Trapped by Seven Mafia Wolves novel Chapter 114

Breaking Through

Aurora’s POV

The sheets stick to my arms.

Every part of me aches. The bandages are fresh again, the ointment still cool on my skin. But it doesn’t numb the stinging. It just makes it… duller. Less sharp.My body is still exhausted, but it’s

my mind that won’t shut up.Jace tucked me in hours ago. I think. I don’t really remember.

Everything’s a haze–mud, rain, Luka’s voice, the look in his eyes.

That look.

I turn my head slowly on the pillow. My phone’s on the nightstand.

I haven’t touched it in weeks.Not since… before everything.

I reach for it carefully, flinching at the pull of gauze against my skin. My fingers are shaky as I

unlock the screen.

106 notifications.

Oh.

The screen is filled with missed messages, group chats, unanswered calls. My heart clenches a

little.

I open them one by one.

Mia:

hey you haven’t been at school in a while

i hope your okay

just text me back, please

i’m begging

Then Zoey.

Zoey:

school’s so quiet without you here

like, seriously, it’s weird

we all miss you

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hope you’re okay? please say something

Liam’s messages come next.

Liam:

are you okay?

hey are you there????

roriiiii my lil pookie

if you answer i’ll bake you a cookie

hey that rhymes im like Shakespeare

Kira’s.

Kira:

your seat’s been empty every day

i actually yelled at this dumbass for sitting in it yesterday

i hope your okay, please

And Jade.

Jade:

we miss you.

seriously, worried sick

please answer rori

My chest tightens as I scroll through more messages. It’s a mix of frantic texts, sweet check–ins, little jokes I barely recognize, and words full of genuine care.

I didn’t think anyone cared this much.

My thumb hovers over the keyboard. For a long moment, I just stare.

What do I say after disappearing like that? After everything?Finally, with shaking fingers, I type:

me:

hey

i’m okay now

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i’m sorry for not answering

a lot happened

but i miss you guys too

I hit send before I can overthink it.

Almost instantly, my phone explodes with replies.

Mia:

AURORA!! OMG YOU’RE ALIVE!!!

i was ready to send a search party

Zoey:

i missed you so much!!!

we all wanna see your face

Liam:

OMG! i was about to file a missing person report.

are you okay??!!

Kira:

facetime us or so help me, i’ll drag you to school myself

i sent you the answers like last night!!

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Liam:

heyyyy how come she gets answers and not me

THIS IS TYRANNY

Kira:

liam you didn’t even finish your essay that’s due tirw when we get to class

Jade:

who cares about laim’s grammar! I’m drowning in science

HELP ME

Their messages fly back and forth, loud and messy like a storm itself. I watch the chaos unfold on my screen–the caps lock, the emojis, the teasing insults, the sarcastic apologies.

A soft laugh escapes me, then another, then my smile fades and tears start to blur the screen.

They’re arguing about homework, complaining about classes, annoying each other with inside jokes and frustrations.

But beneath it all, they care.

They’re here.

For me.

Tears slip down my cheeks, warm and unsteady. They drip onto the screen, blurring the words, but

I don’t wipe them away immediately. I let them fall, each one a tiny release of all the fear and loneliness I’ve held inside.My chest tightens with a bittersweet ache, but it’s not pain. It’s

happiness.

Something my heart isn’t used to.

I swipe my hand across my face, smudging the tears away, and I glance out the window.

The storm outside is finally clearing.

The dark clouds are moving–slowly, but surely–ulling apart to reveal soft streaks of light.

The same light I feel stirring inside me.

Maybe, just like the sky after the rain, I can find a way to heal.

Maybe I have a family waiting for me–not just the ones I live with, but the ones who choose to

stay.

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The ones who fight and laugh and care enough to scream over homework.

The ones who, through the mess, love me.

I sniffle, the sobs wracking my body–full of the loneliness I’ve held back for too long.

And I finally let myself cry–real tears, of happiness.

Chapter 114