Chapter 135. New Perspective

Aurora’s POV

I stirred to the sound of my name, soft and insistent. “Aurora. Hey, wake up,” the voice said, low but familiar. My eyes fluttered open, and there was Caleb, sitting by my bedside, a small smile playing on his lips.

“Caleb?” I croaked, my voice rough from sleep. I pushed myself up on one elbow, blinking away the fog in my mind. The clock on the wall caught my eye, and I squinted. Nearly ten at night. “I slept this long?” I muttered, rubbing my temples. “Why didn’t anyone wake me? I feel like I’ve been hit by a truck.”

He smiled faintly, leaning back in the chair he’d pulled up beside me. “You looked like you needed it. Besides, you didn’t miss anything. The party hasn’t started yet.”

“What?” I sat up straighter, the thin blanket slipping from my shoulders. “But it’s so late! Isn’t it supposed to—?”

“Midnight,” he interrupted, his tone easy, almost amused. “They always start around midnight. You know that. Mine did.”

The memory