Aurora hadn’t heard his voice in months. Not since the night everything fell apart. They’d grown up together—first loves, best friends, the kind of couple everyone thought would last forever. But forever had ended on a rainy night when words were thrown like knives, and silence replaced love. She’d spent months piecing herself back together after Jaden. The girl who once hid in his shadow was gone now. She glowed differently—confidence replacing insecurity, grace replacing the quiet ache of missing him. But that didn’t mean she’d stopped thinking about him. Not when his name still played on every radio interview, not when clips of his latest training sessions popped up on her feed, his jaw clenched, eyes dark, body carved from fire and discipline.

Then—her phone buzzed. Unknown number. But her heart knew before her mind did. “...Aurora?” That voice. Deep. Familiar. Unsteady. She swallowed. “Jaden?” He exhaled like he’d been holding his breath for months. “Yeah, baby… it’s me.” The word hit her chest like a punch. Baby. The nickname that used to sound like home. “I know I shouldn’t call,” he continued, voice rough, “but I’ve got this match coming up. It’s big, Aurora. Everything I’ve worked for. And I can’t—” He paused, the sound of him running a hand through his hair audible even through the line. “I can’t do it without you there.” Aurora’s fingers tightened around the phone. The logical part of her screamed no. He broke her. He had his chance. But her heart—the part that still remembered every late-night drive, every whispered “I love you”—ached. “Jaden… you can’t just call me after everything.” “I know,” he said quietly. “But I never stopped loving you. And when I’m in that ring, I need to see you once more. Just once.” There was silence. The kind that carried every unsaid word between them. Aurora closed her eyes, tears threatening. She’d rebuilt herself. But maybe, just maybe, she could face him again—this time, as the woman she’d become. “Alright,” she whispered. “I’ll come.” And when fight night came, under the blinding lights, Jaden’s eyes found hers in the crowd. For a second, he smiled—the same way he used to when everything was simple.

Because no matter how much time had passed, one thing hadn’t changed.

She was still the reason he fought.