Raven's POV
Raven paced the length of her apartment, the weight of the decision pressing heavily on her chest. Her eyes flicked to the clock—half-past nine. Lia would be calling soon, and even though she dreaded the conversation, she needed to talk to someone. The anxiety had been gnawing at her all day, ever since the chance encounter with Aurelio.
She felt it—his presence—lingering like a shadow. She could still see the way his sharp gaze had held hers, the recognition flickering in his eyes before the walls slammed down. He hadn't spoken to her about their past, but the silence had been louder than any words.
Her phone buzzed against the coffee table, breaking the stillness. She glanced at the screen, a deep sigh escaping her lips as she saw Lia's name.
"Raven?"
Lia's voice was as warm as it had always been, but there was an edge of concern, the tone of someone who had known Raven long enough to understand the weight she carried.
"I saw him," Raven whispered, her voice barely audible as she sank onto the couch.
"Aurelio?"
"Yes," Raven muttered, rubbing her forehead. "It was… too much, Lia."
Lia's voice softened. "I told you this would happen. You can't keep running."
Raven closed her eyes, pushing back the wave of memories. "I know, but I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready to face him."
"You can't keep hiding, Raven. He's here, and you have to deal with it. You owe it to yourself."
Raven inhaled deeply. "You don't understand."
Lia was quiet for a moment, and Raven could almost hear the weight of the other woman's thoughts. Finally, Lia spoke, her voice steady and kind. "I may not understand, but I do know this: you can't do this alone anymore."
Raven swallowed hard. Her throat constricted. "I know."
"You've been running for six years, Raven. It's time to stop. Face him. Face it. Whatever the hell it is."
Raven's eyes flicked to the window, the moonlight casting soft shadows in her apartment. She hadn't seen Aurelio in so long—hadn't allowed herself to think about him. About everything that had happened between them. Everything that hadn't happened.
Her daughter's face flashed In her mind, and her stomach turned. She pushed the thought away, her hands trembling. She couldn't think about that now. She wouldn't.
"I'm not ready to face him, Lia. Not yet."
Lia was silent for a moment, then spoke softly. "Just don't shut yourself off, okay? You've been through hell, but you're still here. You don't have to carry this alone."
Raven's hand tightened around the phone. "I won't."
"I'm here for you, always."
"I know," Raven whispered, closing her eyes. "I just… I need time."
"Take all the time you need, but don't stay away forever."
The call ended quietly, leaving Raven in the silence of her own thoughts. She leaned back against the couch, staring at the dim light filtering through the window. The past hadn't just been a chapter in her life. It had been a cage—a place she'd locked herself in to escape the reality of everything she'd lost.
And now, that cage was threatening to break open again.
Her daughter—the child she had left behind—was the one thing she couldn't forget. The one thing she could never run from.
She thought about the little girl, the daughter she had raised for a brief time before her parents' disownment had torn them apart. The daughter she had chosen to leave behind for her own protection, for her own sanity. No one knew. No one ever could.
She had kept the secret buried deep, but now, facing Aurelio again, it felt like everything was about to unravel. What would he think? What would he do when he found out the truth? That the daughter he never knew existed was a reality, and Raven had kept her from him.
The weight of that secret pressed down on her, harder than anything else. It wasn't just guilt. It was fear. Fear of everything she'd sacrificed. Fear of what Aurelio would say, what he would do when the truth came to light.
But for now, she could only keep it hidden. Just a little longer.
Aurelio's POV
Aurelio stood in his office, the city sprawled out before him. His eyes weren't focused on the view—his thoughts were elsewhere. He couldn't shake the image of Raven from his mind. She had looked the same, but so different. The way she had held herself—guarded, distant. As if she were afraid of him.
Aurelio clenched his fists at his sides. He could feel the unresolved tension between them, like a thread pulled too tight. What had happened between them? Why had she left without a word, without a trace?
And what had happened that night? The one he could never quite remember clearly, but the one that changed everything. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to the story. More that Raven wasn't telling him.
The phone on his desk buzzed, pulling him from his thoughts. He grabbed it, not even looking at the caller ID.
"Aurelio?"
Isabella's voice cut through his thoughts. "I heard about Raven."
"You heard?" Aurelio's jaw tightened.
"You didn't tell me you were running into her," Isabella said, her voice filled with concern. "What happened?"
Aurelio gripped the edge of his desk, his eyes fixed on the horizon. "I don't know. Something's not right. She's hiding something."
"You know, you might be right," Isabella replied quietly. "But you should be careful. You don't know what happened to her. Not everything is as it seems."
Aurelio narrowed his eyes. "I'll figure it out."
"Just don't push too hard. People are fragile. Especially Raven."
Aurelio's mind raced. Raven was never fragile. But whatever she was hiding… it had the power to shatter everything. He could feel it in his bones.
"I need to know the truth, Isabella. Whatever it is, I need to know."
Isabella sighed softly. "You'll find out soon enough."
The call ended, and Aurelio was left with nothing but silence and the growing weight of his thoughts. He stared at the city below, but all he could see was Raven. Her face. Her eyes.
And the child she hadn't mentioned.