Chapter 13
Aurora was taken aback for a while. At her home, while in the TV room waiting for Alex to return from Singapore, she sat on the couch. She tried hard to recall yesterday’s events at the hospital.
Somehow, there was a suffocating feeling enveloping her. After years of not seeing each other, suddenly Alden reappeared without permission and managed to stir Aurora’s heart and mind.
“Do you still remember me, right?”
That was the first question that came out of Alden’s mouth when they met at the hospital. After all, how could Aurora forget about the man who once filled her heart in the past?
Alden was her first love, the most beautiful one, and one Aurora would never forget. The separation between them was just a big mistake that Aurora had made.
“I promise I’ll only be gone for a while. After completing my education and obtaining a specialist degree in Cardiovascular Medicine, I’ll come back immediately to propose and marry you.”
Aurora remembered clearly the promise Alden once made when he was about to pursue a specialist medical education in America. It felt heavy to be separated from the man she loved so much. Moreover, their relationship had lasted quite a long time.
Almost every activity Aurora did was with Alden. That’s why she felt reluctant about having to endure a long-distance relationship in the future. Not to mention the many fears haunting Aurora and making her feel uneasy.
However, Alden at that time tried to reassure her. He understood that he would remain faithful. He promised to propose and marry Aurora as soon as he returned from his studies.
In the first few years, Aurora and Alden’s relationship went smoothly. They still often communicated well through phone calls, and Alden even came back to Indonesia twice to surprise his girlfriend on her birthday.
However, as they entered the third year, arguments frequently arose due to Alden’s increasingly busy schedule. Aurora felt neglected. As is common with women, if they don’t receive enough attention, they tend to overthink and accuse all sorts of things.
Eventually, Alden disappeared. He didn’t give any news at all, leaving Aurora confused.
After several months of no contact and believing Alden made no effort to fix things, Aurora considered her relationship with Alden over.
Then, in moments of despair and emptiness, Alex appeared and was able to heal the wounds Aurora felt. In fact, Alex confidently proposed to Aurora and asked her to marry him immediately.
Not wanting the past to repeat itself, Aurora accepted Alex’s proposal. Who knew, a month before the wedding ceremony, Alden returned from America and immediately sought out Aurora. He even came with the intention to propose.
“You can’t just come and go from my life as you please, Alden. You suddenly disappeared without a word. And now? Without any guilt, you come back to propose? Don’t be ridiculous!”
“Who’s being ridiculous? Didn’t I promise from the beginning that I would marry you after obtaining my specialist degree?”
Aurora nodded. She couldn’t deny that. It was because of this promise that Aurora willingly let Alden go to pursue his education in America.
“But why did you disappear for the past year? You have no idea how agonizing it was for me every day waiting for news from you.”
“I didn’t disappear, Aurora,” Alden spoke softly. “I didn’t go anywhere. You know yourself that I was mourning my father’s death at that time. I also kindly asked you to give me a little time to calm down.”
Aurora realized when Alden’s father breathed his last, her lover was so devastated. He felt an immense loss. He even lost the enthusiasm to continue his studies.
Aurora actually remembered that, to calm himself down, Alden asked for a little time to fix his emotional state. But after that, Alden truly seemed to have vanished from the earth.
“So, why didn’t you keep in touch afterward?”
“Who says? Whenever I was out of town, I made sure to contact you and keep you updated. Plus, from the start, I told you about the internship obligation, which was located in a remote village where it wasn’t possible to reach you all the time.”NôvelDrama.Org copyrighted © content.
Aurora remembered that. Upon reflection, Alden had indeed informed her. But still, Aurora was annoyed. She felt neglected because Alden was too busy with his own activities. During the internship, he only contacted her twice.
“I didn’t really disappear like you’re accusing me of,” Alden continued. “It was you who didn’t want to wait for me patiently at that time.”
“But it’s all pointless now. I’m engaged to another man. And we’re even getting married soon.”
If only Aurora had been a bit more patient and understood Alden’s situation, maybe they would have been husband and wife by now. Let’s say they weren’t meant to be together. But why did they have to meet again when Aurora’s marriage wasn’t in a good condition?
“Darling… what are you thinking about?”
In her reverie, Aurora startled. She became aware when someone suddenly hugged her from behind.
“Alex?”
Alex then briefly kissed Aurora’s forehead. He moved to sit beside his wife.
“What were you thinking about that you didn’t realize I’m already home?”
Aurora smiled faintly. There was no way she could honestly answer Alex’s question just now. Even though it was just a moment, Aurora was reluctant to tell her husband about the questions she had been thinking about regarding the man who once filled her heart.
“I wasn’t thinking about anything. By the way, have you eaten?”
Alex nodded. “Yes, on the plane.” Then he handed over a small brown paper bag he had been holding. “I brought some gifts for you. Hope you like them.”
Aurora smiled widely. Whose heart wouldn’t melt and feel touched when given attention and unexpected gifts like this by her husband.
“Oh my, I told you I didn’t want any gifts.”
“It’s okay. I just want to make my wife happy.”
Aurora smiled again. With enthusiasm, she opened the ribbon around the orange box in her hand.
She was a bit hysterical for a moment because she didn’t expect what she got. Aurora slowly and very carefully took out the items inside.
“Alex, this is the latest edition bag and it’s not even available here yet.”
“Yes. I know you love collecting bags from this brand. Luckily, before coming back, I managed to find and buy it especially for you.”
Aurora looked touched. She hugged Alex tightly.
“Thank you so much for the gift. Seriously, I didn’t expect you to buy something I really wanted.”
“Yes, Darling. You’re welcome. I’ll do anything to make you happy or bring you joy.”
Alex laughed meaningfully. His efforts to win over Aurora’s heart were not in vain.