Chapter 10
There was a faint, unfamiliar scent of female perfume lingering in the air.
Ethan broke away from his thoughts. In his mind appeared the image of Aurora from the day before: gentle and pure, standing there like a blooming lily.
Completely different from the woman in front of him now.
Perhaps it was due to their professions that they shared some similarities in temperament. With that thought, Ethan
convinced himself not to dwell on it.
“She already bought the song, and at a price you were satisfied with,” Ethan said coldly. “So I hope you won’t trouble her any further.”
Aurora smiled. “Don’t worry,” she replied. “I won’t say another word about that song.”
“Good,” Ethan nodded, his gaze growing colder. “Then I hope you’ll remember what you just said.”
Aurora only smiled again.
Ethan turned and walked away, just as quickly as he had come. Aurora watched him reach the end of the corridor and gently help Lilian, who had been waiting at the door, like she was a fragile treasure.
They left together.
A few minutes later, Aurora’s phone vibrated. She took it out and saw a message from Ethan: [I told Grandpa yesterday
that you weren’t feeling well and couldn’t come. This weekend, you must come back to the old house with me.]
It was a command.
But Aurora didn’t reply. She simply turned and walked in the opposite direction.
On the other side, Ethan had already helped Lilian into the car. He fastened her seatbelt carefully, but instead of starting
the engine, he checked his phone.
Aurora still hadn’t responded.
Lilian noticed. Her eyes turned slightly red, and she said softly, “Ethan, will you be… upset about what I did?”
Ethan looked up, frowning. “Why would you ask that?”
Lilian gave a faint, sorrowful smile. She hesitated for a moment and then said, “Wasn’t Aurora a songwriter before? I was afraid you’d mind.”
Ethan didn’t reply. He just stared at her. Truthfully, he did mind a little.
But Lilian didn’t have much time left. For the last six months of her life, he had resolved to give her whatever she wanted.
Lilian seemed to sense his internal struggle. She lowered her head, appearing even more remorseful.
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The car fell silent. The only sound was Ethan’s left hand gently tapping the steering wheel.
About a minute passed. Finally, Lilian said, “I just wanted to walk the same path she once walked.”
“I want to know how you loved her.”
She looked up at Ethan, her eyes glistening with tears.
“I want you to love me like that too.”
Ethan stopped tapping the wheel. He closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.
“Don’t overthink it,” he said. “I’ve already filed for divorce. We’re just waiting for the court to finalize it.”
“Lilian, I’m with you now.”
Only then did Lilian smile and nod gently.
“All right. Let’s go home,” Ethan said as he put away his phone and started the car.
Lilian lowered her head, a fleeting look of triumph flashing in her eyes.
This was exactly what she wanted.
She intended to strike while the iron was hot, when the public was still rooting for her. She would crush Aurora and take
everything from her.
Whether it was Aurora’s man or Aurora’s career, she would completely dominate and seize it all.
That was why, the moment she heard about the music competition show VocalNight, she had been determined to join.
She wanted to completely overshadow Aurora-drive her to ruin, force her to flee, and then step into her place, inheriting everything she left behind.
And by the looks of it, everything was going just as planned.
She forced back the corners of her lips that threatened to curl into a smile, then closed her eyes and pretended to rest like
a fragile, sickly woman.
Meanwhile, Aurora had already signed the agreement with Alexander.
VocalNight’s production had several backers, one of which was Alexander Records. As the head of the company,
Alexander had considerable influence.
Given that Lilian was also participating, Alexander arranged for Aurora to sign a confidentiality agreement.
Aurora would enter the show as a masked contestant and perform under the stage name “Alba.” At a strategic moment,
she would remove the mask to reveal her identity.
Until that moment, only she and Alexander would know who she truly was.
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Because VocalNight focused on songwriting and vocal ability, the masked setup was more of a promotional gimmick. Other companies involved also had similar marketing strategies, so there was no opposition.
Alba-a Latin word meaning “the quiet before dawn.”
Aurora was very pleased with the name. Once everything was set, she drove to the hospital.
She had pushed back her appointment with the doctor earlier that morning, so now the timing was just right.
After a light lunch, she arrived at the doctor’s office.
Knock knock.
She tapped gently on the door. When the doctor looked up, Aurora nodded softly, then walked in and closed the door
behind her.
Dr. Alice Green watched her sit down and asked gently, “You seem a little different today. How have you been feeling lately?”
Alice was Aurora’s primary psychiatrist for her depression.
Aurora had been through a lot in her life, including joy, sorrow, highs and lows. Though the first twenty-some years had their share of pain, she’d always had something to hold on to.
Until the day Lilian barged into her life.
In fact, Aurora had sensed something was off even before Lilian started messaging her with an alternate account.
But the day she showed the messages to Ethan, he accused her of trying to frame Lilian.
That was the first time she had stepped into a psychiatric clinic.
Her very first medical record had already diagnosed her with moderate depression.
The doctor had recommended medication, but Aurora had wanted children. So she opted only for regular counseling and
avoided meds.
Ethan had never cared enough to know about her condition, let alone her visits to the doctor.
“I feel a little better than before,” Aurora answered after a pause. “I’ve decided to let go of certain things. Maybe that’ll help
me heal.”
The doctor nodded, visibly comforted.
“How’s life been lately?” Alice continued gently.
She knew quite a bit about Aurora. The recent online uproar over Lilian’s “countdown to death” live broadcast hadn’t
escaped her either.
So while Alice appeared reassured on the outside, she wasn’t optimistic deep down.
Because she knew very well what Ethan had meant to Aurora all these years.
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Aurora stared at the white desk, pausing fof about three seconds.
Finally, she smiled faintly. “Honestly, not great.”
Just one sentence-and her eyes grew slightly red.
But she held back the tears.
“Dr. Green,” she said quietly. “I’ve made up my mind. Let’s start the medication.”
She had once held out hope for Ethan, wanted to have a child with him. That was why she had stuck with counseling alone.
Now, she no longer wanted him. She no longer wanted children.
So, there was nothing left to stop her from taking the medication.
Alice looked at her, worried. Aurora seemed worse than before.
She began to wonder whether she should contact Aurora’s family-perhaps even Ethan.
