Three Wedding Jokes, I Said No To Him

Chapter 5

The line went dead with a dull beep. Sebastian hadn't even waited for her response. He simply hung up.

The next second, a hand swung at her. The phone was smacked out of her grip and clattered to the floor.

The woman leading the group leaned in close. "You hear that? You wanted to steal Valentina's credit? Sebastian doesn't even have your back!"

She grabbed Aurora by the hair and started dragging her toward the door. The pain seared across her scalp.

The others closed in, too. Hands pressed down on her. Her bare arms were soon covered in dark bruises.

Tears streamed down Aurora's face. She knew reasoning with these people was useless. All she could do was fight back with everything she had.

Amid the chaos, her fingers brushed against the panic button on the wall. She slammed it hard.

"She called security!"

Someone spotted what she had done and lunged forward to pin her hand down. Another reached to tear at her clothes.

Despair surged through her chest. Then a shout came from outside.

"What the hell is going on in here?!"

The estate security team had arrived.

Aurora grabbed at the sound like a lifeline. "Help! They broke into my home! They're assaulting me!"

The guards pulled the attackers off her and restrained them to the side.

Aurora collapsed to the floor. Her hair was a tangled mess. A handprint marked her cheek. Scratches covered her body. She looked wrecked.

The woman being held down was still screaming. "You wrecked Sebastian and Valentina! You'll rot for this!"

Aurora gathered a handful of her own disheveled hair and let out a cold laugh. "I don't know about rotting. But illegal break-in and assault? You can rot in jail."

She called the police. She watched them take the group away. Then she went to the station to give her statement and contacted a lawyer, making it clear she would press charges to the fullest extent.

By the time she walked out of the station, the sky was completely dark.

Passersby stared at her battered appearance and whispered. Someone even muttered the word "b***h" under their breath.

Aurora's heart sank. She pulled out her backup phone and checked what was trending.

The earlier hashtag hadn't moved. #ValentinasBetrayalWasALie still sat at the top. Right behind it, a new one had gone viral:

#AuroraAshfordTheOtherWoman

Something hot and vicious rose in her chest. She couldn't take it anymore. She dialed Sebastian again. It rang and rang. No answer.

Aurora clenched her phone, hailed a cab, and headed straight back to the hospital.

When she shoved open the door to the ward, Sebastian was sitting at the bedside, carefully feeding Valentina.

Aurora stepped forward and smacked the bowl out of his hand. It crashed to the floor. Her eyes were red with rage.

"Sebastian! What's all over the internet right now! Go clear it up! Now!"

Sebastian froze for a second. He looked down at Valentina first, giving her a reassuring glance. Only then did he pull Aurora out of the room.

"Haven't you caused enough drama? And how am I supposed to clear it up now? People are finally showing Valentina some understanding. If I say anything now, they'll go right back to attacking her. I can't. What would happen to Valentina? I misunderstood her for years. I've been wrong about her this whole time. I can't let her get hurt again."

Aurora felt as though a knife had been driven straight through her heart. The pain nearly buckled her knees.

She pulled at the corner of her mouth. "You're worried she'll be attacked? And what about me? I got cornered in my own home. I got beaten. The entire internet is calling me the other woman. Does none of that matter?"

Sebastian pressed his lips together. "Aurora, it's different for you. You have your parents behind you. Valentina has nothing. I'm all she has left."

Her nails dug deep into her palms. The sting sharpened her mind.

So that was it. Because she had a family, she was supposed to take all this abuse.

Aurora laughed. The tears nearly came with it. "Sebastian, I gave you a chance."

She picked up her phone and sent a message. Then she looked him straight in the eye.

"You won't do it. Fine. I will."

She turned on her heel and strode away, the click of her heels sharp and final.

Sebastian stood frozen for a beat. Then realization struck. His face shifted. He fumbled for his phone.

Too late.

Almost the moment Aurora hit send, a statement titled "Aurora Ashford Clarifies" shot up the trending list.

It included screenshots of bank transfers from Aurora to Sebastian years ago, timestamped and laid out alongside a detailed timeline. Every point was backed by evidence. Sebastian's breakup with Valentina came first. Aurora, stepping in to help, came later. Then came Sebastian's proposal.

Public sentiment flipped on the spot.

Within minutes, the entire internet turned on Valentina.