Hayden tossed his phone aside. "Aurora, I know what I''ve done hurt you, and I want to make amends for the mistakes I''ve made."


    "Amends? How do you intend to make amends?" Aurora raised an eyebrow at him.


    "I want to protect you from getting hurt again. Those people who were after you before didn''t have good intentions, and I''m notfortable letting you go home without knowing who they are."


    "So... You''ll stay at my ce tonight. Rest assured. I won''t touch you. I just want to protect you," Hayden emphasized.


    Aurora was also wondering who plotted against her tonight. If she couldn''t figure out who was behind this, she would still be in danger.


    "I don''t need your protection."


    "Either way, I''m not stopping the car," Hayden stated firmly as the car drove towards his vi.


    He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the vi.


    Upon entering the foyer, she noticed two pairs of slippers at the door. One pair was clearly for a woman. She was not so vain as to think these slightly worn slippers were meant for her. They were obviously Susan''s.


    Hayden also saw the slippers and quickly fetched a new pair from the shoe cab for her. "Wear these. They are new," he added pointedly.


    Aurora changed her shoes and noticed that the interior decor was much the same as before, barely changed at all.


    She remembered how she used toe here to do her homework. Both as heirs to a wealthy conglomerate, they had to learn more from an early age than most.


    That was why Aurora found her college courses a breeze, having alreadypleted them during high school with Hayden.


    Hayden, the sessor to the Alvarez family, had been strict with himself from a young age. Aurora had thought he was just diligent, unlike other wealthy heirs.


    Onlyter did she realize that all Hayden''s efforts were to surpass Julian, the one truly considered a genius.


    Now, as she looked around, she found the decor in the house quite simr to Julian''s vi. Hayden had adopted all of Julian''s preferences as his own.


    He had been living in Julian''s shadow without knowing it, desperately wanting to surpass Julian, without realizing he was gradually bing Julian''s shadow.


    "Aurora, what are you thinking about?" Hayden noticed Aurora''s thoughtful expression, unsure of what was on her mind.


    "Nothing. Just remembering how often I used to do homework here," she replied lightly and then casually sat down on the sofa.


    "Back then, I would exin everything you didn''t understand," Hayden recalled, his emotions bing very animated.


    "That was in the past," she said, not wanting to dwell further on those memories.


    Hayden''s expression froze, but he quickly recovered. "Aurora, are you hungry? You used to love the spaghetti I made."


    "I''m not hungry. Since I''m here, I''ll stay the night. I''ll just sleep in the guest room." She headed towards the bedroom of the guest room, familiar with the ce.


    She had stayed over before. At the door of her room, however, she found it locked. Hayden followed her.


    "After you left, I never let anyone into this room," Hayden exined as he unlocked the door. He had been cleaning the room weekly.


    Susan had tried more than once to enter. He wanted to keep the room exactly like it was when Aurora was still there, so he eventually locked the room.


    Aurora saw the pink room, its decor the same as that of a hotel room she had liked until she was eighteen.


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    A flicker ofplex emotions crossed her eyes. "Okay. I''m going to take a shower. You may leave."


    "Alright," Hayden said before he withdrew.


    Aurora thought she had long moved on from past emotions, yet as she stood in these memory-filled ces, she felt her eyes welling up with tears.


    Surrounded by dolls piled up around the room and clothes she favored still in the wardrobe, she wondered if she would still be Hayden''s little princess had those events not urred three years ago.


    Her mind increasingly cluttered, she rushed into the bathroom and crouched on the cold floor under the hot shower.


    Outside the door, Hayden was also overwhelmed with emotion,menting why fate had to torment him so!


    After the shower, Aurora cleared the chaotic emotions in her mind, her eyes now cold and resolute.


    She understood that what had happened could not be undone, and she must not forget the purpose of her return this time.


    Opening the wardrobe, she found it surprisingly filled with clothes, all white without exception.


    She chose a white nightgown with a deep V-neckline that clearly revealed her cleavage.


    It was unclear what Hayden felt about cing that gown there. Now, she possessed the beauty that all women envied.


    There was a bar downstairs, and she walked over to it.


    When Hayden came down after freshening up, he saw the woman drinking at the bar, sitting on a high stool with her long beautiful legs casually crossed.


    Her exposed skin was fair and enticing, and she elegantly held a ss of red wine, her soft hair cascading down her back.


    Even from the side, she was enough to stir a man''s heart, and Hayden approached her. "You didn''t like drinking before."


    Back then, a whole ss of red wine would make Aurora drunk, so she would never touch alcohol unless absolutely necessary.


    "People change. Will you join me?" Aurora turned and raised her ss to him.


    As Hayden watched her tilt her head back, the delicate contours of her neck, vicle,


    cleavage, and every gesture she made silently seduced him.


    "Alright, I''ll join you," Hayden sat next to her, maintaining his usual propriety.


    Normally, he wouldn''t spare a second nce at other women, even if they were undressed in front of him, but it was different with Aurora, the woman he deeply loved. He couldn''t take his eyes off her, her scent of shower gel faintly wafting around him.


    The wine spread across their ptes, and Aurora squinted her eyes. It was indeed a fine wine.


    Over the years, whether happy or sad, she grew fond of drinking and had improved her tolerance and appreciation of wine.


    She had a certain allure when she drank, and Hayden thought he was mad as he looked at her. He had dreamed of her the previous night, dreaming she forgave him and returned to his embrace, even dreaming of their indescribable intimacies. Awakening to find it was only a dream, he felt a sense of loss and dismay. Now she was actually beside him, and it wasn''t a dream.


    "Good wine," Aurora muttered as she finished her ss, about to pour herself another when she recalled Julian''s warning not to drink to excess in front of others. Thinking of that man''s face suddenly made the wine lose much of its appeal. She put down her ss, contemting whether Susan woulde tonight. If not, her visit today would have been in vain. She also wanted to take the opportunity to verify if those thugs were indeed connected to Susan.


    Just then, the sound of the doorbell echoed.