CHAPTER 429: CHAPTER 429: CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

Aurora slowly opened her eyes, her lashes fluttering as a wave of cold air brushed past her cheeks.

The scent that filled her nose was old and musty... familiar in the most uncomfortable way.

As her vision cleared, she looked around and froze.

She was standing in a room she knew far too well.

The peeling wallpaper clung weakly to the walls, patches of mold spread like dark veins across the ceiling, and a slow drip echoed from a leaking corner of the roof.

The faint odor of damp wood, dust, and rust invaded her senses.

"The old apartment..." Aurora whispered, her voice trembling.

Her gaze drifted toward the cracked mirror in the corner, and what she saw there made her heart stop.

Staring back at her was not the seventeen-year-old girl she knew herself to be... but a little girl, no older than ten. Her hair was shorter and unevenly cut, her cheeks rounder, and her eyes wide with the innocent wonder of childhood.

Aurora, no, her ten-year-old self blinked back from the reflection.

"What...?" Aurora muttered, touching her face. "How come I’ve become my ten-year-old self?"

Her heart raced as confusion wrapped around her like a cold fog. The edges of the room began to blur, colors smearing into one another as if she were falling through time.

Suddenly, she saw movement... her younger self running out the door with small, hurried steps. Aurora instinctively followed.

The world outside shifted. The familiar gray streets of her old neighborhood dissolved, replaced by a distant view of something she hadn’t seen in years,...a mansion, tall and elegant, standing proud against the horizon.

"Where... where am I going?" she murmured, watching the younger version of herself walk toward it.

Her feet moved on their own, carrying her behind the little girl until they both reached the grand iron gates of the mansion.

The young Aurora sat down on the front steps, wrapping her arms around her knees as if the place somehow belonged to her.

"Why am I sitting outside this mansion?" Aurora whispered in disbelief.

The next second, she was ’teleported’ inside her younger self’s body.

’What the heck... what is going on?’ Aurora felt her young body begin to be seated on the marble steps. ’Heck... I should run away before someone shoos me away.’

She was still lost in thought when she suddenly felt a gentle tap on her shoulder.

Turning around, she froze.

Standing before her was a boy, no older than ten, with soft black hair, bright blue eyes that shone like summer skies, and a faint smile that sent a rush of warmth through her chest. His face...

"Spencer?" she breathed, disbelief flooding her voice.

The boy tilted his head and smiled even more brightly. "Aurora."

He sat down beside her, their small shoulders brushing.

Aurora’s mind spun. It was impossible. Spencer... her Spencer... was a grown young man, her boyfriend, the one she loved deeply in the present.

And yet, here he was, in his childhood form, exactly as she remembered from the hazy memories she thought were dreams.

"What’s going on?" she whispered. "Why am I seeing you like this?"

But the young Spencer didn’t answer her confusion.

Instead, he grinned and said,

"Come on, Aurora. Let’s go explore the new gaming shop that opened near the next community. I heard they have the latest machines!"

She felt herself brighten up instantly. "Really? Can we go now?"

Spencer nodded.

Aurora found herself smiling faintly. She remembered this enthusiasm... it is very similar to Spencer’s personality. The childish spark, the innocent joy.

But then, she found herself hesitating and looked up at him. "But... can we eat sweets first?"

Spencer chuckled softly and tapped her forehead. "No, Aurora. You can’t eat sweets right now. Aunt Mary said your tooth was loose and you already have cavities. If you keep eating sugar, you’ll lose all your teeth before twelve!"

The little Aurora pouted and crossed her arms. "You sound just like my mom! I don’t want to talk to you anymore!"

Spencer laughed, the sound bright and clear, the same laugh she’d heard countless times as an adult.

"Alright, how about this," he said, holding up a finger. "If you stay away from sweets for a whole month, I’ll get you imported chocolate. The one you love the most."

She felt her eyes sparkle instantly. "Imported chocolate? Really? You promise?"

"I promise," he said with mock seriousness, pressing his hand to his chest. "The ’Cuteheart’ one."

At that name, adult Aurora’s breath caught. Her mind whirled. Cuteheart.

That was the exact chocolate she still loved now... her favorite.

