Chapter 19. So the Rumors Were True

Aurora’s POV

I walked back into the kitchen, my heart still pounding from the confrontation outside. My palm still tingled from the slap, and even though I knew I’d crossed a line, I wasn’t sorry. Not even a little. Jeremy was going to be furious—I could already hear his disappointed sigh, the way he’d rub the back of his neck like he was trying to physically push the frustration away. I braced myself for it, stealing my spine as I stepped inside.

But instead of anger, I was met with something I hadn’t expected. Jeremy stood there, his weathered face calm, his eyes filled with something that made my throat tighten. And then, before I could say anything, before I could launch into my half-hearted attempt at an explanation, he closed the distance between us and pulled me into a firm, fatherly hug.

I sucked in a sharp breath, the warmth of the embrace hitting me harder than I expected. The kitchen smelled of grease and flour, of freshly baked bread and the fain