Chapter 38- Unfamiliar Sound
★
Aurora pressed a trembling hand against her chest as she sank onto her bed.
A sudden memory flashed through her mind, what happened right after Leonard left her room earlier.
Flashback…
The moment the door closed behind him, she had rushed to the bathroom, her heart pounding. One glance confirmed her worst suspicion.
Her breath caught. No. No way.
She stared down at her pantie, disbelief tightening her chest.
It's soaked!
What was happening to her? Why was her body reacting like this… to him?
Her throat went dry, shame and confusion tangling inside her.
End of flashback…
Her heartbeat quickened now, echoing in her ears.
“What the hell…” She whispered.
GRANDE RESIDENCE
Amaya had fallen asleep in the car, so Desmond quietly carried her to bed.
When he entered his room, Charlene was standing there, arms crossed, expression sharp. The look he’d been expecting all night.
“Seriously?” She said, hands on her hips.
He sighed, loosening his tie. “What now?”
“He’s your son.”
“I never denied that.” Desmond took off his wristwatch, avoiding her gaze.
“Not a single word to him? The whole night, really?”
“I’m not ready for this.” He muttered, grabbing a glass of water from the bedside table.
“You think no one noticed? I’ll have to answer Gemma about this. When are you going to realize this isn’t Leo’s fault?”
“He should have been careful,” Desmond replied flatly, setting the glass down.
“He was a child! He was barely ten!”
“You need to calm down.”
Charlene’s voice broke. “You hate your son that much? You’re his idol, and you treat him like he’s nothing. You haven’t had a real conversation with him in years, Desmond. You talk to each other like enemies, and I don’t even blame Leo anymore, he’s just mirroring what you give.”
Desmond rubbed his temple. “We just got back from a reunion. Let’s not do this tonight.”
He disappeared into the bathroom.
Charlene’s eyes welled up, but beneath the tears, something else flickered. Anger.
---
RAVEN MANSION
“Yes. I actually saw them.” Gemma said, pacing. “They were eating each other up. Leo looked like he’d been starving for her or something.”
Melvin stayed silent.
“Vin…” Gemma’s voice trembled. “I’m scared. We’re getting to that point. What if she starts remembering? What are we going to do then? Should we talk to Dr. Nina?”
Melvin stood and gripped her shoulders gently. “I’m scared too. I can’t watch her break again. But we knew this day would come. She’s changing, she kissed Leonard, she went to a party, she’s showing emotion again. We don’t even know if we want her to remember or forget anymore.”
Gemma’s breath shook. “It’s happening too fast.”
“I know.” Melvin sighed. “So we have to be ready. Remember what the doctor said that day?”
---
Flashback [Years Ago]
The doctor stepped out of the operating room, removing her gloves.
Gemma and Melvin rushed to meet her.
“Doctor, how is she?” Gemma’s hand clutched her chest.
“Is she going to be okay?” Melvin asked.
The doctor gave a small smile. “The procedure was successful. The wall has been created. Those memories are blocked, well, some of them.”
Gemma exhaled in relief, her knees almost giving way.
“Thank you.” Melvin said, voice thick with gratitude.
“But…” The doctor began, and Gemma froze.
“We didn’t block everything. Only what was necessary. If we’d erased it all, she’d start questioning things. You need to move her somewhere new, a different city, maybe another country. But understand this: her personality will be affected.”
Gemma’s lips trembled. “You mean… She won’t be the same cheerful girl again?”
“I’m afraid not,” the doctor said softly. “It’ll take time. Don’t expect it overnight. And when she starts to heal…” She paused. “The wall will begin to weaken.”
“How long?” Melvin asked quietly.
“Months. Years. There’s no fixed time.”
The doctor gave a small nod and went back into the room.
Gemma stumbled. Melvin caught her. Neither spoke, but both knew it.
The future would never be simple again.
---
End of Flashback
Melvin ran a hand down his face. “It’s starting, Gemma. We have to be ready for whatever comes.”
Gemma pressed her lips together, tears brimming. “I just hope… when she remembers… it doesn’t destroy her all over again.”
???
Leonard’s hands rested on the wheel.
