BROKEN HEART: A Contract Marriage With Mr Stone

AURORA POV

“Yesss…” I drawled, stretching the word like a sigh that wanted to sound convincing. “Darren and I are both ready.”

“Thought you’d never call. I talked to your sister—she said she’ll help you,” Mom said in that calm, calculating tone that always made my stomach twist.

“Oh, I’ll call her too,” I replied, pretending it didn’t sting that she’d gone ahead and talked to Tessa first.

She hummed. “Okay. Tomorrow then—we’ll talk about it.”

And just like that, she hung up.

The call ended with a soft beep, and I just stared at the phone for a moment. Then I placed it on the small table beside the bed and lay down, my back turned to Darren. I didn’t want to see his face right now—his calm, detached expression that said he didn’t care one way or another.

Why did she agree so easily?

That thought replayed over and over like a broken record.

Still… at least she’s willing to help me, right? That should mean something.

I pulled the covers up, closed my eyes, and pretended the silence between Darren and me wasn’t suffocating.

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“Are you sure you’re okay with that?” I asked, pressing the phone harder to my ear as if that could bring her closer.

“Sis, yes, I’m sure,” Tessa said, her voice soft and airy. “If it’s about helping you, then yesss. Though, it’s gonna be awkward with Darren.”

I smiled faintly. She said it so easily, like it was nothing. Like she wasn’t about to step into my life in a way that could ruin everything.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my throat tight. “And thank you for being willing to do this. I promise—you’ll be taken care of, and I’ll compensate you.”

“Aurora, stop please.” Her laugh was gentle, familiar. “You’re my sister. I’ll do anything for your happiness.”

That broke me a little. I pressed my lips together as tears stung my eyes.

“Thank you so much, Tessa,” I murmured, my voice cracking.

“So… how’s it gonna go?” she asked. “When do you need me to come over? What’s the arrangement?”

“I don’t know yet,” I admitted softly. “But I’ll let you know once we figure it out. Thank you again. Really.”

“Always, Love you.”

"Love you too"

I hung up before my emotions could swallow me whole.

My fingers trembled slightly as I dialed Amy’s number. She picked up on the first ring.

“Aurora!” she half-yelled, half-laughed, and for the first time that day, I felt a little lighter.

“Hey, Amy.” I exhaled slowly. “So, I called Tessa. She said she doesn’t mind helping, but I feel nervous. Uneasy. Like something’s off.”

“I get it,” Amy said, her voice dropping. “I don’t feel great about it either, Rora. But maybe it’s for the best, right?”

“Maybe,” I muttered. Silence lingered between us for a beat. “Enough about me. How’s work—and your love life?”

“Hmmm.” I could hear her smirk. “Aside from my boss being an ass and my crush on Elias—wait, not Elias. I mean… I just recently saw his frienddddd.” She dragged the word, playful and dramatic. “And Aurora, I’ve been stalking him. I don’t have a man.”

I laughed despite myself. “You’re insane, Amy. I just want to get drunk and forget about everything—but I can’t. Not now.”

“Darren would flip if he saw your drunk side,” she teased. “You’d probably kill him in his sleep.”

“Tempting,” I whispered.

“God, I miss your sarcasm,” she said.

“Remember when you dragged me to that rooftop bar and swore we were ‘manifesting peace’ but ended up crying to Taylor Swift at 1 a.m.?”

I laughed, really laughed this time. “Don’t remind me. That was my villain origin story.”

Amy snorted. “Girl, it was my downfall too. My boss caught me the next morning looking like I fought a raccoon.”

I smiled, sinking into the comfort of her voice. For a second, it felt like I could breathe again.

That made me chuckle again, a sound that almost felt foreign now. Amy always had that effect — she reminded me of who I used to be. The girl who laughed without guilt. The girl who didn’t flinch every time her phone rang.

“Anyway,” she continued, “when’s Tessa coming over?”

“She said she’ll come tomorrow. I just hope it doesn’t get awkward,” I murmured.

“It’s gonna be weird, no lie,” Amy admitted.

“But you’re doing what you have to. Just… promise me you won’t overthink it tonight."

I hummed. “No promises.”

She sighed. “Okay, go sleep before I drive over there and tuck you in myself.”

“Goodnight, Amy.”

“Night, sis.”

I hung up, exhaling a shaky breath before tossing my phone on the nightstand. The room was silent again — too silent.

Then the door opened.

Darren strolled in, shirt half-unbuttoned, his usual cologne filling the room before he even said a word. His tie hung loose around his neck, his hair a little messy — not from work, but from someone.

His eyes flicked toward the phone still glowing beside me. “Late-night calls?”

“Amy,” I said quietly.

He nodded, unbothered, but the corner of his mouth tugged in that familiar smirk — the one that made it impossible to tell if he believed me or not.

“You’ve been spending a lot of time on the phone lately,” he said, casually undoing the rest of his cuff buttons. “Should I be jealous?”

I ignored the jab. “I talked to Tessa today. She said she’ll help.”

He glanced up briefly, interest flickering in his eyes. “She did?”

I nodded. “Yeah. She didn’t say when she’s coming though.”

He smiled to himself — slow, deliberate.

“Then tell her to come in two days.”

“Two days? Isn’t that a little—”

He cut me off with a lazy grin. “The sooner, the better, baby. You overthink when you wait. It’s annoying.”

I frowned. “You could try being a little more sensitive, you know.”

"Sorry baby I just want is to get it over it.. it's gonna be awkward but we're doing this for us" he said softly and I clenched my jaws.

"It's fine I'll text her to come in two days time"i replied and be nod his head going to the bathroom…

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The next two days felt like waiting for a storm I knew was coming — one I couldn’t dodge, no matter how far I ran.

Darren barely said a word after that night.

Just existed — all cool charm and calm silence, like nothing ever burned between us.

That was his thing. The colder he got, the more you doubted your own warmth.

By the morning of the second day, I woke up to the sound of a car pulling into the driveway.

My stomach dropped.

She’s here.