Luigi stared at the shattered glass scattered across the concrete, feeling like someone had just ripped his heart out through his throat.
“Aurelia, you=””
Aurelia’s smile was vicious and beautiful as she cut him off. “Langi, how does this feel? Genting some serious deja vu right about now?
Her words crashed into him like a freight train, dragging his mind back four y
r years to that night by the waterfront.
The original jar of paper cranes she’d made for him–Rosalis had “accidentally smashed it exactly like this, the glass exploding, the cranes scattering like broken dreams,
And he’d done absolutely fucking nothing to defend Aurelia. He’d rushed to coddie Rosalia and disappeared with her, leaving Amelia alone to p up the pieces of something that had meant everything to her.
“That night wasn’t… I was past worried about your sister getting hurt. It wasn’t about choosing her over you”
His voice cracked pathetically, each word sounding more hollow than the last
Aurelia had zero patience left for his revisionist bullshar. Her voice was arctic as she delivered the killing blow,
“Some things, once they’re destroyed, can never be put back together. No matter how desperately you try.”
She’d barely taken three steps when fireworks suddenly erupted across the night sky
BOOM BOOM BOOM.
The cruel irony wasn’t lost on either of them–it was exactly like the display that had marked the death of their relationship four years ago.
Within days, news of Aurelia and Isaac’s research breakthrough had spread across campus like wildfire.
Students couldn’t shut up about the brilliant power couple, spinning romantic narratives about their academic success story.
Luigi beard their names everywhere–in dining halls, studly lounges, even whispered in library corners. Each mention felt like salt being poured into an open wound
He’il tried to convince himself it was all campus gossip until he merheard a group of undergrads practically swooning
“Oh my God, Aurelia and Isaac are like something out of a munie–they’re both insanely hot AND genius–level researchers. They’re boerally perfent together
“Theard they’re both heading to NIH for some elite research program. Power couple goal–they’re definitely endgame material.”
Luigi’s vision started going white around the edges. At the celebration dinner, hadn’t Aurelia told Professor Xavier she needed time to consider the
Nill offer?
Was she really planning to build her entire fucking future with baac?
Para consumed him as his mind spiraled through increasingly desperate scenarios
Since Aurelia had been systematically avoiding him. Luigi resorted to camping outside her dormitory like some kind of unhinged stalker.
When she finally appeared, he practically lunged at her
“Aurelia, please tell me it’s not true. You and I aren’t actually together, are you? You’re not both going to NII?”
His voice was shaking so badly he could barely get the words out
Aurelia’s expression could have frozen hell over. “That’s absolutely none of your fucking business.”
She tried to walk around him like he was a piece of sidewalk trash-
i grabbed her wrist with desperate, bruising force, his voice turning manic,
“You can’t be with him! You
Aurela hissed in pain and ripped her arm away with surprising strength. “Who the hell are you to tell me what I can d
Luigi’s pyr
vild and desperate, because yes–In his delusional mind, that’s exactly
the still thought he wai
For four years, he’d convinced himself that Aurelia would nually forgive him and they’d pick up where they left off. The pushi moving on with someone else had never teemed seal.
“We were kids, Aurelia! Everyone fucks up in high school–why are you holding grudges like store in some soap operat
“I never loved Rosalia, nothing ever happened between. Vore obsessing over ancient Bucking history”
Aurelia’s laugh was sharp enough to draw blood. She systematically existerated his pathetic excuses.
“Ancient history? You could memoire every detail about what made Rosalia smile, but you were completely bilind when people treated me i garbage at school.”
Her voice was rising, years of suppressed rage finally exploding. “Rosalia meard nothing to you, but you’d drop everything to play her hero while your actual girlfriend got shit on by everyone around uk
“And at graduation? You literally called yourself her knight in shining armor. To my face”
Luigi’s face went ashen as the memories crashed back–all the times he’d prioritized Rosalia’s comfort over Aurelia a part, all the ways he’d taken Aurelia’s devotion for granted.
“That wasn’t about love.” Aurelia continued, her voice deadly calm now. “You just knew I was so pathetically obsessed with you that I’d take any amount of abuse. You treated me like your personal punching bag because you could.”
Luigi felt like he was drowning. “That’s not–1 never meant-
“Save it.” Aurelia pushed past him with vicious determination. When he tried to follow, she spun around with murder in her eyes.
“Back the fuck off, you manipulative piece of shit. I’m with banc now. If you don’t stop stalking me, I’ll get campus security to drag your an off this campos.”
Luigi stood there trembling as his entire world collapsed around him.
She was really choosing someone else. Forever.
He’d lost the only woman he’d ever loved, and it was entirely his own fault.
All he could do was watch helplessly as Aurelia walked toward Isaac, who was waiting with a perfect bouquet of red roses and a smile that made Lugi
want to commit vorder.
Isaac had been dying inside for weeks, watching Aurelia suffer through her family crisis and sering Luigi’s pathetic attempts to manipulate her back into his brhit.
But now, as she approached him with that radiant smile–the real one, not the polite mask she wore for everyone else at delt like he could breathe again.
Aurelia accepted the roses with genuine happiness, her heart finally ready to leave the graveyard of her past behind.
She’d been trapped in the wreckage of Luigi’s betrayal for too long
“Isaac, these are gorgeous” she said, then laughed as she noticed something “Wait, why are there only eleven?
Isaac’s eyes crinkled with affection as he took her free hand. “So I’ll know exactly when it’s time to replace them with fresh ones. Can’t have my girlfriend walking around with wilted flowers.”
The word ‘girlfriend sent warmth flooding through both of them.
They walked hand in hand toward the sunset, leaving Luigi and all his toxic angulation in the dust where it belonged.
“Tomorrow we start at NIH” Aurelia said, her voice bright with anticipation “Theard it’s packed with Nobel laureates and world changing. researchers. Are you servous
Chapter 31
Issac brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles gently: his vnice steady with love and dataponinaison.
“That’s where our real future begins, Aurelia, I’ve never been more exited about anything in any life –
The National Institutes of Health wasn’t just a career opportunity- was their chance to build something beautiful regenter, far away fro who’d tried to break them down
Isaar wasn’t nervous. He was ready to give Amelia the love and partnership the’d always deserved.
As they walked away from the wreckage of her past, Aurelia felt something powerful settle in her chest. She was done killing in corners accepting crumbs, playing second fiddle to anyone,
She had dreamed hard and come so far. Now she believed in the vemman she’d become.
This was her moment. She was glowing, ascending, becoming everything the was meant to be,
Behind them, Luigi stood alone among the scattered paper cranes and broken glass–moment to chances andered and love destroyed.
Aurelia didn’t look back
She was golden nove
