#Chapter 84: A Plan Set In Motion

Aurora POV As the door clicks shut behind me after Alek drops me back off at the mansion, the silence that falls over the foyer is suffocating. I exhale, shaking slightly. My hands tremble as I run them down the sides of my thighs, trying to ground myself, while heading back to my and Gianna’s shared room. The guards don’t bother questioning me about where I’m going. It isn’t like they’ve seen me exploring anywhere else in this house. I try to calm myself by the time I push the door open to the bedroom, not wanting to freak Gianna out by how anxious I’m feeling. I know by doing this—essentially selling my soul to Alek in exchange to free Gianna and I—I’ll be a changed person. I’m not sure how ready I am for that transition to happen. It’s inevitable, of course, yet I’m still kind of sad about it. Gianna stands up from the bed as soon as I enter through the doorway, hurrying over to me. “What happened? Where did he take you?” I shut the door behind me, breathing out a