Page 63 of Vendetta Crown

"You should leave now."

Sienna nods, her hand trembling as she wipes uselessly at her mascara-streaked face. She reaches for the door handle, pausing for just a moment.

"I really am sorry, Aurora."

"I know."

The door closes behind her with a soft click, and I collapse into the nearest chair. The weight of everything: the documentary, the pregnancy, the bratva politics, and now this confrontation. All of it crashes down on me at once. I press my palms against my eyes, willing the tears to stop.

I don't know how long I sit there before the door bursts open.

"What the hell happened?" Hannah rushes in, her red hair flying behind her. "Sienna just ran out of here crying like someone died."

I drop my hands to my lap and look up at my best friend. "I showed her what her Instagram post really did."

Hannah's eyes widen as she notices the exposed bruise on my cheek where I'd wiped away the makeup.

"Jesus, Aurora." She pulls up a chair next to me. "You didn't hold back, did you?"

"I couldn't." I shake my head. "She needed to see."

"And did you accept her apology?"

"I did." My hands find my belly again, that protective instinct becoming more natural each day. "But I also made it clear that acceptance isn't the same as absolution."

Hannah reaches for my hand and squeezes it. "That's fair. More than fair, honestly."

"I don't feel good about it," I admit. "Making her cry wasn't the goal. But I needed her to understand."

Hannah wraps her arm around my shoulders and pulls me close. "Hey, don't beat yourself up. She needed to hear it."

"I know, but..." My voice catches. "I made myself relive it all over again just to punish her."

"You weren't punishing her. You were showing her the truth." Hannah's voice is gentle but firm. "There's a difference."

The tears I've been fighting spill over. "I'm so tired of being strong all the time."

"Then don't be." Hannah pulls me tighter against her. "Not with me."

Something inside me breaks, a dam holding back years of fear, rage, and heartache. I sob against Hannah's shoulder, my body shaking with each ragged breath.

"I didn't ask for any of this," I choke out between sobs. "I didn't ask to be hunted. I didn't ask to fall in love with a pakhan. I didn't ask to get pregnant in the middle of a bratva war."

Hannah strokes my hair, letting me cry it out. "I know, honey. I know."

"And the worst part is,Istill feel guilty. For making Sienna cry. For dragging you into this mess. For putting Ruslan in danger." My words tumble out between hiccupping sobs. "For being Jamie Fields."

"Stop." Hannah grips my shoulders, making me look at her. "You're not dragging anyone anywhere. We're all choosing to stand with you because we love you."

I wipe at my eyes, nodding.

"You'll never stop being Jamie Fields. The same way that you'll never stop being Aurora Dragunov now. They're just different chapters of the same story." She squeezes my hand. "A story that isn't over yet."

I take a shuddering breath, trying to gather myself. The confrontation with Sienna has left me emotionally raw, exposing nerves I've kept carefully protected for years.

"I don't think I'm ready," I admit, wiping the last tears from my face. "To cast someone as my mother, I mean."

Hannah nods, giving me space to continue.

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