Aurora's POV

My hands shook as I held the broken ballerina in my palms.

Something inside me cracked.

“You bitch,” I snarled. My voice was a low growl.

Tiffany tilted her head with a sweet smile, the kind that had always fooled me before. “Aurora, calm down. It was an accident—”

The word “accident” made me explode.

My hand flew before I could stop it, and I slapped her hard. The sound of the slap echoed through the room, and Tiffany stumbled back, holding her cheek in shock. Her eyes widened in total disbelief. She hadn’t expected me to do that.

“You don’t get to touch her things,” I screamed, my throat raw. “You don’t get to destroy the one thing that I—”

“Aurora!”

Shawn’s voice thundered from the doorway, and I turned just as he stormed into the room. His face was filled with rage as he rushed to Tiffany, pulling her into his arms protectively.

“She hit me,” Tiffany whimpered, tears welled in her eyes., and her voice trembled.

My chest heaved as I stared at them with the broken ballerina in my hands.

Shawn’s face hardened. He turned to me, his eyes burning with fury. “What the hell is wrong with you, Aurora?”

“She broke Jasmine’s snow globe!” I cried, pointing to the shattered glass on the floor. “She did it on purpose, Shawn. She—”

“Stop it!” he barked, his voice was sharp and full of venom. “Do you even hear yourself? You’re pathetic! Bitter! Jealous of a pregnant woman, jealous of your best friend who has what you don't have!”

The words tore through me like sharp knives, but he wasn’t done.

“It’s not her fault that you don’t have a child, Aurora. Jasmine is dead, and maybe if you had been a better mother, maybe if you had done more—”

A scream tore out of my throat before he could finish. “Don’t you dare blame me, you bastard!”

Shawn growled, and before I could blink, his hand flew to my face.

The slap landed with such force that my head snapped to the side. My knees buckled, and I lost my balance, falling to the floor with my cheek burning and my ears ringing.

Tears stung my eyes, but it wasn’t from pain, it was from the humiliation.

Tiffany gasped, her hands pressed against her mouth as if she were horrified. But I was the only one who could see the satisfaction in her eyes. She loved this.

My hands trembled as I touched my burning cheek.

Shawn stood frozen, breathing heavily with his palm still half-raised. His eyes widened as if he had just now realized what he had done. For a split second, regret flickered across his face.

He took a hesitant step toward me. “Aurora—”

But before he could finish, Tiffany’s voice cut in.

She broke into sobs, her whole body shaking as she held her belly. “Oh, Shawn,” she cried, collapsing against his chest. “This is all my fault. I never should’ve come here. I’ve caused nothing but trouble. Aurora was right… I don’t deserve to live.”

Her sobs were dramatic and so fake, but Shawn was so blind to her pretense. She buried her face into his chest, sobbing even harder. “I should just die and take this baby with me. Then you will both be free.”

Shawn’s shock twisted into panic. He held her tightly, stroking her hair. “Don’t say that, Tiffany. Don’t ever say that. You and the baby are everything. You hear me? Everything.”

I stared at them from the floor as my heart broke and my cheeks burned. Tiffany’s tears weren’t real, I could see the triumph burning in her eyes, but Shawn, the fool, believed her.

He glared down at me, his arms held Tiffany tighter. “Look what you’ve done, Aurora. Look at her. She’s terrified, she’s blaming herself, because of you.”

“Because of me?” My voice cracked, as it was hard to control the tears from spilling out. “But—”

“Enough!” Shawn barked as his face hardened into stone, and his eyes blazed with fury. “I can’t even recognize you anymore. You’re getting out of control.”

I opened my mouth, but Tiffany released another sob, clutching her stomach like she was in pain.

“Shawn,” she whispered weakly, “the baby… it hurts.”

His panic deepened. He stared at Tiffany pale and trembling in his arms, then he glared at me venomously.

“You’re staying in here until you think about your actions,” he snapped. His voice was final and cold.

I froze. “What?”

“You heard me.” He wrapped his arms around Tiffany, guiding her toward the door. “You’re not coming out of this room until you learn how to control yourself. I won’t let you hurt Tiffany—or this baby.”

The door slammed shut, and I heard the door being locked from outside.

“No!” I screamed, throwing myself at the door. My fists pounded against the door until my hands throbbed. “Shawn! Don’t you dare leave me in here! Open this door!”

Silence answered me.

I pulled at the handle, but it didn’t budge. “Shawn!” I shouted again, my voice cracked. “Please! You can’t do this!”

But he didn’t come back.

I was on the top floor. There was no way out.

Minutes became hours. I screamed until my voice was hoarse, and my throat felt like sandpaper. I called Shawn’s phone again and again, until he blocked my line, cutting me off completely.

My body ached, and my stomach growled angrily. There was no food, and no water, like a prison.

I clawed at the door until my nails broke. I screamed, begged, cursed, and prayed, until my voice stopped working.

Aurora's POV

I lost track of how long I laid there on the floor, before the door finally clicked open.

Shawn stood there with a disgusted scowl on his face.

“You should thank Tiffany,” he said. “If it wasn’t for her, you would still be rotting in here. She begged me to let you out. For the sake of your friendship with her.”

His words pierced through me, but I forced my face to remain blank.

“Oh, how noble of her,” I croaked, my voice was rough from screaming.

He frowned at my sarcasm but ignored it, stepping aside so I could stumble out. My legs shook from weakness, but he didn’t offer to help me at all.

“Make sure you've cleared out everything from this room before tomorrow.” He said coldly, then he walked out.

For a moment I just stood there in the hallway, holding the wall for balance. The humiliation burned hot in me.

My chest ached, but I forced myself to breathe evenly.

Soon, I would make them pay.

