Chapter 20 – Thin Lines Between Love and War
Chapter 20 – Thin Lines Between Love and War
[Aurora]
Morning light filtered through the blinds, but Aurora couldn’t shake the lingering ache of the dream. Damon’s phantom touch still burned on her lips. She hadn’t slept since waking from it—how could she, when her heart felt torn between a man who haunted her dreams and another who warmed her reality?
Luca knocked lightly on her bedroom door before poking his head in. “I made pancakes. I figured you could use sugar and serotonin.”
She offered a tired smile. “You’re too good to me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “And yet I can’t tell if that’s a compliment or a death sentence.”
She chuckled despite herself. “It’s both.”
“Come on,” he said softly, holding out a hand. “Let’s eat, then you can tell me what’s really on your mind.”
---
[Damon]
The office was quiet, save for the occasional buzz of Celeste’s phone on the desk. She hadn’t come home the night before. Damon knew why—he’d driven her away with his silence and unresolved grief.
He stood by the window, watching the sky darken with an approaching storm. It was fitting. His mind felt like thunderclouds—full of static, ready to snap.
His phone lit up. A text.
Unknown number: Check the courthouse registry. You’ll want to see what’s being filed under Aurora Sinclair’s name.
Damon’s blood ran cold. He fumbled to open his laptop and searched the records.
A single document loaded.
"Petition for Legal Independence and Separation from Former Business Associate: Damon Blackwell."
She was cutting the last tie between them.
He staggered backward.
It felt like a death sentence.
---
[Aurora]
Aurora poked at her pancakes.
Luca sat across from her, watching with a worried expression. “Was it Damon again?”
She looked up, startled.
“You say his name in your sleep,” he admitted. “A lot.”
She set her fork down. “Luca, I’m trying. I really am. But I don’t know how to stop loving him. I’m angry, I’m hurt, but that doesn’t erase what we had.”
“I’m not asking you to erase him,” he said, reaching for her hand. “But maybe... maybe it’s time to face him. Get closure. Or something close to it.”
Aurora’s heart raced. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying,” Luca said, swallowing hard, “that the only way forward for us... is if you find out whether there’s still an us in you and Damon.”
---
[Damon]
Later that night, the rain finally came.
Damon stood under it, outside Aurora’s brownstone, staring at her front door. The lights were on. Her shadow moved across the living room.
He had no umbrella. He didn’t need one. The storm outside was nothing compared to the one inside his chest.
The petition. Her final decision. If she signed and submitted it, their joint ownership of several foundations, projects, and accounts would cease. It would be permanent—clean, cold, clinical.
But his heart wasn’t ready for clinical. It was raw and reckless.
He walked to the door, hand trembling as he raised it to knock.
And paused.
A shadow appeared behind Aurora’s.
Another figure.
Luca.
Damon stepped back as the door opened and Aurora stepped outside, laughing softly at something Luca had said behind her.
She looked radiant.
And then she saw Damon.
Her expression crumpled.
Neither of them spoke.
“Aurora—” he started, but Luca came to the door and placed a gentle hand on her back.
“Is everything okay?” Luca asked.
Damon’s eyes flicked to the touch. Then to her.
“I saw the petition,” he said, voice rough.
Aurora tensed.
“I just wanted to say,” Damon continued, “if it makes things easier for you... I’ll sign it.”
She inhaled sharply. “Why are you here, Damon?”
“Because I still dream about you,” he said bluntly. “Because no matter what I tell myself, I can’t stop. And maybe I hate you for walking away—but I hate myself more for giving you a reason to.”
Luca’s jaw tensed, but he said nothing.
Aurora opened her mouth, but no words came.
Then she stepped back.
“I can’t do this right now,” she whispered. “Please leave.”
Damon nodded. “Yeah. That’s fair.”
He turned and walked into the storm again.
But as he disappeared into the rain, Aurora stood frozen, her heart pounding in her chest like a war drum.
---
[Later That Night – Celeste]
Celeste was drunk.
Not from alcohol, but from rage.
She had seen Damon standing outside Aurora’s place. She’d followed him when he left the house in a daze. Part of her had hoped he was going to the gym. Or the cafe. Somewhere harmless.
But no.
He went to her.
Again.
The pain twisted in her chest.
She had given him her heart, her support, her time. And he was still tangled in the memory of a woman who had broken him.
Celeste stood in front of her mirror, tears streaking down her face.
She wouldn’t cry for him again.
She reached for her phone.
Celeste: Luca, we need to talk. In private.
---
[Aurora – The Next Morning]
Aurora walked into her office the next day to find a large bouquet of white lilies on her desk. A note was attached.
You’ll never be just a memory. – D.
She stared at the note for several minutes before gently folding it and placing it in the drawer.
Her assistant peeked in. “Ms. Sinclair, a woman named Celeste is here to see you.”
Aurora’s chest tightened. “Celeste?”
“She says it’s urgent.”
Aurora nodded slowly. “Send her in.”
Celeste walked in looking devastatingly composed. Blonde hair sleek, heels sharp, and eyes like winter.
“Thank you for seeing me,” Celeste said, closing the door behind her.
Aurora gestured toward the chair. “What do you want?”
Celeste sat slowly. “I think we both know where this is heading.”
“Do we?” Aurora asked coolly.
“You and Damon,” Celeste said. “No matter what either of you tell yourselves, you’re not done. And I’m tired of playing the woman who waits around, pretending this triangle isn’t real.”
Aurora said nothing.
Celeste leaned forward. “So let’s make a deal.”
Aurora raised an eyebrow. “A deal?”
“I’ll step aside,” Celeste said, voice calm. “But you have to promise you won’t run away from him again.”
Aurora blinked. “You’d do that?”
“I’d rather lose gracefully than pretend I ever really had him in the first place.”
The air between them tightened like a string pulled taut.
Then Aurora asked, “Why now?”
Celeste’s lips curved into a knowing smile.
“Because I know something you don’t,” she said.
Aurora narrowed her eyes. “What?”
Celeste stood and placed something on the desk.
A single flash drive.
“What’s that?”
“Proof that Damon never betrayed you the way you thought. Gregory did more than we all realized. And Damon... Damon was protecting you. Even when it destroyed him.”
Aurora’s hands trembled as she picked it up.
Celeste stepped back. “Play it. And decide if you still want to sign that petition.”
Aurora stood frozen.
But before she could respond, her phone rang sharply.
She answered.
“Ms. Sinclair,” her assistant said breathlessly, “You need to turn on the news. Now.”
Aurora grabbed the remote and flicked on the office television.
BREAKING: Damon Blackwell targeted in assassination attempt—hospitalized in critical condition.
Her heart stopped.
The flash drive fell from her hand and clattered to the floor.
---