When Love Became Ashes

Everyone said I killed my mother.

So Dad and Carter hated me from the start. They only had love for Vivian.

On my eighteenth birthday, Vivian drugged me and I was nearly raped. That's when Nolan Blake showed up—business tycoon, my savior. He claimed me as his in front of everyone and warned anyone who dared mess with me would pay the price.

After that, Vivian bullied me? He made her apologize. Dad humiliated me? He made him shut up. Carter mocked me? He destroyed all of Carter's business deals.

No one had ever protected me like that. I fell HARD.

Three months later, I walked down the aisle in white.

Nolan spoiled me rotten. I became the woman the whole world envied.

Until the day I was five months pregnant.

At a family party, the balcony railing gave way. I was falling, screaming—then Nolan caught me. His arm broke. I only had minor injuries.

Everyone said how LUCKY I was—a husband willing to break every bone for me.

Until I stood in the hospital corridor and overheard that conversation—

"Aurora is the only match for Vivian," Charles's voice came from the hospital room. "Vivian's kidney failure is getting worse. We can't wait anymore!"

"You think I don't KNOW that?" Nolan lowered his voice. "But she's already pregnant! Pregnant women can't donate organs!"

"That's why we staged the fall," Carter said coldly. "It was supposed to make her miscarry—"

"ENOUGH!" Nolan's roar cut him off. "I want to save Vivian MORE than ANY of you! She's the one I love. But you can't hurt Aurora like this. I have my own plan—after she gives birth, I'll make her donate 'willingly.'"

Aurora's POV

After hearing those words, I collapsed trembling in the hallway.

So that was why he married me. Not because he loved me, but to save Vivian. Everything he did for me—his tenderness, his protection—it was all for HER.

Just like Dad and Carter, he loved Vivian.

Not me.

I slid down the cold wall, my mind flooded with memories. All those moments I thought were happiness now felt like cruel jokes.

Once upon a time, I was happy too. Until I was two years old, when Mom rushed me to the hospital with a fever and got into a car accident.

Mom was killed instantly. Vivian survived and pointed at me through her tears: "It's Aurora's fault! She kept crying and Mom got distracted!"

I don't remember the accident. But from that day on, Dad and Carter looked at me like I was their enemy.

They said I was cursed. The killer who took Mom away.

I never blamed them. Maybe they were right. Maybe someone like me didn't deserve to be loved.

Until my eighteenth birthday.

Vivian handed me a glass of champagne. An hour later, my body went limp as a stranger dragged me toward a room. I fought back but couldn't move. Then the door burst open. Nolan stormed in and knocked the man down with one punch.

He wrapped his suit jacket around me and announced to everyone that I was HIS.

Everything changed after that.

When Vivian humiliated me at parties, Nolan made her apologize publicly. When Dad insulted me at board meetings, Nolan bought out his company shares. When Carter mocked my fashion design dreams, Nolan destroyed all his business deals with one phone call.

He supported my career and built me a private studio. He bought me an estate and gave me a grand proposal. On our wedding day, he kissed my hand and said, "No one's ever going to hurt you again."

I thought it was love. I thought someone finally saw ME.

But now I understood—the protection, the tenderness, the grand wedding—it was all to make me "willingly" donate my kidney to Vivian.

At 2 AM, I returned to the estate.

The servants were asleep. Only the hallway lights remained on.

I pushed open the bedroom door and stared at our wedding photo on the wall. Nolan had his arm around my waist, smiling so tenderly.

On the nightstand sat the necklace he gave me for our one-year anniversary. In the nursery next door, the crib he assembled himself waited quietly for our baby.

None of it was real. It was all part of the plan to save Vivian.

I opened the deepest drawer in the closet with trembling hands and pulled out a manila envelope—the divorce papers I prepared before the wedding.

Just "in case." After all, who could believe that someone like Nolan Blake, a powerful business tycoon, would fall for someone like me? A girl hated by her own family?

It always felt too good to be true. Turns out it was.

I sat on the bed, flipping through the papers page by page. Property division: I waive all marital assets. Child custody: to the mother. I wanted nothing except my child.

My hand shook as I signed. I touched my belly, fear rising in my chest—could I raise him alone? Would he be happy without a father?

Then I felt it.

A tiny flutter.

The baby. He was moving.

His first kick. So gentle, yet it froze me completely. As if he was telling me: It's okay, Mommy.

Tears streamed down my face. I bit my lip hard and made my decision.

No matter what happened, I would have this baby. I would protect him and take him far away from this world built on lies.

I wiped my tears, put the agreement in a folder labeled "Prenatal Reports," and walked toward the study.

I pushed open the door and found Nolan asleep at his desk, head resting against the chair back. He looked exhausted.

I tiptoed over and couldn't help reaching out to trace his face—his eyebrows, his eyes, his lips—as if memorizing every detail.

He still looked the same as ten years ago when we first met.

Nolan didn't know that our one-night stand wasn't actually our first encounter.

I remembered him. But he had long forgotten me.

Suddenly, Nolan's eyes opened. My hand froze mid-air.

"Aurora?" He pulled me into his lap with one swift motion. "I thought you were asleep. What's wrong? Miss me already?"

His tone was teasing. Warm kisses landed on my neck.

My body stiffened for a second before I pushed him away.

"There's a document you need to sign. About the baby."

Nolan raised an eyebrow and took the folder. "Right now? Can't this wait till tomorrow?"

"The doctor said I need to get this done." I kept my voice steady.

He opened the folder and was about to read when his phone rang. Carter.

"Nolan, get to the hospital NOW! Vivian's having trouble breathing—"

Nolan's expression changed instantly. He flipped to the last page and scrawled his signature hastily.

"I'm sorry, Aurora." He kissed my forehead. "When I get back, we'll talk about the baby properly."

Then he grabbed his coat and rushed out.

I listened to his footsteps fade away, then slowly walked to the desk and opened the document.

To rush to Vivian's side, he didn't even READ it.

Tears dropped onto the paper, spreading into wet stains.

With trembling hands, I pulled out my phone and called my friend Emma.

"Aurora? It's so late—"

"Emma." My voice cracked. "That job offer in Paris... is it still available?"

Silence on the other end. Then Emma's voice turned urgent. "Of course! Oh my God, Aurora, you're finally doing this! I'll book your flight right away—"

"Three days from now." I cut her off. "The sooner the better."

After hanging up, I sat in the study watching the sky gradually lighten outside.

In three days, I'd be gone.

Gone from this home that was never truly mine.