After I Came Home

Three years ago, the man I loved most sent me away, exiling me from the country.

Three years later, I was finally allowed to return.

But I no longer loved Donovan Blackwood.

Still, everyone looked at me with warning in their eyes.

Aurora, are you still trying to get your claws into Donovan? Still trying to ruin things between him and Victoria?

"Three years abroad and you haven't learned a thing. Donovan was too soft on you; he never should have let you come back."

"Exactly. A venomous creature like her belongs in a jail cell, or dead and buried overseas."

I just watched them in silence.

But then...

I heard a piece of news, and my world shattered.

I started mumbling, over and over.

"Mike."

"Have you seen my Mike?"

"Please, don't be dead."

"You promised you'd come back for me."

I was lost in a haze of madness for a long time.

Finally, no one thought I was acting anymore.

Donovan pushed through the crowd and held me tight.

But his hands were trembling.

"Aurora, what's wrong?"

"Who is Mike?"

"Please, don't scare me like this."

I had been back in the country for less than an hour.

My phone had already lit up with more than a dozen warning messages.

"How dare you show your face here again?"

"Didn't anyone teach you a lesson over there? You're begging for it."

"Too bad the plane didn't explode and kill you."

I ignored the messages.

I just opened my laptop, went to my email, and quickly typed a new message.

It was simple.

"I made it back safely."

I hit send. The profile picture on the other end was a black void.

There was never a reply.

I stared blankly at the screen.

Hearing footsteps, I shut the laptop.

A woman with her hair in an elegant twist stood in the doorway. My mother.

"Rory, why are you looking at your mother like a stranger?"

I remained lost in thought for a moment longer.

My mother wiped a tear from her eye and left.

That night, I heard the sound of things crashing in the study.

"Is she blaming us?" my father's voice rumbled.

"She's the one who pushed Miss Prescott down the stairs. Victoria was in a coma for three months."

"Stop it," my mother's voice was sharp.

"It's all in the past. Donovan and Victoria are about to announce their engagement. We can't have any trouble now, not at a time like this."

The hand holding my water glass trembled slightly.

I turned and quietly slipped away.

The next morning.

I sat hunched over my computer.

Eventually, I went downstairs to get something to eat.

My mother was in the living room, watching television.

Suddenly, a breaking news banner flashed across the screen.

#Major Announcement: Blackwood Enterprises confirms the engagement of Mr. Donovan Blackwood and Miss Victoria Prescott, with a ceremony to be held mid-next month.#

I froze.

An island engagement?

A long-forgotten memory surfaced. I had once clung to Donovans arm, begging him.

"An island is so romantic. When we get engaged, can we have the ceremony there? Please?"

His expression was a mask of cold annoyance.

"Aurora, can you stop being a child?"

"I'm working."

Seeing his displeasure, I had immediately backed down, sitting obediently by his side. "Okay, okay, I'll be quiet. You work."

The memory faded.

I snapped back to the present.

My mother saw me and jumped.

"Rory, what are you doing downstairs?"

"Are you going out? Where? I'll come with you."

She was already signaling for a servant to get her purse, fumbling for the remote to turn off the TV.

Watching her tense, frantic movements, I understood.

She was terrified I would revert to my old self, clinging to Donovan like a stubborn shadow.

But, Mom, I won't.

Never again.

"I'm not going out. Just getting something to eat."

"What?"

I had already grabbed a carton of milk and was heading back upstairs.

As I reached the landing, my mother's voice, full of surprise, called out.

"Rory, you..."

I took a steadying breath.

"It's okay, Mom. You can watch your show. I have work to do."

After the Blackwood engagement announcement, the old stories resurfaced.

The online rumors about how I had viciously pushed Victoria Prescott down a flight of stairs were everywhere.

Half the internet was sending their blessings; the other half was cursing my name.

"OMG, finally! They announced it! Wishing them a lifetime of happiness!"

"Hehe, a match made in heaven. Can't wait for the beautiful babies!"

"They have to be happy forever!"

"And what about Aurora? Too scared to show her face? She must be dying of jealousy."

"Heard she was forcibly sent abroad."

"Such a wicked girl. Did she really think Donovan would love her if she got rid of the competition?"

"All that scheming, haha, and for what? It all failed in the end. Bad people never win."

I stared at the screen, numb, then closed the browser.

I never expected my father to bring Donovan home for dinner that evening.

I was just coming downstairs when I saw him.

I froze on the landing, my entire body going numb.

Why was he here? In my family's house?

As the CEO of Blackwood Enterprises, he knew everything. He would have known the second I landed.

No, that's not right.

The only reason I could come back at all was because he had given his permission.

My father gestured for him to go to the study, then shot a look at my mother, silently telling her to get me out of sight before I caused a scene.

I followed my mother to the living room with my head down.

The study door was left ajar.

If I just tilted my head, I could see his tall silhouette.

