Chapter 132
Marcus’s POV
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Marcus stood in the bedroom long after Elara had stopped talking, her words echoing in his head.
“I want Aurora out. Today.”
She was right. He knew she was right. Aurora had overstayed her welcome, had crossed too many lines, had created too much chaos in his marriage. The two weeks were almost up anyway. It was time for her to go.
“Okay,” Marcus said finally.
Elara looked up at him, surprise flickering across her face. “Okay?”
“You’re right. Aurora needs to leave. I’ll go tell her now.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that. You’re my wife, El. You’re carrying my children. Aurora is my past. You’re my future. If I have to choose, it’s not even a choice.”
Something in Elara’s expression softened, but the hurt was still there. “Thank you.”
Marcus wanted to pull her into his arms, wanted to hold her until all the pain and insecurity disappeared. But he could see from her body language that she wasn’t ready for that yet.
“Let me go handle this,” he said. “Then we can talk. Really talk. About everything.”
Elara nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking exhausted.
Marcus left the bedroom and headed back downstairs. The walk to the guest house felt longer than it should have, each step heavier than the last. He didn’t want to have this conversation, but it needed to happen.
When he knocked on the door, Aurora answered immediately. She’d changed out of his shirt and was now wearing a white sundress, her hair pulled back, the bandage still visible on her forehead.
“Marcus! Did you forget something?”
“Can I come in? We need to talk.”
Aurora’s smile faltered slightly. “Of course. Come in.”
Marcus stepped inside and remained standing near the door. He wasn’t going to sit down, wasn’t going to make this comfortable. This needed to be quick and clean.
“Your two weeks are almost up,” Marcus said without preamble. “I think it’s time for you to make arrangements to leave.”
Aurora blinked. “What? But the Wellington deal isn’t finalized yet. We still have meetings scheduled, contract
16:52 Mon, May 11
Chapter 132
negotiations…”
“We can handle those remotely. Or you can stay in a hotel. But you can’t stay here anymore.”
“Why not? What changed? Is this because of Elara?”
“This is because it’s the right thing to do. You’ve been here long enough. It’s time to move on.
Aurora’s face hardened. “She told you to kick me out, didn’t she? She gave you an ultimatum.”
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“She asked me to ask you to leave. And she’s right to ask. This arrangement isn’t working anymore.”
“This arrangement?” Aurora’s voice rose. “Is that what you call letting an old friend stay with you during a difficult time?”
“You’re not an old friend, Aurora. You’re my ex-girlfriend who broke my heart and then showed up years later asking for favors. I was trying to be kind, but kindness has limits.”
Aurora took a step back like he’d struck her. For a moment she just stared at him, her eyes wide and hurt. Then her face crumpled and tears started falling.
“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” she said, her voice breaking. “After everything we’ve been through. After I stayed up all night worrying about you when you were building this company. After I supported you through your father’s marriage to Penelope. After all of that, you’re just throwing me out?”
“That was years ago, Aurora. And you’re the one who left, remember? You’re the one who chose someone else.”
“I made a mistake! I’ve apologized a thousand times! At what point do I stop paying for one stupid decision?”
Marcus felt a twinge of guilt but pushed it down. “This isn’t about punishment. This is about what’s best for everyone involved. You staying here is hurting my marriage.”
“Your fake marriage, you mean?”
The words hit like ice water. Marcus went very still. “What did you say?”
Aurora wiped at her tears, her expression shifting into something harder. “Oh please, Marcus. I’m not stupid. The timeline doesn’t add up. You barely knew this girl and suddenly you’re married? Right before your thirtieth birthday when you needed to be married for your grandfather’s will?”
“How do you know about that?”
“People talk. Especially people like Penelope who are more than happy to share information with anyone who’ll listen.”
Marcus felt anger rising in his chest. “So Penelope’s been feeding you information. Has she been feeding you ideas too? Is that what all of this has been? Some scheme you two cooked up together?”
“No! God, no. Penelope and I talk occasionally but I’m not working with her. I’m here because I care about you, Marcus. Because I want you back.”
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Chapter 132
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“Well, you can’t have me back. I’m married. To someone I actually care about. Someone who didn’t cheat on me and disappear.”
Aurora’s tears were falling faster now, her mascara starting to run. “You’re really going to throw me out? Just like that? Without even hearing me out?”
“There’s nothing to hear…”
“I’m broke, Marcus!”
The words came out in a rush, desperate and raw. Marcus stopped.
“What?”
Aurora wrapped her arms around herself, looking smaller than he’d ever seen her. “I’m completely broke. The Wellington family business is failing. Has been for over a year. My uncle is drowning in debt. The London estate is mortgaged. Everything is falling apart.”
Marcus felt like the ground had shifted under his feet. “The Wellington deal…”
“Is my last chance to save us. If I can broker this partnership with Thorne Dynamics, if I can bring in the capital and connections we need, we might survive. But if I fail…” Her voice broke. “If I fail, we lose everything. The business, the estate, everything my family has built for generations.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”
“Because I was embarrassed! Do you know what it’s like to come from old money and suddenly have nothing? To watch your family’s empire crumble while everyone around you is still pretending everything is fine?”
Aurora sat down on the couch, her face in her hands. “I’m not staying here to steal you from Elara. I’m staying here because I have nowhere else to go. Do you know how expensive hotels are in Manhattan? I can barely afford to eat most days. I’ve been living off the food in this guest house and pretending I’m choosing to skip meals.”
Marcus ran both hands through his hair. This couldn’t be happening. “Aurora…”
“I know I’ve made mistakes. I know I hurt you. But I’m desperate, Marcus. The Wellington deal is everything It’s not just about me. It’s about my uncle, my cousins, everyone who works for our company. Dozens of families depend on us.”
She looked up at him with red, swollen eyes. “So yes, I’ve been inappropriate. Yes, I’ve crossed lines trying to get your attention. Because I thought if I could just remind you of what we had, maybe you’d help me. Maybe you’d save me the way you save everyone else.”
Marcus felt like he was drowning. Everything she was saying sounded genuine, felt real. But he’d been fooled by Aurora before.
“I need to think about this,” he said.
“There’s nothing to think about. Either you kick me out and I lose everything, or you let me stay until the deal is done and I have a chance to save my family.”
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Chapter 132
“That’s not fair…”
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“Life isn’t fair. Marcus! You of all people should know that!” Aurora stood up, her whole body shaking I’m asking you for help. Not as your ex-girlfriend. Not as someone trying to steal you back. But as a human being who’s drowning and needs someone to throw her a lifeline.”
Marcus looked at her, really looked at her, and saw the desperation. The fear. The genuine panic of someone who was losing everything.
“If this deal falls through because you kick me out,” Aurora said quietly, “my family loses everything.”
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