About

For as long as Aurora could remember, there had always been two houses. One belonged to her family. The other belonged to her father's closest friend, a man who had practically grown up alongside her father and remained more like a brother than a friend. Their families had never really lived separately. They shared dinners, holidays, birthdays, lazy Sunday afternoons, and countless little moments. Aurora and her siblings moved between the two houses so naturally that no one bothered knocking anymore. Her father's eldest son was twenty-four, Aurora was twenty-one, and her youngest sister was fourteen. And beside them had always been Callum Vale. Callum had married young, but after six years without children, his marriage eventually ended. He spent years living alone, burying himself in work and becoming quieter with every passing year. Yet he was never truly alone. He had Aurora's family. He had watched the children grow up, helped her brother with school, teased her little sister, and brought Aurora books whenever he traveled. Somewhere along the way, her family had become the family he never had. But as Aurora grew older, something about their relationship began to feel different. She couldn't explain exactly when it started. Maybe it was the way she suddenly became aware of his presence. Maybe it was the uncomfortable realization that Callum no longer saw her as the little girl who used to run between their houses. Whatever it was, Aurora began creating distance. And Callum noticed.