**** Flashback continues ****
" Wh ... What ? Oh ! This ? It is nothing . I just tripped in the corridor this morning . " Aurora's heart raced and her words stumbled out as she desperately tried to avoid Gabriel's intense gaze . She knew that her attempts to divert the conversation away from the recent incident would only fuel his anger and raise his suspicions even more . Every stutter and deliberate shift in eye contact betrayed Aurora's discomfort and revealed to Gabriel that she was trying to hide something . He felt a surge of frustration as he struggled to make sense of the situation . The more Aurora tried to remain evasive , the more Gabriel's suspicions deepened . The tension between them grew thick as Gabriel demanded answers , his voice laced with frustration and concern .
" I
