Xavier quickly dropped Violet's hand and hurried over to Aurora. He grabbed her hand as his heart thundered beneath his ribcage.

"Rory, what are you doing here?" he asked. "How long have you been standing there?"

Aurora's lips trembled as she tried her hardest to keep her tears from falling. She clutched the hem of her blouse with feeble fingers and lied, her voice cracking, "I accidentally bumped my head. I was going to clean up in the restroom, but this restaurant is so big that it took me a while to find one."

Anyone who paid close attention would have noticed something was off about Aurora, but Xavier merely heaved a sigh of relief and didn't probe further. He shot Violet a meaningful look, indicating that she should leave, then led Aurora over to the sinks.

"I've only been gone for a short while, and already you've hurt yourself this badly?" he chided, gently cleaning the gash on Aurora's forehead.

Then, he retrieved a Band-Aid from the shelf and carefully stuck it over her wound. "Looks like I'll have to stick with you every second of the day to keep you safe, huh?"

He placed a tender kiss on Aurora's lips and murmured, "Come on, let's skip the rest of dinner and go home."

A distant look registered in Aurora's eyes. She wondered how Xavier could keep playing this role so convincingly. Didn't he ever get tired of pretending?

However, she swallowed her questions. She'd be leaving soon, and she hoped her last three days here in this city would go by in a blur.

Upon returning to the apartment, Xavier lovingly cupped Aurora's face as usual. "Your birthday's in three days, Aurora. I'd like to get our marriage license on that special day."

Aurora went still. She had no idea that the day she moved away from this city would be her birthday.

When she didn't reply, Xavier quickly added for good measure, "Are you worried there'd be another accident to stop us from getting our marriage license, Rory? Don't worry, I promise everything will go smoothly on your birthday, including getting our marriage license."

She pursed her lips tightly as bitterness welled up in her. So, this was the plan Xavier had devised to mark the 100th time he got out of marrying her, by suggesting that they get their marriage license on her birthday.

She forced a smile, her heart like a withered rose within her. "Sure."

"We have a deal, then. Promise me you'll prepare for our big day, Rory," Xavier said, grinning before carrying her into the bedroom so she could rest. She didn't put up a fight.

…

The next day, Aurora was packing her suitcase when she realized she'd left the farewell gift the orphanage director had given her back at the Bowman residence. If the orphanage director hadn't taken her in after she got lost as a child, she might not have survived all these years.

Now that she was about to leave Nordura, the farewell gift from the orphanage director was the last sentimental connection she had left of this city.

She took a cab to the Bowman residence. Once she arrived, she made her way toward the front entrance and ran into Violet.

Violet bristled at the sight of Aurora. "Aren't you supposed to be getting ready for your big day with Xavier? You're getting your marriage license soon, so why are you here?"

Aurora brushed past her into the villa. She had no intention to pick a fight with Violet. "I'm here to take something of mine. It won't take long."

"I didn't say you could come in!" Violet stormed after Aurora, her gaze darting to the third floor. A sudden idea crossed her mind when she heard the faint laughter coming from upstairs.

Letting out a sharp cry, Violet pretended to have twisted her ankle and fell toward Aurora. The two women tumbled down the stairs, and Aurora ended up underneath Violet, cushioning the fall.

On the third floor, Ethan and Xavier heard the commotion and abandoned whatever they were doing. They bolted downstairs. "What's going on?"

Violet sobbed, "Aurora got upset at me and tried to pay me to leave! When I refused, she pushed me down the stairs!"

The vein near Ethan's temple throbbed. He raised his leg to kick Aurora in the chest, and she flew backward. Before she could recover, Ethan clenched his fists and roared at her, "What did Violet do to piss you off? All she wants is to move back home after returning from abroad!"

"I didn't push her…" Aurora lay on the cold floor, feeling as if her bones were shattered.

On the other side of the room, Xavier helped Violet up with a concerned look on his face. He looked her over, checking for injuries. It was only when he realized she didn't sustain any severe, visible injuries that he heaved a sigh of relief.

"Didn't I already promise you that we'd get our marriage license on your birthday? Why are you still picking on Violet? She didn't do anything to provoke you, did she?" Xavier asked, his eyes full of rage and disappointment as he came to a stop before Aurora.

"She was the one who pushed me. I didn't even touch her," Aurora tried to explain, clutching her chest as the pain drained the blood from her face and caused her to break out in a cold sweat.

"How dare you lie to our faces!" Xavier shouted and slapped her..

The blow hit her like a lightning bolt.