A crisp black suit, sharp, stylish hair.

He was always a king among men, exuding a power and charisma no one could match.

I glanced over again.

It seemed my father was looking for a document.

Donovan didn't even sit down. The tea on the table remained untouched. He took the file and prepared to leave.

"Rory, darling, what do you think of this purse?" my mother asked, trying to distract me.

I turned and looked.

"It's beautiful, Mom."

Five minutes later, a pair of long legs strode out of the study.

My mother stood up, politely trying to detain him.

"Donovan, won't you stay for dinner?"

Of course, they both knew he would never stay. But no one in this city could afford to offend the Blackwoods.

Donovan finally turned, and for the first time since he had walked in, his eyes swept over me.

What kind of look was that?

Cold.

Indifferent. As if he were looking at a complete stranger.

I sat frozen on the sofa, unmoving.

The old me would have already rushed over, excitedly linking my arm with his, calling him "Donovan" in that sweet, pleading voice.

But the me of today sat perfectly still, as if the man before me no longer held any importance.

He gave a slight nod.

"No, thank you, Mrs. Song. I have other matters to attend to."

He started to walk away, his gaze leaving me as if I were a piece of furniture.

He took two steps.

My fists clenched, and I spoke.

"Wait."

The man who was two steps away paused.

He went rigid for a second before turning back.

My mother had already grabbed my arm in a panic.

"Rory, what are you doing? Donovan said he's busy."

I could feel the painful pressure of her fingers on my skin.

His eyes darkened.

"What is it, Miss Song?"

So be it.

I hadn't called him by his first name.

And he, in turn, called me "Miss Song" with chilling formality. Not "Rory," not even my full name.

I took a deep breath.

"I have something for you. Just a moment."

I pulled my arm free and ran upstairs.

I entered my password, opened the innermost drawer of my desk, and took out a square box.

Then I ran back down.

Downstairs, everyone was watching me with cold suspicion, as if I were about to perform some wicked trick.

But when I held out the deep blue, velvet box, they seemed to understand. The coldness in my parents' eyes instantly faded.

"I asked your grandmother for this a long time ago. It doesn't suit me. I'm returning it to its rightful owner."

It wasn't what he thought it would be.

He looked genuinely surprised as I held it out to him.

The dark cloud on his face lifted.

Inside the box was an antique jade bracelet, a Blackwood family heirloom passed down through generations.

No one had ever approved of us, but his grandmother had adored me. On my twentieth birthday, she gave me this bracelet, a symbol meant for her grandson's wife.

For a time, I truly believed I would one day become Mrs. Blackwood.

It was much later that I understood.

Those were just fragile, unrealistic dreams.

There was a long silence.

Finally, he reached out and took it.

Donovan left with the bracelet.

My mother came over and gently patted my head.

A week later, I started my residency at City Central Hospital.

My undergraduate degree was in medicine, and Id spent two years at a research institute abroad.

Still, my parents were worried.

I knew they had people following me.

I wasn't angry.

After all, Donovan and Victoria's engagement was a delicate matter. I couldn't be allowed to disrupt it. That would be disastrous for my family.

I wanted to tell them they had nothing to worry about. The old Aurora was long dead.

And the new Aurora didn't love Donovan Blackwood.

I never expected that, just a few days into my new job, Victoria Prescott would book an appointment with me.

We sat across from each other, the air thick with awkwardness.

She said she had a slight cough, but looking at her barely-there symptoms, I knew she wasn't here for a diagnosis. She was here for me.

I wrote her a prescription for some mild medication.

She clutched the paper, not moving.

She took off her sunglasses.

"Aurora, you've lost weight."

I had no desire to reconnect with anyone from that old circle. Especially not Victoria, the woman I had once competed with for a man's love.

I had lost, spectacularly.

I sidestepped her comment, my tone flat.

"The pharmacy is on the first floor. I have another patient waiting."

She still didn't leave, just stared at me.

"You've changed completely."

"You used to be the loudest, most chaotic one among us. You were never this quiet."

A small, humorless smile touched my lips.

"Miss Prescott, are you here to see a doctor, or do you have another agenda?"

She fell silent.

Putting her sunglasses back on, she left.

But just as the door closed behind her, my eyes fell to her feet.

Three years ago, she had tumbled down a flight of stairs. Her leg was severely injured, requiring multiple surgeries. She had lost a lot of blood.

And I was the one who took the blame.

We were the only two people on that floor at the time.

I had desperately tried to explain that she fell on her own.

No one believed me.

Donovan had swept her into his arms, his face a mask of agony.

"Donovan, I didn't push her!" I had cried out.

Before I could finish, he had kicked me, hard, in the stomach.

"Get out."

It was the first time I had ever been hit.

And likely the first time he had ever struck a woman.

Within two days, I received a lawsuit from the Blackwood family's lawyers.

