41

Aurora I’m late. I could blame it on the suffocating traffic, but I don’t. I needed the extra minutes to come to terms with what I’m about to do. Not that it helps. By the time I push the dining room doors open, everyone is seated at the table. Every. Single. One. And all their attention shifts to me. My skin prickles at being forced under the spotlight. Ever since the public show I went through during Dad’s trial, attention has become my most loathsome enemy. I did everything not to be the centre of it by staying in the shadows. Apparently, I wasn’t doing a good enough job, considering that Jonathan found me. The focus in this room isn’t like the one I received eleven years ago. The people present here don’t want to mutilate me and hang my head on a stick. However, the energy isn’t welcoming either. Jonathan is at the head of the table, as usual. His pressed black suit moulds to his muscles like a second skin. I swear the tyrant only likes to wear black, like his heart. I hate how muc