Aurora Dourada: Retorno By Ricardo Almeida

Carrie bit her lip, her brows furrowing as she softly recounted, “Two years ago, one night, I couldn’t sleep and found myself wandering around the house. I saw Annie entering Justin’s room alone. Back then, Justin wasn’t fond of her, and they rarely shared the bed. Most of the time, they slept in separate rooms. The three years Annie spent married to Justin were incredibly difficult. I could see that she loved him deeply but was too afraid to approach him. Annie could only silently watch over him. During quiet nights when Justin was away, she would sometimes lie on his bed for a while, secretly wear his shirts, and spray his cologne. However, she never let him find out about all of this. Annie truly loved Justin. She loved him so humbly Sometimes, I feel heartbroken for her.”

Even Ryan found it difficult to listen to this, feeling Bella’s pain was

undeserved.

Perhaps the most agonizing thing was not when two people drifte apart, but having the person you love deeply within reach, yet knowing you could never truly have them.

“That night, I saw Annie enter Justin’s bedroom. Soon after, Justin came home, completely drunk and reeking of alcohol. His face was

flushed like he had a fever.”

Ryan seemed to remember the occasion. It was the anniversary of

Justin’s mother’s death, and he had organized a gathering with

friends to help Justin cope.

The night was chaotic, and Justin must have had numerous drinks,

completely blacking out.

Later, Ryan escorted Justin back to Tideview Manor. Justin was then helped into the house by the housekeeper. Ryan had no clue about what happened after that.

“And then?” Ryan hurriedly asked.

“And then… Justin headed back to his room, and for the entire night, neither he nor Annie came out. I got worried and curious. So, I pushed the door and walked in. Through the bedroom door, I heard… I…”

Carrie bit her lip, her face flushing as if she were burning up, too

embarrassed to continue.

Ryan’s pupils contracted gradually, shocked and speechless.

So, they had already slept together once while they were still married?

But his clueless best friend, who was too drunk to remember anything, had no recollection of sleeping with his own wife?!

Damn… Men really could not remember anything after they were do

with their business, huh?

“Have you not mentioned this to Justin in the past two years?” Ryan

asked.

“How could I? Besides, Annie obviously didn’t want Justin to find out,” Carrie replied.

“How would you know? If you had told Justin, maybe he would have treated Bella better! After all, they had already been intimate!” Ryan’s

tone grew a bit harsh, with a hint of urgency in his voice. All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.

Carrie shrugged with a hint of fear in her eyes.

Ryan quickly pulled her into an embrace, gently patting her back as he apologized. “I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. I was just impatient. I just really hoped they could get back together.”

“At that time, Annie was always careful around Justin. She knew he wasn’t fond of her and even despised her… She was afraid that if he found out that they had slept together, he would resent her even

more, thinking she took advantage of him.”

With tears welling up in her eyes, Carrie continued, “So… I had no choice but to help Annie keep this secret. Ryan, do you think I did something wrong?”

“No, no… Carrie, you did nothing wrong. You just wanted the best for

Bella.”

Kissing Carrie’s ear gently, Ryan spoke with a voice filled with resentment toward Justin. “The one who’s in the wrong here is Justin. He’s made such a big mistake! He took advantage of a

without even realizing it.”

“Is there anything else that I can do? I really want Justin and Annie to reconcile, too.” Carrie sighed sincerely.

“And they will. They’re bound to reconcile.”

Ryan sighed, though he lacked complete confidence. “I believe that

deep down, Justin still holds an important place in Bella’s heart.

They’ll find their way back to each other eventually.”