Chapter 2

I thought Julian saw me as his girlfriend.

We rode Ferris wheels together, watched sunsets together.

He took me to Norway to see the Northern Lights.

He'd kiss me deeply as the sun rose, whispering romantic vows.

Julian called me his sister.

But every time he took me out for an overnight stay, in the heat of the moment, he'd call me "baby."

Turns out, in Julian's eyes, it was all just a game.

And I was the only one who fell for it, from beginning to end.

The ringing phone shattered my thoughts.

"Aurora, have you been crying?"Aunt Caroline heard the strangeness in my voice.

I snapped out of my memories instantly.

My reflection in the mirror showed a face streaked with tears. I quickly wiped them away.

"Just stressed lately, and caught a bit of a cold."

She finally sighed in relief. "Remember to take your medicine. If you really feel unwell, have Julian take you to the doctor."

I nodded along to everything she said.

Mentioning Julian, Aunt Caroline seemed to remember something. "Oh, Aurora, did you tell him you're moving abroad after your exams next month? This time, he won't try to stop you again, will he?"

The year my parents died, Aunt Caroline planned to take me abroad.

But Julian held onto my sleeve, begging me to stay.

He promised his house had plenty of room, that his home would be my home, and he'd be my family.

His words moved me, and I turned down Aunt Caroline.

Now, considering my future, Aunt Caroline had invited me to move abroad and live with her again.

I had planned to tell Julian about it today.

I'd even written a whole page of heartfelt notes a week ago, ready to give him.

"Don't worry, Aunt Caroline, we're all grown up now. We won't be as impulsive as we were as kids."

"What about you, though, Aurora? Will you miss him?"

Every time I talked to Aunt Caroline, Julian would always come up somehow.

She knew my teenage crush was painfully obvious.

Aunt Caroline had been living abroad for many years, and our relatives had mostly kept their distance from me, an orphan. This time, when I left, I probably wouldn't be coming back.

The thought that time would heal everything brought a sense of peace. "I've already contacted a famous painter in Europe. Besides my studies, I'll have plenty of time to spend with you."