"What?" Aurora couldn't believe her ears, she couldn't believe her eyes, she couldn't believe him!
"Who do you think you are? Have you lost your mind?!" she had to ask, she really had to. "Do you even understand what is happening? I need to know, because those words make no sense to me whatsoever!"
"You have no idea how much you irritate me!" she hissed, squirming in his grasp, but he only tightened his hold, his embrace suffocating her, fueling her frustration and anger.
'Do you want to kill him? Let us do it! Let us give him the pain that he earned.'
Aurora's jaw tensed, her teeth grinding together as she fought to maintain a fragile composure. The weight of curious gazes bore down upon her, aware but still unaware of the complicated history she shared with Sebastian.
Losing her composure would only tarnish her family's reputation and her own. But her anger and hurt were too overwhelming.
The audacity! He has the nerve to speak to her after rejecting her?! After cheating on her?!
He was delusional if he thought he could charm his way back into her good graces.
The longer she stared at him, the more her anger simmered, threatening to boil over. Tears prickled at the corners of her eyes, and she felt her control slipping.
"Ma méchante," Sebastian's whisper was soft but powerful, his eyes locked onto hers.
Aurora wrenched herself free, her body shaking with anger, and quickly walked away, trying to put distance between them.
But Sebastian was hot on her heels, not ready to let her slip away so easily.
The carriage was ready, waiting for her and just as the coachman swung the door open, a sudden, sharp pain shot through her head, causing her to stumble and fall back into the warm, familiar arms that held her close, offering support as she struggled to regain her balance.
It was at that moment, rage blinded her.
"Ma méchante, are you alright?" Sebastian scanned her face with concern, as if he wanted her to tell him that she had broken her ankle or something.
Aurora clenched her jaw, fighting to compose herself. Her lips quivered and she found herself clutching his shirt, as if it was the only thing keeping her upright.
'No! Stop it!' she screamed inside her head.
"How long has it been since I changed your life, weakling? Ten years? No matter, let us end him!" her own voice echoed back, but it was distorted by unrelenting scorn and venom.
Suddenly, everything went black for Aurora.
Her eyes shut close.
Sebastian's eyes fluttered closed, a subtle sigh escaping his lips, betraying his knowledge of the impending storm.
"Release me at once, Sebastian Devereaux!" she snarled, placing a strong grip on his wrist, her nails biting deep into his skin.
Sebastian held his breath, his face twisted in pain as he struggled to endure.
Aurora's eyes sprang open, but they were transformed, their purple irises deepening to a rich, foreboding shade that leaked murder intent.
Those eyes turned lifeless, a crazed smile spreading across her face, and her claws unsheathed, digging mercilessly into his flesh.
"Now, I am sure you wouldn't want to meet your end at the hands of your former beloved, would you?" She asked, laughing deeply. "It would be a truly...unpleasant farewell, I assure you."
Her presence had darkened, her sweet fragrance replaced by the acrid stench of blood.
Sebastian freed her from his grasp, raising his wounded wrist to his face. "It has been a while, La mort,"
His expression remained neutral, but the tension in his jaw and the flicker of pain in his eyes betrayed the pain he was feeling.
La Mort leaned in, her eyes piercing, her crazed smile stretching. She moved in, her hand settling on his chest, her fingers tracing the steady rhythm of his heart.
"You are not resisting," she whispered, her eyes rising to meet his.
"Whatever affection you hold for her, it is utterly unrequited," She was about to plunge her hand into his chest, when Christophe arrived just in time, seizing her arm and wrenching her away from Sebastian.
He was quick to release his hold, standing beside Sebastian as he stared at her in shock. "It has been a while since I saw those eyes."
La Mort's eyes narrowed, flashing with irritation. She shot a glare at the coachman. And of course, he looked terrified.
Sighing, her eyes snapped shut, and when they opened again, they had transformed back to their captivating ocean blue.
Once Aurora sighted the blood flowing out of his arm, she couldn't help but laugh. "Too little."
She looked at Christophe who looked like he had seen a ghost but chose to say nothing to him. What could she say? Was she supposed to thank him for keeping her little secret?
"I am not going to let you go, Aurora." Sebastian suddenly spoke up.
Aurora's eyes narrowed into slits. "You have already relinquished your claim on me, Sebastian Devereaux. Do not delude yourself into thinking I am still yours to claim."
Irritated by his presence, she turned on her heel and stepped into the carriage, slamming the door shut behind her.
The coachman, eager to escape the tense scene, urged the horses forward, and the carriage rattled away, leaving Sebastian and Christophe in a cloud of dust.
Aurora stared at her fingers, stained with Sebastian's blood, and raised them to her lips. "Why is he doing this? Why is he acting like he didn't betray me, didn't discard me like dirt?"
Her eyes fluttered, a fleeting purple glow sparking the depths of her ocean blue irises, before they returned to their calm, serene state.
"I refuse to let him manipulate me into feeling guilty. I will make him pay for every ounce of pain he has inflicted upon me."
As the carriage arrived at the Dumont Estate, she stormed out, washing her hands of the encounter in the fountain before marching inside.
Her mother awaited her, a look of displeasure etched on her face, clutching a handful of photographs. "I explicitly instructed you to secure the Emerald Zion necklace, not rekindle your affair with your estranged husband!" she shrieked, hurling the pictures at Aurora, the images scattering like confetti around her feet.
Aurora froze, her eyes fixed on the photograph, that held the reliving moment she was embraced by Sebastian.
Her jaw clenched in anger. "You are mistaken, Mother,"
Charlotte's face reddened with rage, she lunged at Aurora, her hand cracking across her cheek in a stinging slap. "You dare to call me a liar, you ungrateful dog?!"