Forbidden Fling

chapter 16

📖 Forbidden Fling: Chapter 16

Aurora didn’t know how long she walked.

The sun was rising, painting the city in pink and gold as she stepped barefoot through the empty streets, the cold concrete biting at her feet, leaving faint traces of blood with each step.

She didn’t care.

She was free.

For now.

She found herself at the edge of a park, the grass wet with dew, the air cool against her skin. She collapsed onto a bench, pulling her knees to her chest, hugging them as she tried to steady her breathing.

Her cheek throbbed from where Liam had hit her, her arms ached, bruises blooming like violets beneath her skin.

She closed her eyes, letting the tears fall.

Marcus’s face flashed in her mind, the way his fists collided with Liam’s body, the way his eyes burned when he held her, calling her his.

Then Ben’s face, the hurt in his eyes, the desperation in his voice as he reached for her, asking her to choose him, to let him save her.

And Liam.

The way he laughed as he dragged her across the floor, the way he whispered you belong to me in the darkness.

She pressed her hands to her ears, trying to silence the voices, the memories, the ghosts.

When she opened her eyes, the world felt quieter.

She stood, her body screaming in protest, and began walking again.

She found a cheap motel on the edge of the city, the neon sign buzzing, the front desk clerk barely looking at her as she slid the last of her cash across the counter.

The room was small, the air stale, but it was clean.

She stripped out of her clothes, tossing them in the trash, stepping into the shower, letting the water wash the blood and dirt from her skin.

She stood there until the water turned cold, until her skin was numb, until the tears stopped.

When she stepped out, she wrapped herself in a towel, standing in front of the cracked mirror, staring at herself.

Her eyes were hollow, her cheek swollen, her lip split.

Who are you?

That night, she lay on the stiff motel bed, staring at the ceiling.

She had no plan.

No money.

No safety.

But for the first time in what felt like forever, she was alone.

No Marcus.

No Ben.

No Liam.

Just Aurora.

The knock came just after midnight.

Soft.

Careful.

She froze, her heart stopping, the fear clawing up her throat.

The knock came again, firmer this time.

“Aurora?” Marcus’s voice was quiet, hesitant.

She closed her eyes, pulling the blanket tighter around her.

“Please, open the door.”

She stayed silent, tears slipping down her cheeks.

“Aurora, please,” Marcus’s voice broke, a crack in the armor she had seen so many times.

She stood, moving toward the door, resting her hand against it.

“Go away, Marcus,” she whispered.

“I can’t,” he whispered back. “I can’t leave you like this.”

“You have to.”

Silence.

She could almost hear him breathing on the other side.

“I love you,” he said, so softly she almost didn’t hear it.

Her breath caught, her hand trembling against the door.

“Don’t,” she choked out, pressing her forehead against the cool wood. “Please, don’t say that.”

“It’s the truth.”

She shook her head, tears spilling faster. “You don’t love me. You love owning me.”

He was silent for a long moment.

“I just want you safe.”

She took a deep breath, forcing the words out. “I’m safe now.”

She heard him take a shaky breath, then footsteps moving away from the door.

She slid to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest, sobbing into the silence.

In the early hours, as the city was waking, her phone buzzed.

A message from Ben.

Ben: I’m here for you when you’re ready.

She stared at it, her thumb hovering over the keyboard before she turned the phone off, tossing it onto the nightstand.

She pulled the blanket around her, curling up on the bed, closing her eyes.

Tomorrow, she would find a job.

Tomorrow, she would find a place to stay.

Tomorrow, she would figure out who she was without Marcus, without Ben, without Liam.

Tomorrow, she would be Aurora.

But deep down, she knew it wouldn’t be that easy.

Because Marcus wouldn’t let her go.

And Liam wasn’t finished.

And part of her—dark and hidden—missed the way Marcus made her feel alive, wanted, claimed.

Part of her wanted to run back to the safety of his arms.

But not tonight.

Tonight, Aurora would fight for herself.

Even if it was the hardest thing she had ever done.