It was the first time in seven years that Xavier had laid a hand on her. She stared at him in disbelief, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Xavier's chest tightened. His hand was still trembling following the slap. "Why are you crying? You'd better think about what you've done and start feeling sorry about it, or I won't bother getting a marriage license with you!"

Xavier forced himself to stay calm, steeling his heart as he turned to take Violet to the hospital. Ethan followed suit with a worried look on his face, leaving Aurora alone in the villa to deal with the breath-robbing pain that seized her.

"Why… doesn't anyone believe me?" Aurora's lips trembled as her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her injuries were far worse than Violet's, but neither her brother nor fiancee cared enough about her to stay and help.

Tears of resignation and heartbreak streamed down her face. She was about to reach for her phone to call for an ambulance, but the moment she hoisted herself upright, black spots flooded her vision. She fell forward helplessly, all the strength leaving her.

Aurora didn't know how long she'd blacked out for, but she woke up in a splotch of dried blood. The villa was still and silent, and the sky had darkened outside.

The feverish heat spreading through her body told her she needed to go to the hospital right away. Groaning, she propped herself upright. Each step she took seemed to set fire to her injuries, and she panted and grunted as she walked.

She staggered forward, but no sooner had she opened the door than she saw a horde of people barging through the foyer like a pack of rabid dogs.

"Ms. Aurora Bowman, are you truly the one in all those explicit pictures online?"

The press was a motley crew armed with cameras and microphones. Aurora winced as the bright camera lights went off in her face.

"You're the heiress to a prestigious family. Why would you feel the need to sell yourself like that?"

"Rumor has it that you were forced to get an abortion a few days ago by your sugar daddy. Do you have a comment on that?"

The sharp and crude questions from the press were like daggers stabbing into Aurora's heart. However, the more panicked and terrorized she was, the more pressing and relentless the reporters became.

"Is it true that you grew up in an orphanage after getting lost as a child. Then, after you were reunited with your family, you tortured your parents' adopted daughter?"

The crowd jostled Aurora roughly. It was all she could do to put her arms over her head to keep from getting injured.

"What do you have to say about the orphanage director dying from a cardiac arrest after he heard all those rumors about you? Do you feel guilty or ashamed?"

Aurora's eyes widened upon hearing that. She grabbed the reporter's pant leg and demanded, "What was that? Did you just say the orphanage director passed away?"

No one answered her question. The reporters only wanted answers out of which they could spin stories to feed the masses. Gradually, a bigger crowd swarmed Aurora, and she'd lost count of how many people stepped on her.

Just as she was losing hope, Xavier hurtled toward the crowd and roared at them. He led the bodyguards to disperse the reporters, then anxiously scooped a fallen Aurora into his arms.

"Rory, I'm sorry. I should have come sooner. I'll take you to the hospital now."

Aurora clung to him, trembling. "Xavier, they told me the orphanage director passed away. That's not true, right?"

Her body was cold, and her clothes were covered in dirt and stains. A pained look flickered in Xavier's eyes, but he didn't answer, only nodded once in confirmation.

"How did this happen?" Aurora choked on a sob as fat tears slid down her cheeks.

The pain and emotional damage took a toll on her, and she passed out. Xavier had the best doctor tend to her and guarded her faithfully.

"Why isn't she waking up?" he snarled at the doctor, clenching his fists.

"Why are you getting all worked up, Xavier?" Ethan asked as he strolled through the door. "We talked about this, remember? We agreed we'd use the media to provoke her, then ruin her reputation to make her pay for what she did to Violet."

Xavier held back his anger and hissed, "Yes, we did agree on that, but look at how badly injured Aurora is!"

"It's only normal for accidents to happen. There was no guarantee that she'd be 100% safe from harm," Ethan countered.

He then frowned, seemingly realizing something. "Xavier, don't tell me you've actually caught feelings for Aurora."

Xavier felt like he'd just been struck by a bolt of lightning, his heart going still.

Tension edged Ethan's voice. "Don't forget why you got together with her seven years ago. Violet's still lying unconscious in the hospital because of her! If you have feelings for her, you aren't welcome in the Bowman family!"

Xavier chewed his lip and forcefully chased away the strange feeling that had overcome him earlier. He said with newfound resolve, "I started dating Aurora to get revenge on Violet's behalf, so why the hell would I catch feelings for her? Violet has always been the only one I love!"

Ethan was unconvinced. "You swear you've never caught feelings for Aurora?"

"On my life," Xavier replied, lifting his chin fearlessly.

At that moment, neither of them noticed the single tear that slid down Aurora's cheek as she lay on the bed.

"Good." Ethan let out a breath of relief. "It's Aurora's birthday tomorrow. Hash things out with her after you get out of marrying her for the last time. Don't let her attend the orphanage director's wake service or funeral, either. I want her to know how it feels to lose someone important!"

