Chapter b166 /b

Aurora’s POV

I stared at the box in Caleb’s hands, my voice barely above a whisper as I asked, “Where did you find this? Caleb, I haven’t seen this in ages, I thought it was gone forever.” My fingers tremble slightly as I reached out to touch the worn edges, the intricate carvings still as delicate as I remembered.

Caleb looked at me, his brow furrowed in concern. “It was tucked away in one corner of your closet,” he said softly, his voice steady.

*I found it just before the fire reached your room. I thought it might be important, so I grabbed it. I didn’t even realize=”

Before he could finish, a sob escaped me, and I quickly wiped away the tears that blurred my vision. Hugging the box to my chest, I turned to him, my voice breaking. “Caleb, you have no idea what this means to me. This… this was my mother’s. It’s thest thing I have of hers.” My breath hitched as I forced the words out, trying to keep myselfposed.

“I had to hide it all the time so my father wouldn’t find it. He would’ve pawned it off, like he did with all of my mom’s other jewelry, like he did with everything else that mattered.”

Caleb’s eyes softened, and he took a step closer, his hand resting lightly on my shoulder.

“Aurora,” he said gently, “I’m so sorry you had to go through that. If I had known… I would’ve done something sooner. But I promise, as long as I’m here, no one’s ever taking this–or anything else–from you again.”

I shook my head, the tears now freely streaming down my face as I hugged him tightly, the box pressed between us.

“Thank you, Caleb,” I whispered against his shoulder. “Thank you for saving it. You’ve given me back a piece of her, something I thought I’d lost forever.”

His arms wrapped around me, steady and strong. “You’re not alone in this, Aurora. You never will be,” he murmured, his words grounding me in a way I hadn’t felt in years.

Later, as we sat on the steps of the familiar gazebo in the woods, I looked at the box on myp, the wood still holding its shape. I was afraid of opening it, an unknown fear pressing down on my shoulders like a weight. What if the box was empty? What if my father managed to find the jewel that I had hidden and had already pawned it off? What if…

“If I could’ve saved the house, Aurora, I would’ve. You know I would’ve fought tooth and nail for it. But it’s gone now, and I think… maybe it’s time to let it go. Build something new. Better. Together, with you.”

I looked at him, the earnestness in his blue eyes pulling at my heart. ‘I don’t want a better house, Caleb,” I said softly, my words making him pause and tilt his head slightly as if trying to understand.

“I love it here, in the packhouse. I love staying with your family, being part of this ce. It feels… right. Like homeb./bb” /b

It was the honest truth. A part of me was d that the old house was gone. Even though it held memories of my childhood, of my mother, but most of the memories there were tainted by my father’s hate and anger.

A slow, genuine smile spread across his face, and I could see the tension melt away from his shoulders.

“You love my family? And the packhouse?” he asked, almost as if he couldn’t believe it.

Of course, I do, I said, a smallugh escaping me. “They’ve been nothing but kind to me. And the packhouse–it’s more than just walls and a roof. It’s alive, filled with stories and memories. I don’t need some fancy, new ceb. /bThis is enough.”

He nodded, his smile growing wider, and for a moment, we just sat there infortable silence. Then his gaze shifted to the wooden box sitting on the step beside me. “So,” he said, a note of curiosity creeping into his tone, ‘what’s inside the box?”

I nced at it, brushing my fingers over the worn surface. “I don’t know, I admitted. ‘It’s been shut for years. Guess there’s only one way to find out.”

With a deep breath, I picked it up in my hands, eager to find out the contents of the box. I tried lifting the lid, but it didn’t budge. Caleb crouched down beside me, watching as I furrowed my brows and tried again.

“Need some help?‘ he teased, his grip yful.

I’ve got it. I replied, though the stubborn lid made me question my confidence. With one final tug, it gave way, the creak of the hinges breaking the quiet around us. Inside, nestled against faded velvet lining, was a delicate gold ne with a tiny emerald pendant that shimmered faintly in the light.

Wow, Caleb breathed, leaning closer. That’s beautiful. Do you recognize it?‘

“I think I do,” I told him, remembering this from my childhood.

1 picked it up gently, the cool metal warming against my palm as I held it up to the sunlight. The intricate design of the pendant glimmered, casting faint patterns on my skin. My mother used to tell me this was a gift from her grandparents, 1 said softly, my voice carrying a wistful notei. /i

“She always treasured it, but she was too scared to wear it. She said losing it would feel like losing them all over again.”

Caleb stood beside me, his presence steady andforting as always. He tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes studying the pendant before shifting to meet mine.

“Do you want to wear it now? As a memory of her?” His voice was calm, but there was something in his tone–an understanding that went deeper than words.

I nodded, the idea settling into my heart like a soft sigh. “I do,” I replied, my fingers brushing over the pendant onest time before I handed it to him. “But I might need a little help.

He smiled, stepping closer as he took the delicate chain from my hand. His fingers brushed the back of my neck as he secured the sp, the cool metal settling against my skin. The touch sent a shiver down my spine, not from the cold but from the weight of what it meant.

“There, Caleb murmured, his voice low and close. “It looks perfect on you.”

I reached up instinctively, fingers tracing the pendant as it rested against my corbone. “Thank you,” I said, my gaze dropping to the ground for a moment before I looked back at him. “For this. For being here.”

His hand found mine, his grip firm yet gentle as he pulled me up next to him. “Always,” he said simply, and there was no need for more words.

We walked back to the packhouse, hand in hand, the world around us slipping into the periphery. The pendant felt warm against my skin, aforting presence amidst the whirlwind of emotions. Caleb’s hand in mine anchored me, grounding me in the here and now.

However, lost in our thoughts, neither of us noticed the faint, eerie glow that radiated from the pendant as thest rays of sunlight caught it.

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