Broken

Chapter 22

Rhys’ POV

I locked my phone and put it in my pocket. I read Sebastian's message a few times and it pissed me off so fucking much. If that fucking bitch touched her…

I stopped that thought and took a deep breath. I knocked on the door and waited for someone to open them.

A huge smile spread across my face when I saw my princess’ beautiful face.

“Hi, Rhys,” she said as she let me walk inside.

I couldn’t hold back. I pulled her to me and buried my nose into her neck.

“Hi, princess,” I mumbled as I placed a soft kiss on her jaw. “I missed you.”

She grabbed the back of my hoodie and pressed herself closer to me. I was in fucking heaven.

“I missed you too,” she said, turning her head toward me.

Our lips were only inches apart and it took every piece of strength I had not to kiss her. I gulped and rubbed the tip of my nose against hers. I saw her blush a little and my heart melted.

“Did you have fun with Sebastian?” I asked as I placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

She let me go and I reluctantly took a small step back.

“I did,” she said, giving me a small smile. “It was really beautiful. The trail looks amazing covered in snow.”

I smiled and pulled her back to me. I just couldn’t keep my hands off her. I wrapped my arms around her and leaned my head on hers.

“I am so glad, princess,” I mumbled as I ran my fingers through her hair.

She took a deep breath and released it slowly. I felt her relaxing into me and I couldn’t help but smile. Knowing I was her safe place was the greatest gift I could ever receive.

“My beautiful princess,” I mumbled as I placed a kiss on the top of her head.

I heard footsteps approaching and I looked up in time to see Sebastian walk in. He leaned against the wall and put his hands in his pockets. I raised an eyebrow at him and he gave me a small nod.

“Aurora, princess, we have to ask you something,” I said, looking down at her.

She looked up at me and furrowed her eyebrows.

“It’s about Amelia,” Sebastian said, making her turn around to look at him.

I felt her tense up.

“What about her?” she asked as she stepped away from me and walked to the couch.

I immediately felt cold and empty. I wanted her to come back so I could hold her. But I stayed where I was. I didn’t want to push her. She would come to me if she needed me.

“Did she ever hurt you, Rory?” Sebastian asked. “Did she ever put her hands on you?”

Aurora looked at him and shook her head.

“No,” she said calmly. “Why?”

I closed my eyes and forced myself to remain calm.

She was lying. She always rubbed her palms on her thighs when she lied.

“You know why, Rory,” Sebastian said and I opened my eyes. “And I know that you are lying.”

Her eyes widened and she crossed her arms over her chest. She knew she messed up.

“I am not lying,” she said, shaking her head.

Sebastian sighed and approached her. He sat down next to her and took her hand in his.

“Please, Rory, tell us the truth,” he said softly. “What did she do?”

Aurora looked at me and I gave her a small nod.

“Come on, princess,” I said. “We need to know everything.”

She gulped and looked down at her lap.

“There is really nothing to say,” she mumbled and I saw Sebastian tighten his jaw. “Nothing happened.”

I sighed and Sebastian looked at me.

“We know that’s not true, princess,” I said, making her look up at me. “She did something to you and we need to know what.”

Aurora gulped and looked at Sebastian. She leaned into him and he pulled her into a hug.

“What did she do, Rory?” he asked as he kissed her temple.

“She slapped me and grabbed my neck,” Aurora mumbled and my vision blackened.

I was going to kill that bitch.

Sebastian closed his eyes and tightened his jaw. I could see him tensing up.

“When was that?” I asked, trying to remain calm. “Where did it happen?”

“In the bathroom at school,” Aurora said quietly. “It happened on Thursday.”

I tightened my jaw and ran my fingers through my hair.

“You left school early,” Sebastian said angrily. “You didn’t even show up for class.”

Aurora nodded and Sebastian muttered a curse under his breath.

A wave of guilt washed over me. I knew something had happened. I should have dragged it out of her. If I knew that bitch hit her, I wouldn’t have left her side. I wouldn’t have gone to that fucking party. She wouldn’t have gone and she wouldn’t have been hurt.

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

I should have dragged it out of her. I should have fucking known that she was hurt. How the fucking didn’t I see the signs? She was my best friend. She was the love of my life. I should have seen the fucking signs.

“Was that all she did, Rory?” Sebastian asked, his voice laced with pure rage.

Aurora nodded. “Yes. That's all she did.”

Sebastian tightened his jaw and shook his head.

“I am sorry,” he muttered. “I am so fucking sorry. I let her into our lives. I let her do this to you. I am so fucking sorry.”

Sebastian gulped and I saw tears in his eyes. Aurora hugged him tightly.

“You couldn’t have known this would happen, Sebastian,” she said quietly. “It wasn’t your fault.”

I wondered how long would it take her to start calling him Seb again. She seemed like she had already forgiven him. Well, maybe not completely, but she was close. I was happy. I knew how much he meant to her. I knew how much she missed him. I knew how much she needed him. He was her other half and I knew it wouldn’t take long until they were back to the way they were.

Sebastian placed a hand on her head and pressed her closer.

“I am so fucking sorry,” he muttered again, shaking his head. “It’s my fault. Everything is my fault.”

Aurora rubbed his back and shook her head.

“It’s not, Sebastian,” she said calmly. “It’s not.”

She was right. He did fuck up, but he couldn’t have known that Amelia was a crazy fucking bitch. He couldn’t have known what she would do. I just wondered why she did what she did to Aurora. Why did she hate her so much?

I took a deep breath and released it slowly. I watched as Sebastian kept tightening his arms around Aurora. I watched as she tried her best to calm him down a little.

A knock on the door made me flinch a little. I furrowed my eyebrows and turned around. Who the fuck was that?

“That’s Mia,” Aurora said. “I asked her to bring us our homework.”

I held back from rolling my eyes. Only Aurora would care about a fucking homework at a time like this.

I sighed and approached the front door. I was hoping that Mia would leave soon. I wanted to talk to Aurora and hopefully get a moment alone with her. I was hoping I would get to hold her close again. I was hoping I would get to kiss her soft skin again.