked. There was complete silent at the table.

"That she is unlovable." Noah said. 

"What? Why?" I asked, confused. "What does tat have to do with anything?" 

"Her mother died," Noah said. "She never really had a boyfriend. And once she brought someone else other than her brothers to a event, he is caught making out with someone else on camera." The table was back to silent yet again. 

God, what did I do? She will hate me forever. I got up from the table to go and talk to her, the las ting I wanted was to be left alone. 

"Where do you think you are going?" Ethan yelled. 

"To talk to her." I said as I left the room. 

"Aiden," I heard Ethan said. "Don't you da-"His voice was cut. 

When I reached the top of the stairs, I went toward Aurora's room. When I reached her door, I hesitated, this was all my fault and I know I'm the last person on Earth that she wants to see. I'm the reason she is like this. I shook my head to get the thoughts out of my head. The last thing she wants is to see me but she also she needs to talk to someone. I sighed nd knocked. There was no answer for a few minutes, so I knocked again. 

"Aurora," I said when she didn't answer. "I know you are in there, so open the damn door." I knocked again, this time harder. "Aurora, if you don't open the door, I will break it." When she didn't say anything, I added. "You know I can."

I heard foot steps coming toward the door. I sighed in relief. For some reason, I was really worried about her, maybe it was because I knew the way she is right now is because of me but-. When she opened the door, I was brought back. Her face was white, her eyes red. I could feel my heart stop, this is my fault. 

"What do you want?" She asked when I didn't say anything. 

I reached for her face but she moved away as soon as I touched her. To say it didn't hurt would be a lie, but I deserved it. 

"Can I come in?" I asked. She looked at me, debating whether to let me in or not. "Please? I know you need to talk and I know that I'm not the person you want to talk to, but please, let me be there for you." She moved out of the doorway and let me in. 

She closed the door behind me and walked past me to the bed and sat down on it as I stood there, looking at her, not really knowing what to do. 

"Are you going to stand there all night?" She asked, her voice mocking but also there was a c***k in her voice. 

I sighed and went to sit next to her on the bed. We sat there in silent for a few minutes. 

"Why are you here?" She asked, not looking at me.

"The boys told me why you are in your room and won't come out." I said and paused to look at her. 

''Those stupid boys can't keep their mouth shut." She muttered under her breathe and I had to stop myself from laughing. "What did they tell you?" She asked, louder this time. 

"Everything." I said. "but what I don't understand is that, why is it bothering you so much? It's not like it's true." 

"So they didn't tell you everything." She said wit a sigh. 

"What do you mean?" I asked. 

"Nothing." She said, getting up.

"Aurora?" I said in a warning voice. I didn't think she would listen but she did as she sat next to me on the bed again. 

"They told you about someone calling me unlovable, right?" She asked and I nodded. She was quiet for a long minute that I thought she wouldn't continue. 

"When you left was after my mom died." I could hear another c***k in her voice even though it was barely a whisper. "I was just a child but I was more mature than other girls my age. So when you left me and everyone else was doing their business, I was left alone t grief to on my own. I didn't have anyone to talk to, so I locked myself in my room and no one came to see me. I was still a kid so I had my childish thoughts that no one likes me, that I did something to make them leave me. And you. I was locked in my room for nearly two months. Everyone deserted me," She was crying at this point and I pulled her toward myself. 

"You don't have to go on if you don't want to." I murmured in her hair. I could feel her pain as if it was my own, her tears would break me and I had to clench my jaw to stop myself from doing something that both of us would regret. 

"You need to know this." She said after a while. "You are going to be my partner after all." She pulled away and wiped her tears. I clenched my jaw harder. 

"I started to think no one cared for me, they didn't notice that I was locked in my room for nearly two months. So I thought that no one would notice if one night I slept and didn't wake up, that no one loved me, that I was unlovable. 

"That same day that I was thinking about that, everyone came to my room, finally remembering that they haven't seen me. The first week I would cry most of the time but after that, I was numb. When they found me, I wouldn't talk to anyone, that made them worried, especially after they gave me a few days but I was the same. They brought a doctor to talk to me. They found out that I had depression." 

"Those pills?" I asked, not really believing it. 

"Yeah." She whispered. "After that, I was never the same. Even though, the boys and always make sure I'm fine, I'm still scared that I'll always be unlovable. That the only way I'll find a King would be through an arrangement, which it was." She muttered the last two parts to herself in a low voice. 

Oh, God. She thinks she is unlovable. I can't believe she has depression. But by the way her brothers were acting all worried. But how come the media never found out about this?

