Page 82 of Shattered Souls
His large, calloused hand slides between the wet, heavy strands of my hair. “Don’t regret a moment of weakness, James.” His voice is deep and earnest. “Showing weakness isn’t a failure. It’s a necessary part of the journey. Those moments of vulnerability allow us to grow and find our true strength. Without them, we’d never know the full extent of our resilience. It’s in those cracks that our light shines through the brightest.”
His words hit me hard, resonating deep within. Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but I blink them back, refusing to let them fall. “I just... I don’t want to let anyone down. Especially not Aurora.”
“You won’t,” he assures me, his grip tightening on the back of my head and tilting it so I’m looking into his face. “You’ve already shown more strength and resilience than most people ever do. The fact that you can admit to feeling weak and then find the courage to move forward, that’s what makes you truly strong.”
His breath dances across my lips before he seals it with a kiss, one that infuses me with more strength than I thought possible. I feel the cracks in my armor sealing over, melding together.
“And in those moments where you can’t be strong,” he whispers when he pulls back, still holding me. “I’ll be strong for you.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, my voice filled with gratitude.
His responding smile is a thing of beauty before he helps me change into a pair of leggings and a long-sleeved top of his.Before we exit the bathroom, though, he places a hand on my arm. “I want to show you something.”
I glance up at him, searching his eyes. “Okay.”
With a small smile at my display of trust, he trails his fingers down my arm before slotting them through mine and leading me out of the bathroom.
We cross the hall to his room before he drops my hand, moving to flick on the bedside lamp before opening a drawer in his dresser. “I don’t think I ever told you I snuck into Lydia’s house once.”
“You did?” My eyebrows hitch in surprise. “Why?”
Back still turned to me, he shrugs those broad shoulders of his. “I didn’t like the things you said about her—how she was withholding Aurora from you. So, I went to do a little digging.”
I huff humorlessly. “Of course you did. Wait, is that how you found out she was up to something?”
He nods. Lifting something out of his dresser drawer, he turns to face me. “I went there to better understand Lydia… but also because I was curious about Aurora.”
I go still, hanging on his every word as he takes a step toward me.
“I saw the effort you’d put into her room.” Step. “Ensuring she felt at home in that house.” Step. “That she was loved.”
The light from the bedside table glints off the box in his hand, a sparkle of glitter catching my eye. My gaze snaps to the pink box he’s holding, a hand flying to cover my mouth as a gasp rips free. “Royce.”
His name is choked. Strangled.
“I found this hidden under her bed.”
My gulp is audible as I swallow, throat thick and dry. “H-how do you have that?”
Hands shaking, I drag my finger over the writing on the lid, scrawled in glitter pen:
Aurora and Mommy’s box of memories.
“I went back to her house the day after… She had the house packed up already. Her room…” Something in his tone has me lifting my eyes. He merely shakes his head and frowns. I focus back on the box. “I paid the movers to deliver everything she didn’t want here. It’s taken me a while to go through it all. I hadn’t wanted to say anything until I found it.”
Throat constricting around nothing, I croak, “Have you looked inside?”
One side of his lips tilts in a mischievous smile like he’s been caught doing something naughty. Despite the chaotic storm of emotions raging inside, I can’t help but laugh at his expression. “I might have peeked inside when I was in her room that night.”
I slowly take the box from him, holding it carefully in my arms as I sit on the edge of his bed. I pat the space beside me, waiting until he sits before reaching for the lid. “We made this when I found out I’d gotten into Halston. I wanted her to have keepsakes.” I swallow roughly. “I was worried my mother would toss out any nicknacks or reminders of me, so we put them all in here. Along with all the memories we made last summer.”
Breathing shallowly, I delicately lift the lid, setting it gently on the bedside table before I look down at the contents of the box. My lips tremble with the onslaught of memories. Craft days spent together. Birthdays. Movie dates. Our trip to the carnival last summer.
“There’s so much happiness in this box,” I murmur, taking my time as I flick through the stack of photos. In every single one, Aurora is smiling up at the camera.Happy.
“So much love, too,” Royce adds, leaning in to peer at the pictures.
“Yeah,” I agree.
