Aurora still wasn’t entirely convinced.

Before Lucas could respond, she spoke again, more to herself than to him. “Forget it. I’ll handle it on my own.”

Lucas had been about to say something, but seeing that she still hadn’t fully opened up to him, he held back. There was no point in pushing.

In time, she would come to trust him more—he just had to be patient. And Lucas had patience in abundance. After all, compared to before, Aurora had already come a long way. She was willing to talk to him about these things now. If it had been in the past, she probably wouldn’t have even mentioned any of it.

That thought made him genuinely happy. A smile tugged at his lips, barely held back.

He spoke again, gently reminding her, “If there’s anything you need, anything at all, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ll always be here for you, no matter when or where. I’ll always be on your side.”

Hearing those words, warmth spread through Aurora’s chest.

“Alright, I understand. If I need anything, I won’t hesitate to let you know. I won’t be polite with you.”

Since that day, she’d come to realize just how well Lucas treated her. As for Wendy, she had already let that go. There had never been any real feelings between them, so what was the point in obsessing over it? She was the rightful one. If she kept fussing about it, she’d only end up looking like the other woman.

Now, Aurora had come to terms with it all. Letting go and being more open-hearted were kind of healing.

With that thought, she reached out and hugged Lucas even tighter.

Feeling her initiative, Lucas was moved. He wrapped his arms around her just as tightly. The two of them leaned into each other, hearts growing closer with every breath.

Inside that room, the world was peaceful, and love was quietly blooming.

But on the other side of the house, things were far less calm.

Wendy had barely stepped into her room before her expression darkened. Clenching her teeth to keep from making noise, she stormed into the bathroom and began slamming things around.

Living in this house now, she had to keep her head down. Gone were the days of arrogance and recklessness. Since she had made that agreement with Aurora, Wendy didn’t dare show her face in front of her again.

It was clear she needed to cool down for a while because, judging by Aurora’s attitude, she really would kick her out without a second thought.

Wendy clenched her fists, unwilling to accept defeat. “Aurora Walton, you damn bitch… Just you wait, I won’t let this slide. One day, when the chance comes, I swear I’ll be the first to take you down.”

She made that vow silently, determined to return every ounce of humiliation she’d suffered today.

The more she thought about it, the more enraged she became. But now wasn’t the time to lash out. She had already decided to sabotage Aurora—there was no way she’d let her off that easily.

Looking around at the mess in the room, her eyes darkened, a faint red flickering in her gaze.

“If you won’t let me stay, then I’ll make it a point to stay. I don’t believe for a second that Lukey would really take your side over mine. He and my brother have been friends for years—how could you, some worthless tramp, think you could come between that?”

With that thought, Wendy’s confidence surged back. She simply refused to believe that all those years of friendship between her brother and Lucas could be broken so easily, especially not because of someone like Aurora.