"Aiden?" Aurora's voice brought me out of my thoughts. "Can you, please, say something? I know this no what you thought, and you're probably disappointed. But ple-"

"I'm not disappointed." I cut her off an cupped her face. "Yes, I was not expecting that, but that doesn't mean I'm disappointed." I inched closer to her. I couldn't help but glance at her lips and how much I wanted to taste those lips. When I looked at her, she was also looking at my lips and inching closer. 

Our lips were millimeters apart and I wanted her to close the distance and she did. The second her lips touched mine, I couldn't control myself anymore and kissed her harder. I pulled her close and gently bite her lip, asking for access, which she gave with a moan and that moan made me loose control. I pushed her so she was on her back and I was on top of her, making sure not to put too much weight on her. 

Her hands snaked around my snaked my neck and went into my hair. She lightly pulled them, making me groan into her mouth. I started to move one of my hands under her shirt as she circled my waist with her legs. I started to move my hand higher and higher until it reached her bra. I caressed her breast over her bra as I moved down from her lips to her neck, placing soft kissed on her neck and sucking at places that I knew would turn her on even more, making her moan. I could also feel myself getting harder and harder to the point where it started to hurt. I knew I had to stop before it went any further but it was like I couldn't get enough of her. 

"Aurora? Aiden?" Ethan's voice said from behind the door. 

We hurriedly pulled away and tried to straighten our clothes. I looked at Aurora who was trying to fix her messy hair. Her face was flushed and her t-shirt was falling off one of her shoulders. After she tried to straighten her long blond hair, she went toward  the door to open it. 

"Are you OK?" Ethan asked as soon as she opened the door. 

"I'm fine." I could feel her rolling her eyes at Ethan. "What do you want?" Her voice was sharp and cold. I could see the shock in Ethan's face. Ethan looked at me, wanting me to explain Aurora's behavior, but I was as shocked at her tone as he was. 

"I wanted to call you down." Ethan said confused. "Wait." A smirk appeared on is face. "Did I interrupt something?" 

"Shut up Ethan." Aurora said. Ethan chuckled and I joined in. 

"Both of you," Aurora turned toward me and I could see her face was red. "SHUT. UP." It made us laugh harder. She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breathes to calm herself down. 

"Are you done?" She asked Ethan who nodded in response. "So you can go." She said before slamming the door in his face. "We'll be down in a minute." She said to the door. I can only imagine Ethan's face behind the door which made me laugh harder. Aurora gave me look that made me shut up. 

"Do not tell anyone about what I told you. ANYONE. Are we clear?" She asked and I nodded, bringing my pinkie up to show her. She smiled as she made her way toward me, intertwining our pinkies. 

"I promise." I murmured with a smile. 

"Good." She said with a smile. I could feel my heart rate pick up. I couldn't help it anymore and pulled her in for a hug and inhaled into her hair. 

"I'm sorry." I murmured. 

"It wasn't your fault." She said as she buried her face into my chest and I could feel her inhale. 

"We should get going." I say and gently and slowly pull away. 

"Yeah." She said. "I'll be down in a minute. I need to change." I nod. 

"Aurora?" I say as I remember a question from before. "why didn't the media find out?" 

"First, they were busy finding out how my mom died." She said from the closet. "Then Dad made sure there was another huge thing that they are busy with that they won't find out about it." I smile as I open the door to leave her room. 

It was Ethan's fault that se is the way she is, I think as I go down the stairs. That doesn't give him the right to call her 'damaged'. I reached the dinning hall and cleared my head, but what she told me wouldn't get out of my head. And also, the image of her under me, or the taste of her lips. I ran my hand through my hair. 

"Get yourself together, Aiden." I mutter to myself. 

"And they call me crazy." I hear a voice say from behind me which made me jump. I turn around to be met with a giggling Aurora. An involuntary smile forms on my lips. 

"You are crazy." I say with a smile. 

"I wasn't standing behind a door for God knows how long and talking to myself, was I?" 

"Whatever." I say as I roll my eyes which makes her laugh at me. 

"Come on," She says as she starts to walk past me and into the dinning hall. 

I admire her from behind. She has changed into a light pink dress with matching heel. Her blond hair that reaches just above her ass are loose. Which each step she takes, they would sway from side to side, putting me in a trance. Her ass wasn't really visible but you could still see the out line of it. Her long legs were more highlighted since she was wearing heels. 

I saw her look over her shoulder at me and smirk. Damn it, she caught me checking her out. She winked at me and flipped her hair over her shoulder. I cleared my throat and started to head inside. 

I could see the shock on everyone's face when they saw Aurora. They looked me, then at Aurora. Everyone was shocked except Ethan and the King. Ethan had a smirk in his face and the King had a knowing look on his face. 

Aurora took her seat next to the King and I sat next to the triplet at the other end. Everyone was still staring at Aurora she started to eat. She raised her head and saw the. 

