Corrupted hearts || 1

Epilogue

EPILOGUE ༄ ELIAS ༄ 3 YEARS LATER
"Elias! That's not the right way." Aurelia exclaims, squirming in my lap but I hold her still, "You'll ruin your braid." I state, raising a brow, she huffs out a breath.

"I can feel you doing something wrong." She insists, "It's not wrong I'm just trying something new." I clarify since she'll continue screaming in my face, not that I mind it but you know.

"Today is important." She reminds me and I pause before rolling my eyes, "Since when are Rowan's birthday parties important?" I ask coldly, slight annoyance flashing through my body.

Jesus Christ, the jealousy that keeps showing every now and then towards unexpected people is clingy as fuck, "Are you jealous, babe?" She teases lightly, but my utter attention stays on the nickname she just spoke.

She's been dropping it every now and then, and I'd be lying if I said that it didn't affect me, the heat spreading through my veins is enough to prove otherwise.

"Don't babe me," I let out after a beat, she turns, grinning wickedly, "You can't even act as if you don't like it, it's all...fake." She wiggles her brows playfully, looking extremely beautiful.

Her features light up beneath the sunlight coming from the window, long shiny blonde hair that's now healthier than ever—thanks to me of course, round full cheeks that are crimson at the moment, long lashes, green piercing eyes, and full lips.

She's always been beautiful, always captured my attention too since the moment I opened that door for her, but nowadays she's better, she's happier, and well, apparently I only saw the drained side of Aurelia back then because that woman is full of energy.

A ball of energy quite literally, that showed more when she found herself, when she recognized that she was more than her grades or how many friends she has but most importantly, she realized that she was more than what her parents had to say about her.

She's strong, and I can't even begin to describe how proud I am of her, how much she's overcome, how many days she pretended to not miss her father for me, and after a whole year of what happened, Joseph Campbell went to rehab, for Aurelia, for Dylan, he's now recovered, fully.

We had a deep talk about it, tears and emotions involved, and I couldn't just stand the fact that she wanted to cut ties with her father because of me, it's fucked up and twisted, but he cares about her, it's clear.

While he's partially the reason behind my suffering, he's the reason she's still fighting, and I'm not selfish enough to take that from her, Aurelia deserves better parents, but she's satisfied with the fact that he'll try for her, content even.

I still stuck with my decision, I couldn't fucking meet him, nothing changed that, and nothing will, but things are stable without having to involve him in my life.

Aurelia graduated two years ago while I did four years ago, and since then we've been living together, in a whole new apartment, not with my father or with her brother, it's been peaceful.

"You're beautiful," I say with ease, tucking a strand that fell out of the braid behind her ear, her cheeks easily flush as if she isn't used to the same words being said every day.

"Don't distract me." She orders, holding up a finger and smiling widely, "Distract you from what exactly?" I question, arching an amused brow as I inspect her actions.

"Okay look—I adore Rowan, he's my best friend alright, he's supposedly yours! But well, whatever, that's not even what I'm excited about the most." She exclaims, her voice full of excitement that uncontrollably makes any anger toward Rowan inside of me dim.