"Don't worry, I know how to maximize her suffering more than you do." Xavier rose to his feet and bit out icily, "We should go before she wakes up."

When they left, Aurora slowly opened her eyes.

Agony seized Aurora, its fiery grip unrelenting. She licked her chapped lips, her expression bitter.

So, the pictures of her that had spread like wildfire online and the press that had harassed her earlier were all Xavier's doing. And he didn't even plan on letting her pay her last respects to the orphanage director who'd watched her grow up.

Xavier truly never loved her at all.

A short while later, Xavier entered the room again. He put on a look of relief when he saw that Aurora was awake.

"Oh, thank goodness!" he exclaimed. "I thought we'd miss out on getting our marriage license if you didn't wake up in the next two days."

Aurora's head dipped slightly as she snorted inwardly. Xavier wasn't worried that they'd miss out on getting their marriage license; he was worried she'd screw up his 100th attempt to avoid getting married.

She slid the engagement ring off her finger and placed it in Xavier's hand. "This is the ring you gave me when you proposed. I'm returning it to you now… You can put it on for me tomorrow after we get our license."

Xavier froze, then smiled as he said, "Sure. Whatever you say, Rory."

Taking a deep breath, Aurora asked, "Do you still remember how happy you were when I said yes to your proposal? My feelings for you never changed, but I wonder if your love for me is still true."

"My love for you is true, Rory. Until death," Xavier answered solemnly without hesitation.

Aurora couldn't help but find all this rather pointless. She gave him a curt hum in response, then scooted back under the covers. "I'm tired. You can go home now. I'll be fine on my own."

"Sleep well, Rory. I'll meet you at the courthouse tomorrow." Xavier tucked her in and set a glass of lukewarm water on the bedside table, his gentle indulgence almost like a farce.

…

The next morning, Aurora woke up to a bucket of freezing water splashed over her. The water was so cold that it made her bones freeze, and she sneezed three times in a row. Panicking, she looked up and saw Ethan standing before her, and her body went rigid.

"I'm giving you away today," Ethan said imperiously, regarding Aurora as if she were his charity case for the day. "Think of the water as a way to wash off your sins. As long as you're kind to others from now on, you'll always have a place in the Bowman family."

He beckoned for two stylists to enter the room, then brought out a clean, ivory wedding gown. "An older brother is like a father to his younger siblings. I had these prepared for your big day. A driver will take you to the courthouse after you've done your makeup."

Aurora went still. Ethan knew this would be Xavier's 100th attempt to get out of marrying her, yet he had come and offered to give her away as if he were doing her a huge favor.

"What, are you so happy that you can't speak?" Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Stop gawking and get your makeup done already. Xavier's waiting for you at the courthouse so you can get your marriage license together. Violet and I will drop by later to witness your special day, too."

Aurora nearly scoffed. She doubted they would swing by to witness her special day. They only wanted to witness her downfall and make a laughingstock out of her.

"Alright. Thank you… Ethan," she said slowly and quietly. She didn't bother calling Ethan's bluff. She'd be leaving Nordura later anyway.

Ethan's brow furrowed.

In the past, he would have been loath to refer to himself as Aurora's older brother. He might have even snapped at her for addressing him by his first name, just because.

But today was different. He had to get her hopes up now so that he could crush them later. Such was the sweet taste of revenge!

"Sure." Suppressing his disgust, Ethan nodded and turned to leave the room.

Aurora waited until Ethan had disappeared around the entryway before she got out of bed, shivering. Drenched from head to toe, she wrapped her arms around herself and said to the two stylists, "How much did he pay you? I'll pay you double to leave, but you have to promise me to keep this a secret."

After Aurora had paid the stylists to leave, she grazed her fingertips on the pristine, intricately made wedding gown. "How soft. Too bad I won't be wearing it."

She grabbed the wedding gown and bundled it up in her arms, then mercilessly tossed it into the trash. She then wrote an official estrangement announcement and had an attorney publish it in the papers.

Finally, she sent Xavier a text, scheduled to be sent in several hours: "Consider your revenge a success. You've got seven years of my youth and a stillborn baby to show for it."

When Aurora was done, the person whom the Winston family sent to escort her to Elmstead arrived.

A lively young woman with short hair stepped out of the car. She didn't comment on Aurora's pathetic state and only shrugged off her jacket, draping it over Aurora's frame. "If you're ready to go, Ms. Bowman, follow me."

Aurora nodded, quietly thanked the young woman, and got into the car after her. She didn't look back or feel reluctant to leave. After all, she didn't have anyone worth loving in Nordura anymore.