"What?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. "I haven't grown a second head or something, have I?" 

"No, just-" Lucas said. "How the hell did he manage to get you downstairs and eating so fast?" Aurora lightly chuckled  and shook her head. 

"Eat your food, kids." She joked. 

Lucas gave her a look whish made her laugh harder.

"Don't call me a kid." He growls. "You are younger than me." 

"Yeah, yeah." She says as she starts to eat again. 

Everyone else starts to eat again. I stare at her for a few minutes more before joining them. After a few seconds I feel someone looking at me . I raise my head to see Aurora looking at me with a look on her face which I don't understand but after a few seconds I recognize it. I know she regrets something. I now that look. It's funny  that she still has the same expressions as she was younger. Then it hits me. She regrets the moment we had. I freeze and stare at her as she looks back at me. She must have seen something on my face because she sits up straight and frown. She shook her head and gives me a questioning look. I shake my head. I tried to eat something but couldn't. I looked the King who was finished but was looking at his daughter with an expression that I couldn't read. I followed his to see what he was looking at. What I saw made me blink a few times. 

Aurora was looking down at something and, even though her face was mostly covered with her hair, I could see tears coming down her face. I looked back at the King who was looking at me and raised his eyebrows and nodded toward Aurora, telling me to do something. I nodded and started to get up. 

"If you'll excuse me, I have a lot to catch up on," I say looking around the table, skipping over Aurora who was wiping her eyes. "I unlike other people, I don't already know all the lessons." I added which made them all laugh. I look at Aurora who is playing with her food. "Are you coming or not?" She continues to play with her food but after a few seconds she looked up and looked around the table then meets my eyes. I raise my eyebrow at her. "Weren't you supposed to help me?"

"Yeah." She mutters as she gets up. She looks at her dad who nods and we started toward the stairs. We don't say anything  as we go up. When we reach my room we pause  and turn to look at each other. I sigh and turn to open the door. We went inside and she sat on the bed while I sat on the sofa. 

"Why did you bring me up here?" She asks. 

"Does your dad know that you brought your phone to the table?" I ask with a smirk. She rolls her eyes at me. "The rules are the same, aren't they?" 

"Yes, they are." She says in a firm tone and looks at me in the eye. I chuckle and shake my head. For some reason I can't look at her in the eye for long. My heart starts to beat faster and I start to get nervous. 

"Is that all?" She asks in a bored tone. 

"What were you looking at anyway?" I ask which catches her off guard.

"None of your business." She answers without meeting my eyes. 

"Aurora?" I say. 

"I don't have to answer to  you." 

"Fine, don't answer. But help me with these, can you?" She sighs and shakes her head as she makes her way toward me. 

She sits on the bed and looks at me. I bring everything to her and she starts to help me.

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"Whoa." I say as I look at the clock. "It's late." I say 

She looks up and nods. "We have to go to school tomorrow."

"Yeah." She puts her head down on the mattress and closes her eyes. 

"Get up." I say. She looks at me through blood red eyes. 

"Let me lay down for one minute." She says and I shake my head, chuckling. 

"Fine." I say. "Aurora?" 

"Yes?" She mutters, sleepily. 

"Your pills." I say. She sits up straight and was about to get up but I stop her. "I can get them for you. Where are they?" 

"In my nightstand." She answers. I nod and go to get her pills. When I get them, I go back to my room and give them to her. As soon as she takes them, she is out. I chuckle and pull the comforter higher and stare at her for a few seconds. She is so beautiful. I couldn't resist the urge to kiss her and I place a kiss on her forehead. 

When I pull away, I push a few strands of hair that are on her face and caress her cheek. She looks so peaceful that I don't want to wake her up. 

Suddenly there is a knock on the door. I hurriedly go toward the door and open it. Ethan is standing there. 

"Is she in there" He asks.

"Shhh." I say and step out to close the door. "She just fall sleep. She was tiered so didn't wake her up." 

"Where are you going to sleep?" He asks and looks at me through narrowed eyes. 

"In one of the other rooms." I say with an eyeroll. "What are you doing here" 

"I was waiting for her but she never came out." 

"She was helping me with a test that we have on Monday." Ethan nods. 

"Did she tell you anything?" He asks after a few minutes of silent. "In her room, when you went ot bring her down?" 

"Yeah, she told me everything." I say thinking back to what she said. 

"It was our fault that she is like that." He says and I can see the hurt and regret in his eyes. 

"Well, it is what it is." I say. "Just, try not to call her that again."

"I know." He says and we fall silent again. "Well, I let you go to sleep." He starts to walk away as he mutters a "Night" under his breathe. 

I go to the room next to it and lay down on the bed after taking off my shirt and pants. I was so tiered that I don't remember when I fell asleep.