Miss Rivera, I don't like the way most of your handmaids carry themselves in this house.
Aurora's voice was cold, her arms crossed against her chest. Her bandaged hand trembled slightly, but her stare remained steel.
"One of them was outright disrespectful toward me today. And the fact that she even mocked me—mocked me—with my illness… I lost my damn sanity."
Miss Rivera straightened up, visibly tense. "Madam… please, can you tell me which of them did that? "Her name was—" Aurora paused, her teeth clenched as the name burned on her tongue. "Melissa. Yeah. That one."
Rivera's expression shifted. She looked down for a moment, a flicker of guilt crossing her face."I'm sorry, Ma'am… but there's nothing I can do about that girl. Melissa is the boss's favorite."Her voice lowered. "She doesn't even respect me. In fact, I don't think she respects anyone."
Aurora blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I've tried, Madam. I've reported her actions multiple times, but it falls on deaf ears." She shook her head slowly. "Ever since her mother who used to be the head maid passed away, Sir Jake has been unusually… protective. Almost possessive of her."
She hesitated before continuing.
"There are rumors, Ma'am. That she's been betrothed to him. We don't know if it's true… but many of us feel sorry for you."
Aurora stepped back like she'd been slapped. Her throat dried instantly."We think the master is… wasting your time."
Her chest tightened. "May I take my leave now, Madam?" Aurora's voice was barely a whisper. "Yes. You may."As Miss Rivera walked out, the silence suffocated her. Aurora turned to the living room… and lost it.
She flipped over the glass vase on the coffee table, sending shattered glass flying. She ripped the photo frames off the wall pictures of her and Jake and hurled them to the ground. Her screams echoed through the mansion like a haunting cry.
The maids rushed in, panicked. "Madam, please, your hand! You're bleeding!"
"I SAID STAY AWAY!" she screamed, her eyes red and wild."Don't clean anything. I want him to walk in here and see this mess. Every broken piece every drop of blood is because of him!"
Aurora's hands were cut deep. Blood trickled down her fingers, staining the floor. But the physical pain didn't come close to the agony in her heart.
She stumbled upstairs, her bandage soaked. She yanked a fresh one from the drawer and dressed the wound with trembling hands. Then she grabbed her phone.
"Angel… pick up… please pick up."
"Hello? Babe? What happened to you?" Angel's voice came alive with concern.
Aurora broke. "I was a fool," she sobbed. "Angel, I was such a fool to think he actually loved me. Jake—he… he let her mock me! That girl. That maid. She said… I was just a burden. That he only takes care of me because my dad paid his tuition."
"Oh my God…"
"I believed in him. I gave him everything! Every piece of me. I never even looked at another man. Not once! I thought I belonged to him…"
Angel didn't say a word at first. Just breathed. Then:"I warned you. I asked if you could trust him completely, and you said yes."
"Don't blame me, Angel. Don't—" Aurora wiped her face furiously. "I was blinded by love."
"I'm not blaming you," Angel said softly. "I just wish you'd taken things slower. You barely knew him. "And you trust Maxwell completely, don't you? So why can't I trust Jake?!"
"Maxwell is different, Aurora! I've known him since the ninth grade. I did my homework with him. I didn't just fall overnight."Aurora's heart shattered into a thousand pieces. Silence filled the line.
Then Aurora whispered, "I want answers. I want to look Jake in the eyes and hear it from him. I want to know if all of this… was ever real."