She had never remembered when or how she started liking it. But here, in this strange dream, the origin unfolded before her eyes.

"Is... this is where it started?" Aurora murmured to herself.

She looked at little Spencer; her heart was filled with unsaid sadness. "Really?"

The young boy smiled warmly and said, "Yes! Have I ever lied to my Aurora?"

Her heart twisted painfully at his words.

The world began to shimmer again, as if the memory were growing unstable. Aurora blinked rapidly, trying to hold onto it, to him.

Then Spencer’s blue eyes gleamed with a strange wisdom far beyond his age.

"Aurora," he said softly, "you need to remember on your own. If you do, you’ll get what I have been sending you all along."

"What?" Aurora asked desperately. "What have you been sending me? What do you mean?"

He only smiled, rising slowly to his feet. "Take care of yourself. And stay away from chocolate, or I’ll come and scold you."

"Spencer!" she cried, standing up, reaching for him. "Wait! Has this really happened before? Is this real?"

The boy didn’t answer. He only turned, his laughter echoing faintly in the fading light.

"Spencer!" she shouted again, running after him. But no matter how fast she ran, the distance between them only grew. Her small feet stumbled over invisible stones, tears blurring her vision.

"Stop! Please don’t go!"

Her voice cracked, filled with panic and longing, but Spencer only kept walking away, laughing softly, his form dissolving into light.

"Spencer!"

Her legs gave out beneath her, and she fell to the ground. Her body felt drained, her eyes heavy.

The last thing she saw was a streak of blue light... Spencer’s eyes... before darkness swallowed everything.

When Aurora opened her eyes again, she was no longer outside the mansion, nor in her ten-year-old body. She was lying in her own bed.

She jolted upright, gasping for air.

"Aurora!"

Her mother’s voice broke through her daze. Mary rushed forward, tears welling in her eyes, and pulled Aurora into a tight embrace. "Oh, thank heavens... you’re awake!"

Aurora blinked, dazed, looking around. Her entire family was gathered in her room: Adam, Olivia, Theodore, Lucas, and Adriana, all staring at her with anxious faces.

"W-what’s going on?" she croaked, her throat dry.

Mary sobbed softly. "Don’t you ever scare us like that again! You’ve been unconscious for four days!"

Aurora stiffened. "Four days?"

Adriana stepped forward gently. "You suddenly collapsed, Aurora. You were in a half-coma. The doctors said it was a close call."

Aurora looked down and saw an IV drip attached to her arm. Her heartbeat quickened. "That’s impossible. I just... went to sleep. I didn’t feel sick at all."

Olivia folded her arms, worry etching deep lines on her face.

"From now on, you’re not sleeping alone. Either Adriana or I will stay with you. We can’t risk something like this happening again."

Aurora frowned. "What are you all talking about? What illness?"

Olivia hesitated, glancing at Adam, who remained silent. Finally, she spoke softly.

"The doctors said it might be a side effect of your old condition... Wilms’ tumor. They think your body’s been weakened by the treatments, even though you were declared cured."

Aurora froze. "No. That’s not possible," she whispered. "That illness was supposed to be gone. Completely gone. I made sure of it..."

She remembered the invisible force... the one that promised her full recovery after three years of coma. Anger burned through her chest.

’So it lied to me.’

She clenched her fists beneath the blanket, forcing herself to breathe. "Where’s my phone?"

Theodore reached over and said, "You shouldn’t use your phone right now, Aurora. The doctor said to avoid stress."

Aurora looked at him calmly. "I have an important matter to deal with..."

Before Theodore could answer, Emily entered the room carrying a tray.

Setting it aside, she placed a calming hand on Aurora’s. "Don’t worry. Everything’s been handled. I’ve already informed the school and requested your medical leave."

Aurora exhaled, still uneasy. "Emily... did you..."

Before she could finish, Emily leaned closer and whispered in her ear,

"Spencer knows. I told him. He’ll contact you in two hours. Don’t worry."

Relief washed through Aurora’s heart like a warm tide. She squeezed Emily’s hand.

"Thank you... you’re the best assistant I could ever have."

Emily chuckled softly. "You say that because you’ve never had another."