Aurora’s P.O.V
I just stared at him, completely speechless. The man in front of me, holding that dusty box with so much enthusiasm, looked almost like a stranger. Yet, at the same time, there was something about his eyes, the way they sparkled with excitement, that made me feel... unsettled. It was hard to put into words, but I was in awe.
What do you say to someone who just…shows up out of nowhere claiming to be a part of your life, someone you’ve never even met before? What could you possibly say that could make this situation less absurd?
"I know, I know! This seems strange, but these are all the gifts I got for you," he said with a wide grin, lifting the box slightly as if it were the greatest treasure in the world. "I’ve been waiting for this day for so long, Aurora. You have no idea how much I’ve wanted to give you these. Ever since you were born, I kept everything... everything I could."
He opened the box with such care, and I couldn’t help but look inside. There it was, a pacifier, a tiny milk bottle, and even little dresses—some frilly and pink, others with patterns I barely recognized. It was surreal, like staring at a version of my childhood that never existed, a childhood that was now boxed away and preserved by a man I barely knew. I didn’t know whether to feel grateful or confused.
I could barely get a word out, my mouth dry. "I... I don’t know what to say," I whispered, looking between the box and his face, trying to make sense of all this. "I didn’t even know... any of this was here. And you—"
He didn’t miss a beat, shaking his head and then reaching deeper into the box. "Look here," he said eagerly, pulling out a small toy, a rattle that looked like it had been well loved. "I made sure you had everything, Aurora. Everything. Toys, clothes, even jewelry." He handed me a delicate bracelet, one that sparkled just a little too much for comfort. My fingers trembled slightly as I took it from him, my mind still reeling.
I swallowed hard, trying to form a coherent thought. I couldn’t stop staring at him. Now that I was actually looking at him, really looking at him, there was something about his features—something about the way his eyes gleamed, the slight curve of his jaw. He... looked like me. No, that wasn’t right. I resembled him, in some way I couldn’t fully understand.
Before I could even try to process any of this, he spoke again, his tone suddenly shifting, darkening just a little. "If your mother hadn’t hidden you from me all those years ago, I could’ve given you all of this long before. You deserved it. You deserved so much more."
The words hit me like a slap. "Hidden?" I echoed, my heart racing. "What do you mean, hidden? What happened between you and my mother that made her do that?"
His smile faltered for just a second, and I could see the weight of whatever secret he was holding onto. He hesitated, then let out a sigh, like he was trying to find the right words. "It’s not that simple, Aurora. Your mother... She didn’t trust me. She didn’t trust anyone, really. She was scared—scared of what I could offer you, scared of what you’d become." He lowered his voice, almost as if he were speaking to himself. "I couldn’t protect you if she wouldn’t let me. And that, my dear, is something I’ll never forgive her for."
I felt my chest tighten as his words settled around us. Hidden? I was hidden because of something that happened between them? This wasn’t how I thought it would go—not by a long shot. I had questions, so many questions, and no answers. All I knew now was that this man had been carrying around a part of my life that I had no idea about, and now that it was in front of me, all I wanted was the truth. The whole truth.
"Why didn't you try harder? Why wait until now?" I found myself asking, the words spilling out before I could stop them. "Why didn't you find me sooner?"
I watched in silence, my heart racing as Lucas' face twisted into something dark, something I hadn't seen before. His jaw clenched, his eyes narrowing as he spoke, his voice laced with a chilling kind of certainty. “There’s no need to dwell on that time anymore,” he said, his tone dismissive, like the past was nothing more than a fleeting moment. “The past is gone and must be forgotten. Now, we must look forward, towards the future.”
He glanced over at the skeleton in the glass case, the hollow, lifeless figure of the person who had mattered most to me in this world. It stood there, cold and unmoving, a grotesque reminder of everything that was wrong with this place, with Lucas.
He turned back to me then, his gaze softening for a split second, but the anger was still there, buried just beneath the surface. “Now, our family is finally reunited.” His words were supposed to reassure me, to make me feel like this was some twisted version of closure, but all I felt was confusion. It wasn't closed at all. It was a nightmare I couldn't wake up from.
Watching the hollow eyes of my mother staring back at me…trapped in that glass box, unable to find rest even in death…it was a horrible scenario that I wouldn’t even wish upon my enemies.
I wanted to scream, to run, but I couldn't. I was frozen in place, paralyzed by the unease creeping up my spine. The more I stared at him, the more the pieces started to fall into place, but none of them made any sense. I couldn’t ignore the creeping suspicion that had lodged itself in my mind. He wasn’t just a stalker; he was something more, something darker.
What if his obsession with my mother had gone beyond the boundaries of sanity? What if he had... done something to her? The thought hit me like a punch to the gut, and suddenly, everything felt like it was closing in. I couldn’t stop the flood of terrifying possibilities running through my mind. Had he taken her by force? Trapped her here, in this very room, like he was doing to me now? The idea gnawed at me, poisoning my every thought.
I tried to shake the thought away, but it was impossible. Lucas was a monster, I could see that now. I didn’t know how he thought that my mother had hidden me away from the world, but I understood now that it was probably to protect me from him. He’d done something to her. He had to have. And now, he was going to do the same to me.
I sat there in the dimly lit room, the silence pressing down on me like a weight I couldn’t shake off. I felt trapped, like a bird in a cage, and every time I looked out the window, all I saw was more confinement, more restrictions. I couldn’t take it any longer.
I knew I had to say something. I had to speak up, even if it meant risking the little peace I’d managed to find in this place. Because staying silent and staying locked up here forever and hoping to get rescued wasn’t the only option I could count on. I needed to find some kind of out, scout my location, possibly figure out where the hell this was. But I had to be extremely careful at the same time.
My heart raced as I gathered my courage, unsure if I could even get the words out without my voice cracking. “I… I feel stuffed here,” I finally muttered, the words barely escaping my throat. It felt like an admission of weakness, like I was complaining when I should just be grateful. But I couldn’t keep pretending it was fine.
“If… if possible, I just want to stretch my legs, breathe some fresh air. I can’t just stay cooped up in here.”
I could almost see the storm brewing behind his eyes. My mind raced with worst-case scenarios, wondering if he would see it as a rebellion, a challenge to his authority. I braced myself for the rejection, for the anger that I was sure would follow. After all, I had no right to ask for something as simple as a breath of fresh air.
But instead, something surprising happened. He smiled, that soft, reassuring smile that I hadn’t expected. It made my heart flutter, though a sense of guilt lingered in the back of my mind.
“Dinner’s almost ready,” he said, his voice calm, as if I hadn’t just asked for something impossible. “When it’s done, I’ll come get you. You’ll get to stretch your legs and meet everyone else.”
I blinked, stunned, not sure if I had heard him correctly. He was letting me go outside? Just like that? But what did he meant by everyone else? Were there more people like me? Or did he have more allies in this twisted game?
My chest tightened with a mix of relief and uncertainty. “Thank you,” I whispered, barely believing that he would actually keep his word.
He nodded and left the room without another word, the door clicking shut behind him. I was left standing there, still processing what had just happened. For the first time in a long while, I felt like I had a chance to finally figure out where the hell I was…and maybe, just maybe, get the hell out of this place.