Chapter 2: Broken Ties

Aurora pov

“What did you just say to me?” I growled, disbelief, anger, and pain swirling in my voice. "What do you mean by replacement, Liam? I never signed anything, so I’m not going anywhere!"

His gaze remained steady. There was no sign of regret, no pause—just an icy detachment. He stood there, looking at me as if I were merely an obstacle he was waiting to bypass.

“You really don’t understand, do you?” Liam’s tone was cutting, colder than I had ever heard. "It’s finished. I don’t want you anymore, Aurora." He gestured toward the woman next to him. "She’s your replacement. She has value. Something you lost a long time ago."

It felt like the earth had been ripped from beneath me. My stomach knotted so tightly I struggled to breathe, to think clearly. This couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be happening. Not on my birthday. Not after everything we had shared.

“You can’t just replace me,” I shot back, my chest tight with emotion. “You can’t discard me like I’m nothing. I won’t sign those papers, Liam. I’m not leaving.”

The woman next to him, arms crossed, let out a derisive laugh. "You’re pathetic," she mocked, her gaze sweeping over me as if I were nothing more than an insect beneath her foot. "Can’t you understand? He doesn’t want you. He hasn’t wanted you for months."

My blood boiled with fury, a fire igniting within me. I wanted to scream at her, to tell her to be quiet, but the words drowned in the overwhelming tide of hurt that crashed over me. My body shook, my heart felt like it was breaking, yet I refused to show them my vulnerability. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me crumble.

Liam’s expression turned icy, sharp and calculating. He approached me slowly, his face unreadable, each movement deliberate and controlled. "This is enough," he said, his tone as cold as ice. "You don’t get to act like you have a choice. You’re signing these papers, whether you want to or not."

He grabbed my arm, his grip so tight it made me gasp. "Liam, stop! Let me go!" I yelled, trying to pull away, but he held on. His fingers dug in harder, and I cried out in pain as he yanked me forward. I struggled against him, trying to escape, but he was too powerful. He pulled me down the hallway, and I stumbled to keep up, barely managing to regain my balance.

"Aurora, you’re making this harder than it needs to be," he muttered quietly, his voice low and steady, as if I were just an annoyance. "You always complicate things.”

I had no idea where we were headed, but it didn’t matter to me. I refused to sign. Not for him. Not for anyone.

"Do you really think this is all my doing? Do you think I want this?" I spat, struggling against him. My heart raced, and I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears. "You’re the one who stopped putting in the effort. You left me long before you even knew her. I’ve always been here, Liam. But you’ve been absent for so long."

He remained silent, pulling me into the bedroom with a grip that hurt, forcing me onto the bed so abruptly that I gasped for breath.

"Get up," Liam commanded, treating me like a pet. His gaze was filled with disdain as I fought to collect myself. I wanted to yell at him, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, I shot him a furious look, anger blazing in my eyes.

"You will sign these papers, Aurora. Today," he stated, his tone low and authoritative, as if there was no room for negotiation. I could hear the rustle of paper as he moved toward the desk.

When he returned, he held the papers in one hand and a pen in the other. He slammed them down on the nightstand, the sound making my stomach churn.

"No," I whispered, my voice shaky yet firm. "I won’t do it."

Liam’s jaw tightened, and I noticed the muscles in his neck strain, his patience wearing thin. "I told you, Aurora. You will sign it, or I’ll make you. I’m finished wasting time." He pushed the papers toward me, the edge digging into my palm.

"No." My voice was more assertive now, even though my heart still ached, a heavy emptiness settling in my gut. "You can’t force me to sign. You can’t just erase me because of her.”

Liam lingered for a moment, his expression icy and calculating. My anger surged, matching his intensity.

“Why do you always have to turn everything into a spectacle?” he mocked, narrowing his eyes. “You’re pathetic. Do you really think I care about you anymore? You mean nothing to me. You were never enough. I tried to communicate that. I tried to be kind. But you’re just so obstinate. You complicate everything unnecessarily.”

My heart constricted. His words pierced me like knives, deeper than any pain I had ever experienced.

“No, Liam,” I replied, my voice trembling with emotion. "I’m not pathetic. I’m not the one throwing everything away. I’m not the one who replaced the person I vowed to love." My voice wavered, but I regained my composure. "I loved you. I still love you. But you’ve changed."

His expression darkened, and he inhaled sharply, as if struggling to contain his own anger. His gaze shifted to the woman in the doorway, who watched us with a twisted sense of satisfaction.

"Look at her. She still believes she has a chance," the woman taunted, her tone laced with malice. “How sad. He’s not interested in you anymore. Can’t you see? You’re just a relic, a failed attempt. He’s with me now, not you.”

I felt my legs weaken under the weight of her cruel words, but I refused to let them witness my collapse. I would not reveal my vulnerability.

“I’m not signing anything.” I forced the words out through gritted teeth, my chest heaving with the effort. I had to stand firm. I had to.

Liam's face grew even darker. He moved across the room in an instant and slammed his fist into the wall, the sharp sound of his knuckles hitting the plaster made me flinch.

"Sign it!" he yelled, his expression contorted with fury. "You will sign it, or you'll regret it. Do you think you have the upper hand? This isn’t a game. You’re nothing, Aurora. Just as I said. Nothing."

His words hit me like a physical blow, but I refused to let them shatter me.

I couldn’t. I wouldn’t.

Liam grabbed my wrist, twisting my arm behind my back in a swift motion that made me gasp in pain. His grip was like a vice, and I cried out as agony coursed through me. My skin felt raw, and my entire body shook as I fought against him.

“Sign it.”

He thrust the pen into my hand with such force that it pressed into my skin, drawing blood. My vision blurred from the pain, but I shut my eyes tight and resisted his demands.

“No.” I breathed, my voice barely audible as I forced the word out through gritted teeth.

Liam's eyes blazed with anger, and I could sense the intensity radiating from him as he stepped back, his breathing quickening. "You're complicating things unnecessarily," he said, suddenly twisting my arm, leaving me bewildered about when I had signed that damn paper.

"Stop!!!”