Aura didn't know what possessed her. A drunken, guilt-ridden, and rambling Alexander had broken down his walls, and in the middle of that cold night, she sought a warmth that shouldn't have been there, leading to the destruction of her dignity.
Alexander pulled her to the bed. He kissed her with a rough, consuming hunger, seeking distraction from his pain, not connection. Aura's elegant clothing and Alexander's crumpled shirt were quickly shed to the floor, revealing a nakedness now joined by desperation and contract. Aura allowed herself to be pulled into his embrace, that harsh warmth immediately enveloping them.
Right as the tension peaked, the whisper slipped from his lips, loud and clear in Aura's ear.
"Chloe!"
Aura felt her entire body freeze. Her eyes, which had been closed, now snapped open, and cold, painful tears streamed down her temples, not from emotion, but from the brutal humiliation. The whispered name was a stark affirmation that she didn't exist. She was merely an empty vessel for the fantasy of the woman he loved.
Alexander, now spent, collapsed beside Aura. He fell asleep instantly.
Aura got up. She wiped away the tears, which felt cold and sharp like shards of glass. She grabbed her silk robe and walked to the end of the room. She had to strike first.
"I'll give you ten minutes, Alexander. Ten minutes to wake up, wash the alcohol stench off yourself, and face what you threw up in this room last night. Not just your drunken confession, but the consequences of these tears."
Aura's voice, cold, sharp, and threatening, broke the silence. Alexander groaned.
"Wake up now, Alexander! I don't have time for the drama of a drunk man regretting his confession. You have an unofficial Board Meeting starting as soon as Victor hears about last night's ruckus. So, wake up and face your wife, whose name you just replaced with another woman's!"
Alexander jolted awake, his face showing a rare mix of shame and terror.
"Aura, I... I'm sorry," he said, his voice hoarse. "I don't know how I ended up here. I wasn't aware of what I said. I was too drunk. Please, just forget it."
"Forget it?" Aura repeated, a bitter laugh bursting from her lips. "You're asking your Wife, whose name you just replaced with another woman's, to forget this ultimate humiliation? Can you tell me, Alexander, if the whispered name 'Chloe' at the peak was also a 'mistake' you blame on the alcohol? Because, honestly, Alexander, I would rather you slap me or call me a gold digger again than insult me with the name of the woman you love at the moment you should have been calling mine!"
Alexander stiffened. "That's... that's not fair, Aura. You know our position. You know this is just a contract! I never promised emotional intimacy!"
"I know this is a contract! But this contract doesn't grant you the right to strip me of my dignity!" Aura cut in, walking quickly to his side. "I performed everything you asked professionally! And in return, what did I get? Humiliation in bed? You used my body to ease your longing for Chloe! You see these tears? This is my shattered self-worth, Alexander, and you will pay dearly for it!"
"Now, let's make one thing clear, Alexander. I am your Wife, Mrs. Volkov. You will act professionally, or you will not touch me again. I demand the respect due to your highly paid contract partner. If you want to use my body as part of this deal, it will happen in absolute silence. No whispered names, and no morning-after apologies!"
Alexander got out of bed. "Fine," he said, his voice turning cold. "You are right. I crossed the line. I apologize for the... incident last night. It will not happen again."
"It will not happen again?" Aura challenged. "Do you mean your drunkenness, or the whispered name of Chloe? Because if it's the former, I'm not sure of your ability to control yourself. If it's the latter, I will consider it a binding contractual promise that you must fulfill, or I will walk out of this fake marriage. And Victor's Inheritance will fall into your Uncle's hands."
Alexander stared at her. "I swear, Aura. There will be no other name between us. I will control myself. This is a binding contractual promise. What else do you demand?"
"I demand information. I cannot continue to be an ignorant puppet. I need to know the details about that Inheritance, about the business behind the Volkov name. I will find those details myself if you refuse to give them to me."
Alexander nodded. "You will get access. I will arrange a briefing this afternoon. Now, I must go to the office to clean up the mess I made last night. Do not leave the house."
Aura put on her silk dress. She walked to the door, her hand already on her small bag.
"I am leaving," Aura stated, her tone calm and final.
Alexander frowned. "Leaving where? I told you not to leave the house. You can't be seen outside; Victor is watching."
"I am tired of all these rules, Alexander! I am tired of being treated like a porcelain doll only allowed in the lounge! You can control the contract, you can control the wealth, but you cannot control me!"
"What are you going to do? Go back to that coffee shop?" Alexander asked, a hint of disdain in his voice.
Aura met his gaze, her eyes ice cold. "I will go out and do what I have to do to earn money, Alexander. Isn't that what you think of me? I will sell myself. I will sell my time. I will seek validation that you cannot provide. You think I'm a gold digger? Now I will be the woman you accused me of being!"
Alexander was stunned. "Aurelia, stop this nonsense! You are not going anywhere!"
"I am already gone. You can buy my mother, but you cannot buy my dignity. Enjoy the morning clean of your drunken smell and regrets, Alexander. I have a life to live."
Aura turned and stormed out of the suite, leaving a shocked and enraged Alexander behind.
She descended the marble staircase. Outside the mansion gate, she hailed a taxi. The taxi took her away from her Golden Hell, toward the train station.
Aura entered the cramped, worn train restroom. She locked the door. She removed her expensive silk dress, folding it carefully into her bag. She took out the itchy polyester uniform and an oversized shirt from her bag, her convenience store work clothes.
She stared at her reflection in the dim mirror. The woman in the mirror, without jewelry and expensive clothing, looked more real, stronger.
"Welcome back, Aura. This is the place where your worth is measured by how neatly you stack cans, not by the name whispered by a drunk man."
Aura changed her clothes. She left Mrs. Volkov in the train restroom and stepped out as Aura, the convenience store night shifter. She had a life to live, far away from the lies and the beautiful memories of Alexander and Chloe's past.