𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞

52 | Jade - Aurora

✧.* Jade ✧.*

The past week without a certain pair of blue eyes looking for me was like a slow and painful damnation.

This past week was indeed hectic and full of ups and downs, with Kiara's final trial and the jury's justice for my brother, but in all of this chaos, Aurora's absence seemed to be much thrashing when it came to loneliness.

Before the final statements given by the jury, all the witnesses were present before them, including Adrian, Nick, and even myself, to tell what exactly happened that night. Dorothy was also presented before the jury as a witness for what she observed when Christian and Aurora were alone in the apartment. The CCTV footage from outside my apartment and the corridors and entrance of The Empyrean confirmed that Kiara was seen visiting our place that day and the day we broke up with each other. When Kiara realized that there was nothing that she could do to protect herself anymore with lies, she confessed herself.

As for having Aurora as a witness, she was called during the hearing via video conferencing to present her statement.

That was the only time I saw her after she left.

And she didn't look happy at all; she didn't look herself.

Her once-bright face had vanished, the glitter in her ocean-blue eyes had turned to agony, and the smile that brightened my days every time was reduced to a strained smile.

My soul burned to see her like that.

I could have asked Nick to check up on her every now and then, seeing that they were close to each other, but Nick had already left just the day after Kiara's hearing to attend to important family matters back in the US, and disturbing him when he was attending to his family seemed not right.

After all, it was me who created a mess, so I should be the only one who should clean afterwards.

Spending just a few days without her was like a lifetime for me, and I was so frustrated with myself and everything around me that I wasn't able to focus on the matter at hand. There were times when I tried to calm myself down and convince myself that it was just a matter of a few days and I would be back with her soon and that my brother also needed me, but a selfish part of me just wanted to leave everything and run away.

But being selfish never works when you also have a family that you love so much.

When Kiara got the penalty that she deserved and when me, Adrian, and Christian came back home again after all the formalities, he broke down badly and cried for hours.

Adrian must have seen him that way before as well, but for me, it was something new and heartbreaking.

Christian is my inspiration, and I have always admired him for who he was at such a young age. Seeing him bawling that day like a kid made me cry as well.

Adrian was holding both of us while I held Christian in a hug. I was telling him again and again that it was all over and that he was okay, but the whole time he cried, placing his head on my chest, I was shivering from fear that he might break at any moment due to the intensity with which he was crying and screaming.

Adrian cried as well, but he acted as the eldest that day.

Sometimes, the roles between the siblings do change with the situations around them; the younger becomes the responsible one, while the eldest needs support from the youngest.

Our roles were temporarily reversed that day.

I knew that whatever happened with Christian will always be with him for his life, and maybe he won't ever recover from that, but one thing that I was sure about is that I am never going to leave him alone ever again, no matter how much he pretends that he's strong.