"H-Help..." The 16-year-old Ella shouted as she felt herself being pulled inside the water again. She was out of breath and wasn't aware of who was behind all of this.

Swinging her arms around inside the water, the girl tried finding anything she could grab onto, but she found none.

When she finally managed to pull herself out of water it was merely two seconds before she was pulled inside again. She shook her head trying to get out, she was shocked how nobody was around her, she expected her friend, Amber, to be around, as she remembered them coming together.

Ella struggled. Struggled till she finally lost consciousness.
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Ella woke up, covered in sweat panting. She looked at the other side of bed expecting Augustus to be there, but he wasn't. The bedsheet of his side was crumpled, confirming his presence.

Running a hand through her hair, Ella laid back. She wondered that why after all these years she was still having the same nightmares. The same nightmares of her drowning and then waking up to people telling her how Amber saved her when she tried to kill herself by drowning. No matter how much she tried to explain that she was being held under the water by someone or something, no one believed her.

Closing her eyes Ella tried going back to sleep for she knew that she had a long day ahead as Augustus would surely want to know the reason to her sudden outburst. Trying to get back to sleep Ella felt the other side of the bed dip, indicating his presence. She stayed in her position not moving as she allowed him to pull her close.

Ella could feel him staring at her, caressing her cheek and it all seemed a bit creepy. This man besides her has clicked her while she was sleeping and during most of the days in university, but it all went away when she heard him.

"I love you." Augustus said burying his face in the crook of her neck making her pause everything. Every thought stopped, even her breathing did, nothing was clear except the words that he said.

'I love you'.

It was something she had never expected to hear from anyone, for her at least, and listening these words come out of Augustus King's mouth was the biggest shock Ella had.

She thought it was fake, just an act for him to get what he wanted, but she realized how wrong she was. He really loved her, and Ella couldn't help but be thankful to him. She couldn't stop the fluttering feeling in her heart and those wild butterflies in her stomach as she heard him confess. Smiling faintly, Ella cuddled more into his side as she wanted to wake him up right then and say that she loved him too, but she controlled herself.

Drifting into a peaceful slumber with being in the arms of the man she loved, Ella felt blessed for having these little moments of happiness during this mess.
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Ella was in the kitchen, baking a cake for Ashton. Ella remembered him telling his birthday. The boy was going to turn 5 and Ella felt sorry for her parents who weren't able to see how perfect their son was growing.

Ella might not have known him for long but in the time, she spent with him, she sure was attached to the boy. He had a light inside of him which was enough to make anyone smile just by his simple presence.

Her thoughts were cut when she hears the oven make a 'ding' sound. Putting her gloves on, Ella proceeded to carefully take the cake out. Just as she placed the cake on the kitchen counter, she heard someone calling her name while coming running ti the kitchen.

"Aunt Ella!" Came Ashton's voice as he came and hugged Ella's legs, making the woman laugh at his excitement.

"Happy Birthday, sweetheart." Ella said crouching down to his level and placing a kiss on his forehead. Ashton just giggled and hugged Ella.

"You know, Grandpa gifted me a new robot." Ashton said excited, while Ella smiled seeing his excited state.

"Even I have a gift prepared." Ella said as she got up and walked to get a large jar full of cookies from the kitchen counter.

"Are these chocolate chip cookies?" Ashton asked as he jumped and tried to take the jar from Ella's hand. It was least that she could do, and she was happy that Ashton liked it

"You like them?" Ella asked as she again crouched down to his level.

"Very much. Thank you." Ashton said nodding and kissing Ella on the cheek. He quickly opened the jar taking one cookie out and munching on it.

"Now... you have to promise to eat only one in a day, okay?" Ella said as she watched the boy staring at her.

"Okay... I promise." Ashton said after a bit of thinking.

"Good." Ella said ruffling his hair as she picked him up.

"Is that my birthday cake?" Ashton asked as he looked at the cake on the counter.

"Can I have it now?" Ashton asked turning his head towards Ella.

"It's still hot. So, how about you spend some time with your uncles while I bring out your cake?" Ella asked Ashton, who just nodded.

Wrapping his small arms around her neck, Ashton snuggled to Ella making her smile. She didn't mind spending her whole day with him.

Reaching the lounge area of the ground floor Ella smiled as she spotted Aiden and Xavier waiting for Ashton.

Somewhere in the lounge area sat a pile of gifts for Ashton, who was trying to get out of Ella's grip so he could open all his presents.

"Careful." Ella said chuckling as she saw the boy excitedly run to his gifts.

"Well, somebody looks beautiful." Xavier said as he looked at Ella.

"Thank you." Ella said smiling. She was wearing a baggy teal color turtleneck sweater with black skinny jeans.

"Ella! Uncle Augustus gave me a telescope." Ashton said as he unwrapped Augustus' gift from the pile.

Ella was a bit unsure if a telescope was an appropriate gift for a boy of Ashton's age, but still she smiled.

"You like it?" Ella asked as Ashton nodded.

"Are those cookies?" Xavier said as he opened Ashton's cookie jar and ate one of them.

"NO! Uncle Xavi, they were MY cookies." Ashton said leaving the telescope and running to Xavier who sat on the couch with his cookie jar.

"Ella, see Uncle Xavi took two of my cookies." Ashton whined as he showed Ella the cookie jar.

"Stop stealing his cookies, you idiot." Aiden said smacking Xavier's forehead.

"What?", Xavier said with his mouth full of cookie and another one in his hand: "Just taught the lad a lesson about sharing."

Ella shook her head, smiling at his childish behavior, while Aiden seemed to regret his childhood when he met his two crazy ass best friends.

"Don't cry, sweetheart." Ella said as she crouched down to meet Ashton's height and wiped his teary eyes.

"But my cookies..." Ashton said as he looked down to his cookie jar. He really liked them and hoped that his uncle hadn't consumed them.

"Don't worry. I will bake you two more batches of them." Ella said in an attempt to cheer Ashton.

"Really? You will?" Ashton asked as his head snapped upwards towards Ella.

Ella nodded smiling at him. He looked happy and all the sadness was long gone from his face.

"Me too." Xavier's voice came, as he then resumed his argument with Aiden.