He looked calm. Too calm.
No music. No sound. Just the low hum of the car.
He drove slowly, eyes straight ahead, like he was trying not to think. But every second, the image came back, her lips, her breath, her voice when she said his name.
He finally reached the Villa.
When he parked, he didn’t get out right away.
He just sat there, eyes on nothing in particular.
“She started it.” He muttered.
He leaned back, shut his eyes for a second, breathing slow. Trying to erase it.
Failing.
Then he dropped the phone, got out, and slammed the door behind him.
Hating himself for not kissing her enough.
Gemma sat on the bed, still in her robe, staring at nothing.
Melvin stood by the window, hands in his pockets, his reflection staring back at him in the glass.
For a long time, neither spoke.
“She’s changing.” Gemma finally said, voice small. “It’s happening, Melvin. The wall’s breaking.”
Melvin turned to her. “We always knew it would.”
Gemma shook her head. “Not this soon. Not like this. She’s getting close to Leonard again. What if she remembers that night?”
He walked over and knelt in front of her. “If she remembers, we’ll deal with it. We’ll be ready this time.”
Her breath trembled. “You don’t understand. If she remembers, she’ll hate us. She’ll hate me. We lied to her. We let her forget. I thought I was protecting her, but maybe I ruined her instead.”
Melvin took her hands gently. “You saved her life, Gemma.”
She looked down. “Did I? Because every time I look at her, I see how broken she is. She doesn’t laugh anymore. She barely sleeps. Sometimes, I think I should’ve let her remember everything that night and face it once and for all.”
Melvin exhaled, low and heavy. “We can’t change what we did. We just need to prepare for what comes next.”
Gemma nodded slowly, but her eyes glistened. “And when she finally remembers? When she looks at me and realizes what we did?”
He hesitated. “Then we pray she forgives us.”
Silence.
Gemma wiped her tears and reached for her phone on the nightstand.
Melvin looked up. “Who are you calling?”
“Dr. Nina.” Her voice shook slightly. “I need to talk to her.”
“Gemma, it’s midnight—”
“I don’t care.” She pressed the phone to her ear.
After a few rings, a calm voice answered, “Mrs. Raven?”
Gemma let out a breath. “Nina, I’m sorry for calling this late. I just… I think something’s happening to Aurora.”
There was a pause. “Tell me everything.”
“She kissed someone, her childhood friend.” Gemma said quietly. “I saw them. It wasn’t just a kiss. It was… it was like her body remembered him.”
“She didn’t panic. She didn’t push him away. She…” Her voice caught. “She let him touch her.”
Melvin turned his gaze away, jaw clenched.
Dr. Nina’s tone softened. “Gemma, listen to me. The wall isn’t a permanent barrier.
It was a psychological defense, not a full erasure.
With the original doctor gone, I’ve been the only one monitoring her progress.
If her emotions toward Leonard are returning, it’s because that connection was rooted before the trauma. ”
Gemma’s grip on the phone tightened. “So what do we do?”
“For now, nothing drastic.” Nina said. “Just watch her closely. If she starts showing signs, nightmares, confusion, sudden panic, call me immediately. If she remembers too fast, her mind might not handle it.”
Gemma shut her eyes. “You’re saying it could break her again.”
“I’m saying it could either break her, or heal her.”
The call ended.
Gemma lowered the phone slowly, her heartbeat loud in the silence.
Melvin came closer, speaking low. “What did she say?”
Gemma looked up at him, eyes tired, haunted. “She said the wall’s weakening.”
The bathroom smelled faintly of vanilla and steam. Sunlight slipped through the frosted glass, scattering gold over the white marble. Aurora sank deeper into the warm water, her knees glistening just above the surface.
It should’ve felt relaxing, it didn’t.
She could barely sleep. Whenever she closed her eyes, all she saw were the kiss at the Villa, the kiss in her bedroom, their make out in the abandoned lab.
Jesus Christ! Is this even here anymore?
Such physical interactions? With a guy?
She ran her hands through her wet hair. It's now fully black, no red highlights.
Just her normal silky black hair.
She dragged her hand through the water, trying to wash the thought off her skin.
