Aurora's POV
My eyes burned with raw fury.
"Selective amnesia?" I scoffed. "Is that what you call it? That's hilarious."
I jabbed a finger at his chest, my voice rising. "Mr. Gallagher, based on what you just did, my lawyers would be well within their rights to press charges."
"You yourself denied that we ever had an intimate relationship. Mere acquaintances, or old friends, remember?"
"What? Was our past relationship something that couldn't be mentioned in front of my fiancé? Was I just your hookup?"
I sneered, "I am a Buchanan. Does it make any logical sense that I would lower myself to be your dirty little secret bedmate?"
"Are you really that irresistible?" I deliberately gave his body a slow, appraising once-over. "Looks pretty average to me."
"So, was I played by you, or was I scammed by you?"
"Aurora Buchanan!" he ground out through clenched teeth.
"Alright, alright." I threw my hands up in mock surrender. "Let's just say I had terrible taste back then. And since we were just 'friends with benefits,' maybe Mr. Gallagher doesn't have the standing to question me."
He was the one who said I was just a hookup.
If that was the case, I was going to throw the word right back in his face.
Conrad took a deep breath. "Don't be like this, Aurora. I didn't know you wanted to marry me, or that you wanted the title of girlfriend."
"I broke it off with my fiancée. If you want to be my girlfriend, then be my girlfriend."
"I've missed you so much lately. What I said that day was wrong. I do care about you."
"So stop throwing a tantrum, and let's go back to the way things were, okay?"
My face remained entirely blank.
Conrad didn't get it at all. He still thought this was about the title of fiancée or girlfriend.
The biggest issue was that he had never, ever respected me.
I held up my left hand, the diamond on my ring catching the dim light. "I told you, I don't remember the past. I'm engaged. Engaged to Elliot."
My tone hardened. "In fact, I find you completely unappealing right now. You're just not my type. Not anymore."
Conrad's jaw tightened further, the grinding of his teeth clearly audible. His eyes locked onto my ring, dark and dangerous.
"I am completely indifferent to you," I said, holding his gaze with eerie calm. "You're a stranger to me. And honestly, you're just not attractive to me. My fiancé is more charming, more considerate, and better than you in every conceivable way."
"Better in every way?" he repeated through gritted teeth.
I looked up at him. "Mr. Gallagher, this is the last time. The next time we meet, we are strangers."
I turned on my heel, grabbed the doorknob, pulled the door open, and stepped out into the hallway.
Once I was safely away, out of his line of sight, my carefully constructed composure instantly crumbled. A wave of exhaustion washed over me, heavy and suffocating.
The calm, resolute expression I had just worn twisted into a grimace of pain.
An ache flared in my chest, a bitter reminder of the five years I had wasted, of the person I used to be, and of the sheer agony he had put me through.
Just for fun. The words echoed in my mind, biting and cruel.
Back in the lounge, Conrad stood perfectly still.
His phone buzzed in his pocket.
He slowly pulled it out and answered, his voice low and gravelly, "Hello?"
"Conrad? Did you find her? Is Aurora okay?"
"Yeah," Conrad said flatly, devoid of emotion. "I found her."
"Thank god! Are you bringing her back?"
Conrad let out a harsh, humorless laugh. "She has amnesia. She forgot me. And she's engaged to Elliot Brooks..."