Victoria wasn't a Blackwood, but Donovan was determined to get justice for her.

I almost went to prison.

I heard his grandfather pleaded on my behalf, and my sentence was commuted to exile.

I subconsciously touched my stomach.

He had kicked me with so much force.

Even now, on rainy days, a dull ache still blooms in that exact spot.

The next time I saw Donovan Blackwood was at a bar.

It was a departmental gathering for the hospital.

Our private room was right next to theirs.

One of the younger doctors, Dr. Rollins, had too much to drink and tried to get Victoria's number as she passed in the hallway.

Victoria slapped him across the face.

The sound of the slap brought everyone out of both rooms.

In the crowd, I immediately saw him, the man for whom a path always cleared: Donovan Blackwood.

Victoria immediately threw herself into his arms.

"Donovan, he harassed me!"

Dr. Rollins tried to defend himself.

"I just asked for your number! I didn't even touch you, ma'am."

"And you have no right to hit me! If you don't want to give it, just say no!"

Across the hall, Donovan's eyes turned black with rage.

I clenched my fists.

Our department head finally recognized him and rushed forward, grabbing Dr. Rollins.

"Shut your mouth! Do you know who that is? That's Mr. Donovan Blackwood, the CEO of Blackwood Enterprises!"

"Apologize to Mrs. Blackwood-to-be, now!"

The head's reprimand seemed to sober Rollins up, but he was still too young and proud.

He continued to argue his case.

"Mr. Blackwood, I don't believe an apology is necessary. I did not harm your fiance. I swear on my life, I never laid a single finger on her. I'm telling the truth."

My nails dug into my palms.

Rollins was an idiot.

He didn't realize that every word he spoke could cost him dearly.

"Is that so? So you're saying Victoria is lying?" Donovan's eyes narrowed slightly.

The sheer force of his presence was suffocating. The entire hallway went still.

"Don't just stand there, apologize!" our head hissed at Rollins, before turning to Donovan with a fawning expression.

"Mr. Blackwood, he's just a new graduate, he doesn't know any better."

But Rollins, for some reason, stubbornly refused to apologize.

"Take him to our room," Donovan ordered one of his men with a flick of his chin.

"What... what are you doing?"

"Let go of me!"

"This..."

Not a minute after they dragged him inside, we heard the sickening thud of fists on flesh, followed by Rollins's agonized cries.

Our head was panicking, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Everyone else just stared at the floor, too terrified to move. Who would dare to cross the most powerful man in the city?

Rollins had helped me with my orientation paperwork when I started.

I felt a pang of pity, but I was helpless.

But then, something unexpected happened.

Donovan let go of Victoria, his eyes scanned the crowd, and he strode directly toward me.

He stared down at me.

"Aurora. You tell me what happened."

For a second, I didn't understand.

But I believed Rollins, and I wanted to try to save him.

"Mr. Blackwood, I believe Dr. Rollins. He already received a slap. Surely an apology isn't necessary now."

As I finished speaking, a cold sweat broke out on my forehead.

Then, a slow, cruel smile curved his lips.

I thought, for a moment, that he believed me.

But what he said next was:

"Aurora, you put him up to this, didn't you? Harassing Victoria? You're still the same, always scheming to hurt people."

"If we hadn't been here tonight, what would your drunken colleague have done to her? Would he have ruined her?"

My mind went completely blank.

Not only did he not believe me, he thought...

He thought I was the mastermind.

He was so close, his intimidating aura making it hard to stand.

"You must be joking, Mr. Blackwood. I'm not that brave," I managed, a bitter smile on my lips.

But he wouldn't let up.

His piercing gaze made my stomach clench, a cold dread spreading through me.

"Not brave? Three years ago, you were brave enough to push someone down a flight of stairs. Now you come back with this weak, fragile act. Do you really think you can fool anyone?"

He slammed his hand against the wall next to my head, trapping me.

I couldn't move.

My colleagues were terrified.

Our head took a half-step forward, but Donovan's sharp "Get back!" sent him scurrying.

No one else dared to move.

I looked at the familiar faces behind him, the same faces from three years ago. When Donovan had kicked me to the ground, they had worn the same expressions of smug satisfaction.

I looked at the man in front of me, a man who looked like he wanted to kill me, who hated me to his very core.

And suddenly, I felt so tired.

I shrugged and smiled.

And I confessed.

"You're right, Mr. Blackwood. It was me. I put him up to it. So stop hitting Dr. Rollins. Hit me instead. Let him go, and I'll take his place. Go on, beat me to death."

My voice grew louder, more frantic.

Rollins's screams from the other room were growing more desperate.

I don't know where I found the courage.

I stared him straight in the eye.

"Did you hear me? I said it was me! So come at me! Use your fists on me!"

I was so furious, a cornered animal, but tears were streaming down my face.

My reverse psychology didn't work.

They beat Rollins until he was pulp.