Aurora looked up, her teary eyes locking with a stranger's yet something about him felt oddly familiar. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with neatly cut hair and soft brown eyes that held a mixture of shock and concern. Her mind was still swirling from the argument in the dining room, her heart pounding with rage and confusion but now it stalled, if only for a second.
The stranger's gaze dropped to her baby bump, then rose quickly to meet hers again. "Are you okay?" he asked gently. Aurora blinked, disoriented. "I—I'm fine," she said quickly, stepping to the side. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to calm the tremble in her chest.
Kim approached them, her smile warm but her eyes alert, having seen the tension on Aurora's face. "Aurora," she said softly, "I see you've met Zayn." Aurora frowned slightly. "Zayn?" she repeated, glancing back at the man. Zayn smiled politely and offered a small nod. "It's nice to meet you properly."
"He's your brother," Kim added, stepping beside him. "Your father and I adopted him years ago." Aurora's eyes widened slightly. "Wait… what?" William appeared behind them just in time. "We adopted Zayn after we lost our first son," he explained quietly. "It was one of the darkest periods in our lives… but Zayn brought light back into our home."
Zayn shifted awkwardly, clearly not used to being introduced with so much sentiment.
"He didn't grow up here?" Aurora asked, still processing.
"No," William answered. "He found his biological parents years ago. They're… extremely wealthy too, and he went to live with them. But he's still very much our son. Nothing changed that. "I may not live here," Zayn said gently, "but Kim and William will always be my parents. They raised me, loved me when no one else did."
Aurora's throat tightened. She opened her mouth to say something, but the lump in her throat stopped her. Her gaze dropped to the floor as the weight of everything her argument with Mark, her father's coldness, and now this new 'brother' settled on her shoulders all at once.
"I didn't mean to bump into you," Zayn added softly. "I didn't know you were— "It's fine," Aurora muttered, cutting him off. She took a step back, her voice low. "I need to rest."
"Aurora," Kim called after her, but she had already turned away.
She walked slowly up the stairs, clutching the railing, trying not to cry again. A brother? And nobody thought to tell her? It wasn't even that she was upset about Zayn he seemed kind but why was everything always thrown at her when she was already drowning?
Downstairs, Zayn remained quiet for a moment before turning to Kim. "She hates me. "No," Kim said quickly. "She doesn't hate you. She's just… broken right now."
"She's gone through a lot these past few months," William added. "And she's barely keeping it together." Zayn sat down slowly. "She looked like she was about to cry. I didn't want to upset her. "You didn't," Kim assured him, squeezing his shoulder. "You just walked into her storm. But you'll see… Aurora is strong. She just needs time to heal."
Zayn nodded, but he couldn't shake the image of Aurora's tear-streaked face. There was a certain sadness in her eyes that unsettled him deeply. He had never seen someone look so… lost. Despite the luxury around her, the powerful family name, the stunning mansion Aurora looked like someone fighting to stay afloat.
And Zayn, though a stranger to her for now, knew one thing for sure. He was going to be there for her. Not just because she was Kim and William's daughter. But because, for the first time in years, Zayn felt like he belonged.
And maybe, just maybe, Aurora needed someone who knew what it was like to be part of two worlds yet feel like you're stuck in the middle of neither.