The kiss came to her mind again. Yesterday.
Not once but twice. More than.
And she reacted. Heck her pantie.
Geez!
She’d spent years building walls, and in one night he’d managed to knock the air out of her.
The ringtone cut through the silence, soft, familiar, the one she’d set just for Oma.
Aurora froze, her heart tightening.
For a second, she almost didn’t answer.
Then she did. “...Hey,” she said quietly.
There was a pause on the other end. “So you do remember how to pick up your phone?” Oma’s tone wasn’t sharp, just wounded.
Aurora bit her lip. “Oma, please don’t start.”
“I’m not starting, I’m just…” Oma’s voice cracked a little. “You called me ten times last night, Rora. Ten. I was sleeping. You care that much?”
“I know. I know, I messed up.” Aurora’s throat tightened. “I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Then think now,” Oma said softly. “Because it’s been two days since you snapped at me.”
Aurora closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the tub’s edge. The warmth of the water suddenly felt useless. “I was overwhelmed.” She whispered. “I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”
Another silence. Then a sigh. “You do that sometimes.”
“I know.” Her voice broke. “I’m sorry.”
“You sounded like you were crying in those voicemails.” Oma murmured. “Are you okay?”
Aurora sighed. “No. But I’ll survive.”
“You always say that.”
“Because it’s true.”
A pause. Then, softer: “I miss you, you idiot.”
Aurora smiled, even though her eyes burned. “Miss you too.”
There was a quiet stretch. Aurora stared at the bubbles floating over her knees, then whispered. “Can you… come over?”
Oma hesitated. “Now?”
“Yeah.” Aurora said, voice small. “I just don’t… want to be alone today.”
Another beat. Then Oma sighed softly, her tone shifting, tender, forgiving. “Give me twenty minutes.”
Aurora smiled weakly. “Okay.”
“Don’t drown before I get there.”
Aurora half smiled. “No promises.”
The call disconnected and Aurora was left to silence again. The thought of everything that happened this weekend flooding her mind.
Minutes Later…
Oma arrived, heading for the stairs immediately.
Aurora was standing in the hallway, dressed in a lazy outfit, hair still damp. For a moment, neither spoke. Then Oma dropped her tote bag and pulled her into a hug so sudden, Aurora nearly stumbled.
“You’re such a drama queen. Finally got rid of the red highlights.” Oma muttered against her shoulder.
Aurora breathed. “You came fast.”
“You sounded like you were dying.”
“I might’ve been.”
Oma pulled back, eyes scanning her friend. “You look terrible.”
“Thanks.” Aurora said dryly.
“I mean it in a loving way. Like… ‘my best friend’s losing it, I’m here to save her’ kind of terrible.”
“Wow, poetic.”
“Shut up.” Oma smiled.
They went upstairs, the air between them finally light again. In Aurora’s room, Oma threw herself onto the bed while Aurora curled up near the headboard, knees pulled close.
For a while, they just scrolled through their phones, that familiar silence that only close friends can have.
Then Oma broke it. “So…” she said, twirling her braids. “How was the big, fancy reunion with the Grandes?”
Aurora froze.
Oma raised a brow. “That bad?”
Aurora exhaled. “Leo kissed me.”
Oma blinked. “Yeah, I know. He’s always kissing you, your hand, your cheek, your—”
“No. On the lips.”
Oma sat up so fast, the pillow hit the floor. “Wait. WHAT?”
Aurora stared down at her lap. “At his birthday party. When I went into the villa.”
Oma’s mouth dropped open. “Like… mouth on mouth?”
Aurora gave a tiny nod.
“Jesus Christ, Rora!” Oma squeaked, throwing a pillow at her. “You’re joking… please tell me you’re joking!”
“I’m not.”
“And you, you didn’t slap him? Throw him into a wall?”
Aurora gave a weak smile. “Well, I did, after I kissed him back.”
The room went still. Even the air seemed to pause.
“You what?” Oma whispered.
Aurora looked miserable. “At the party. And last night… again. We… kissed again. Longer.”
Oma’s face was a perfect mix of disbelief and silent screaming. “You kissed Leonard twice? And you liked it?”
