**Aurora's Way**
The car sped along the asphalt, eating up the miles toward where Hilton was waiting for her. Aurora tightened her grip on the steering wheel, her thoughts a jumble.
How could Charlotte possibly be her half-sister? Her brother had never offered unfounded information, but this revelation went beyond anything she'd ever thought she knew about her own family.
Could her mother have kept such a terrifying truth from her?
She took a deep breath and accelerated.
Arriving at the vacant lot where Hilton had arranged to meet her, she parked the car and got out, clutching her bag.
"Tell me you're joking," she blurted out as soon as she spotted her brother standing near an abandoned building.
Hilton stared at her sharply, then held out an old envelope.
"Read this, and tell me if you still think I'm making it up."
Aurora ripped out the documents and flipped through them. Her heart pounded at the revelation.
Family archives. Divorce papers. Letters exchanged.
Her mother had been married once. To a man she left before she was born.
And that man was Charlotte's father.
Aurora felt a cold chill run down her spine. Her worst enemy... shared her blood.
Hilton watched her closely.
"Now do you understand why she wanted to destroy us from the beginning?"
Aurora looked up at him, her hands trembling.
"If she knew... then she would have done whatever it took to erase us from her life. Yet, until now, she's only stolen my life and my ex-husband."
She paused before adding in a darker voice, "Does she know that truth?"
Hilton nodded.
"I think so." Otherwise, how do you explain that of all the women, of all the couples in existence, it was yours she decided to destroy?
Aurora felt anger rise within her, a rage both cold and burning at the same time. Charlotte had orchestrated everything. Manipulation, lies, trapping Hilton and stealing Aurora's life right before her eyes.
Aurora closed her eyes for a moment, trying to channel her fury.
"We're going to turn this around."
Hilton narrowed her eyes.
"How?"
"I'm going to pay her a little visit."
Hilton stopped.
"Can you repeat that?"
Aurora met his gaze.
"I'm going to see her. Across the hall."
Hilton shook her head.
"This is suicide. She's targeting you!"
"She won't be reckless enough to kill me in her own home if she wants to maintain her image as the perfect woman and her hold over my ex-husband."
Hilton ran a hand over his face in irritation.
"That's not wrong... but be careful."
But before she could reply, a noise interrupted them.
A black luxury car had just stopped a few meters away.
The door slowly opened... and Jasper got out.
**Jasper's Side**
The drive to Aurora had been almost mechanical. An inexplicable force was driving him to get answers.
When he got out of the vehicle and finally laid eyes on Hilton, his breath caught.
Everything about the man seemed strangely familiar.
Aurora, on guard, gave him an icy stare.
"What are you doing here?"
Jasper ignored him and moved forward slowly.
"And may I ask what you're doing here with a fugitive?"
Aurora clenched her jaw.
"That's none of your business, and you haven't answered my question."
Jasper stared at her, a contemptuous glint in his eyes.
"I needed to figure something out for myself. Why you look so familiar. But I think I do now."
He paused, then his gaze darkened.
"You're nothing more than an insignificant woman. An accomplice to a murderer. You're definitely family."
Aurora felt a burning sensation in her chest. He still didn't know who she was.
But what really set her off was the insult to her brother.
She took a threatening step toward him, but Hilton placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Aurora, calm down. This guy isn't worth it. Breathe in, breathe out."
She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again with a sharp coldness.
"I will not tolerate any disrespect from you," she snapped.
Jasper smirked.
"And yet, you deserve it. A fugitive and a liar... What a pitiful duo."
Hilton took a step forward, his gaze dark.
"Choose your words carefully," he hissed. "We are not your enemies. But you're making us."
Jasper glared at him, but something inside him wavered.
Aurora saw it. He doubted it.
She inhaled slowly, moving even closer.
"You're so blinded by Charlotte that you don't even try to understand what's going on around you."
Jasper opened his mouth, then closed it. He looked flustered.
But before he could reply, another black car sped up.
The door opened abruptly... and Tyler got out.
Aurora stared at him, surprised.
"Tyler? How did you know I'd be here?"
He stopped in front of them, his gaze hard.
"Because I have your number. But I didn't think Jasper was coming here just to accuse you of crimes you never committed when he asked for your number after calling me a few minutes earlier."
Jasper turned to his brother.
"Are you defending her?"
Tyler crossed his arms.
"She's my friend. And honestly, you can't call Charlotte a saint."
Jasper narrowed his eyes.
"What do you mean?"
Tyler gave a cold smile.
"How many times has she cheated on you already?"
"Only once."
Tyler burst out laughing, shaking his head.
"Then you're really naive. You don't know anything about your wife."
Jasper, furious, took a step back.
Aurora watched the two brothers fight. A crack had just appeared.
Charlotte no longer had complete control over Jasper.
And Aurora intended to exploit this.