~

Later in the evening, Tiffany walked into the almost empty room, like she owned the room. She was holding a bowl of soup.

She set it on the table with a sigh. “You should eat. You look terrible.”

I ignored her, focusing on packing up the remaining of my things.

She tutted. “You can deceive Shawn, but you can’t deceive me,” she said quietly. “I can see it in your eyes. You know the truth.”

I paused for a moment, then I continued packing, trying to ignore her.

She leaned in slightly. “How does it feel? Knowing that he sacrificed your daughter for me.”

I turned away, but she continued.

“He never loved you. Not even for a second,” she whispered. “You’re just an inconvenience to him.”

I didn’t say a word. I simply turned and walked toward the window, ignoring her completely.

She released a mocking laugh. “I can’t even imagine how it felt for you to see us having sex in his office.”

Still, I said nothing. I was too exhausted to talk.

But that wasn’t the reaction she wanted. A second later, a loud thud rang out from behind me.

Tiffany smacked her head hard against her wall.

“Shawn!” she screamed with fake tears welling up in her eyes.

Heavy footsteps pounded down the hallway, then the door flew open.

“What happened?!” Shawn demanded.

Tiffany burst into tears instantly. “She slammed my head against the wall!” she sobbed. “I came to give her some food! I was just trying to help, and she hit me!”

I turned, wide-eyed in shock. “That’s not true, I didn’t—”

But before I could get another word out, his fist crashed into my face.

I staggered backward from the force of it. My body hit the wall, then I slid down to the floor. I cried out in pain.

“Are you insane?!” he yelled. “You touch her again, and I swear—”

“I didn’t touch her,” I said through bloody lips. “She—”

A kick to my stomach silenced me instantly, knocking the air out of me. I folded, clutching my stomach, and gasping for breath.

He stood over me, his eyes blazing with rage. Tiffany stood behind him with fake tears streaming down her face.

“I—” I coughed, tasting blood in my mouth. “Shawn… I’m—”

The word ‘pregnant’ was on my lips, but his fist came down again, smashing into my face before I could finish. My head slammed the ground hard.

Pain shot through me. My body shook, but I forced the words out. “I’m… carrying—”

“Shut up!” he yelled, cutting me off. He kicked me again. I screamed, trying to cover my arms over my stomach protectively.

“You’ll learn your place!” he spat as he kicked me again.

He grabbed Tiffany and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

I screamed at the piercing pain in my abdomen. Then suddenly, I felt the warm wetness between my legs.

I froze. Slowly, I touched the floor to see my fingers stained with blood.

“No…” My voice cracked. I pressed my hands against my stomach, shaking my head. “No, no, no—”

Tears blurred my vision. The blood kept coming, soaking through me, spreading across the floor.

I didn’t need a doctor to tell me what it meant. I already knew.

Tears ran down my face, but they weren’t tears of sadness or pain.

They were tears of rage and hate.

They were the only thing keeping me going now.

“Shawn!” I screamed in rage.

Hate was the only thing keeping me alive.

~

I dragged myself out of the house, groaning in pain. Every step was torture. Blood stained my dress, and I could barely stand, but I forced myself into a taxi and gave the driver the address of the nearest hospital.

Hours later, I was lying in a hospital bed, weak and empty.

The doctor’s words echoed in my head. “The pregnancy couldn’t be saved.”

They kept me overnight, but insisted on being discharged the following afternoon. I half expected Shawn to show up, or call, or ask where I was.

He didn’t.

When I returned, he didn’t even notice I had been gone. Or maybe he just didn’t care.

Two Days Later

“Aurora, my birthday party is this evening. Make sure you come on time. I and Tiffany have somewhere to be. We will meet you at the party later,” Shawn said, Tiffany standing beside him.

I gave him a smile. “Alright then. I’ll see you there.”

Since I lost my unborn baby, I hadn’t argued with him. There was no sarcasm, no complaints. I just gave him soft smiles as I nodded quietly. I became obedient, agreeable, and silent.

And Shawn loved it.

His face softened. He gave me a pleased smile, like a master proud of a pet who finally stopped barking.

Then he leaned forward to place a kiss on my lips.

I turned my head slightly, causing his kiss to land on my cheek instead.

He blinked in surprise. But I gave him a sweet smile, like it was nothing, like I didn’t notice.

“See you later,” I said sweetly.

Shawn grinned at me and turned to Tiffany so they could leave.

On the way out, Tiffany brushed her purse against the coffee table. Her purse knocked Jasmine’s framed photo out of the coffee table, throwing it to the floor. The glass cracked, and the frame broke.

Shawn winced at the sound and glanced at me, expecting a reaction, because he knew how much that picture had meant to me.

But I only smiled, calm and unbothered. “Don’t worry, go ahead. I'll clean it up.”

For a brief second, he frowned in confusion. He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Tiffany slipped her hand into arms.

“Come on, Shawn,” she purred. “We’ll be late.”

He hesitated for a moment, then he allowed Tiffany to drag him away.

If only he knew that this was the last time he would ever see me.

I stood by the window, watching them drive away with a cold smile on my face.

I gathered the divorce papers, the documents that showed that I pulled out my investment, the photos of Shawn and Tiffany together, my pregnancy report, and finally, the documents that showed that he had killed our daughter for his mistress.

I placed them all into a big brown envelope.

On the front, I wrote: Happy Birthday, Mr. Shawn Carter. From Aurora Redmond.

I sealed it and gave it to the delivery man. “Deliver this at the party.”

A few minutes later, a black SUV pulled into the driveway. It was the car my father sent.

The driver stepped out and opened the back door for me. Then he retrieved my bags and loaded them in without saying a word.

As we drove away, I didn’t look back. I clenched my fists tightly as that hate rose up again.

One day, I would make them regret all they did to me.