Aurora opened her mouth, closed it again, then said quietly, “My body did.”
Oma blinked. “What?”
Aurora sighed, burying her face in her hands. “When he left last night… I went to the bathroom and—ugh, never mind.”
“No, no, you started, you’re finishing,” Oma pressed, sliding closer.
Aurora peeked through her fingers, cheeks burning. “It was… obvious I was…” She swallowed. “Aroused. There. Happy?”
Oma stared for a full five seconds, then muttered, “I’m gonna faint.”
“Please don’t.”
Oma fell back on the bed dramatically. “You kissed your childhood best friend.”
“Not helping.”
“Do you realize what this means?”
Aurora looked away, voice barely audible. “It means I’m messed up.”
Oma sat up again, serious now. “No, it means you’re feeling again. After everything.”
Aurora blinked at her, confused.
“Think about it.” Oma said gently. “You’ve been numb for years. You’re finally… reacting. To something. Even if it’s Leo.”
Aurora looked down at her hands, silent.
Oma sighed, softening. “Okay, I’m done teasing. I just, don’t overthink it yet. Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe it’s everything. Just… breathe, okay?”
Aurora nodded faintly.
Then Oma reached out, squeezing her hand. “Also, next time he tries to kiss you again, call me first. I’m bringing popcorn.”
Aurora gave a brief smile, the tension breaking. “Idiot.”
“Your idiot.”
A soft knock sounded.
Before Aurora could answer, the door creaked open and Mrs. Raven walked in, graceful as always, a small tray balanced in her hands.
“Brought you girls some snacks.” She said with a calm smile.
“Thanks, aunty.” Oma replied quickly.
Gemma set the tray down, her gaze flicking to Aurora. She didn’t say much, just scanned her daughter quietly.
Her eyes trailed from Aurora’s hair to her lips, down to her posture. Observant. Gentle.
Gemma gave one last look, and turned for the door. “Enjoy your morning, girls.”
When the door closed, Oma turned instantly, eyes wide.
“Okay, spill.” She said, jumping off the bed. “Where exactly did it happen? On this bed? Near the door? The mirror?”
Aurora blinked. “Oma…”
“Don’t ‘Oma’ me, girl. You said he kissed you again last night, how, when, where?!” Oma grinned, crossing her arms. “And most importantly… what did it feel like?”
Aurora buried her face in a pillow. “I hate you.”
“Nope. You love me. Now talk.”
The whole day, Oma didn't give Aurora peace, she kept on asking about the kiss.
Right now Aurora can't even sleep, just like last night. Everything rushes to her mind when she closes her eyes.
She was still in her thoughts when she suddenly saw a shadow from the corner of her eyes.
Her balcony.
Aurora froze, heart racing, the echo of footsteps sliding into the night’s silence. The curtain fluttered, and before she could turn, he was there.
Leonard..
What the fuxk?!?
He looked half-wild in the dark, dark clothes, hair damp, eyes burning like he’d walked straight out of her thoughts.
“How did you, what are you doing here? How did you get past the guards? Have you lost your mind?” She whispered, backing away, her voice trembling between disbelief and something else entirely.
Leo’s jaw flexed. “Maybe I have.”
He took a step forward. “You left me starving, Noelle.” His voice was low, rough, breaking the space between them.
And before she could breathe, he closed the distance, his hand finding her face, his mouth crushing into hers, silencing every question she could ever ask.
“Ren…”
F?ck, that voice again when she says that name.
The air disappeared between them. Her pulse was the only sound.
His mouth explored hers, dominating, possessing, claiming.
And yet again, she found her fucked uo self responding. Did she even have a choice?
“...Ren…”
He gave her seconds to breathe before sealing their lips again.
Their legs moved, till Aurora's hit the edge of her bed and they landed on it.
Aurora gasped. “...No.. Ren…”
She pushed his chest, trying to break the kiss.
Leonard's hand found it's way to Aurora's right bre?st.
A gasp tore through her lungs.
She mumbled something into the kiss, obviously of disapproval.
So this ain't a dream? He's really fucking here?
His cold palm squeezed her boob, earning an unfamiliar sound from her…
“Ahh… Ren…”