The alarm clock hadn't gone off, but Aurora was already awake. For weeks, she had been waking up before the sound, with a light heart and an easy smile, as if her life had finally gotten on the right track. She felt at peace. Full. Almost happy.

The soft morning light filtered through the fluttering curtains, painting golden designs on the light wooden floor. The fresh breeze from the capital entered through the half-open window, bringing with it the smell of freshly brewed coffee mixed with grilled bread. The familiar perfume that filled the house she and Levi had built with so much affection.

She took a deep breath.

From downstairs, the sound of the coffee maker, the silverware moving, and the water falling into the glass formed a domestic soundtrack that made her feel like she finally had a real life. Not a temporary existence, like the one she had in her adoptive parents' house. But a life with purpose. With roots. With love.

Levi. Her fiance. Her safe harbor.

Aurora stretched slowly, pulling the soft blanket over her lap for a few seconds before getting up. The sun touched the wedding ring on her finger, making it shine brightly. And even though she was already used to the ring, she still smiled every time she saw it. It was as if every morning was a small confirmation that she was living something she never imagined she deserved.

Downstairs, he was already back from his run. His hair was damp from the quick shower, a black t-shirt clinging to his still slightly sweaty body. He was in the kitchen, as always, preparing coffee the way she liked it.

"Good morning, my future wife," said Levi, with that smile that used to take her apart.

"Good morning, my almost husband," replied Aurora, laughing as she descended the last steps.

He pulled her by the waist on impulse, pressing their bodies together. It was an automatic gesture between them, as if they belonged to each other effortlessly. Aurora let herself stay there for a few seconds, resting her head on his chest. Hearing his heart beat still calmed her.

"I made coffee the way you like it," he said, kissing her forehead. "Strong, with grilled bread and... sugar-free orange juice. Even though you make me drink this bitter stuff."

"It's healthy! And you're used to it now," she replied, sitting down at the table.

"I'm used to you. That's right."

He winked and made her smile again.

The table was set with a delicacy that only those who love bother to do. Folded napkins, simple flowers in the center — lavenders, her favorites — and a jar of strawberry jam that Levi had picked up at the fair, just because she casually mentioned that she liked that artisanal brand.

While they ate, they talked about the final wedding preparations. The buffet, the invitations, the music for the ceremony. Aurora wrote down details in her beige notebook, while Levi sketched possible honeymoon destinations.

"Tuscany would be a dream, but... what if we went to Santorini? Or maybe the French countryside? Rent a little stone house, just the two of us, wine and a fireplace?"

Aurora laughed, charmed by his enthusiasm.

"The way you're talking, we're going to need three honeymoons."

Levi held her hand over the table, his eyes fixed on hers.

"I promise you, Aurora. I'm going to give you everything you never had. Everything you deserved and weren't given. You will be the happiest woman in the world. I swear."

She looked at him with an emotional glow. She still couldn't believe that someone loved her that way. After a life of being ignored by her adoptive parents, treated as a burden, an obligation, she had found a love that put her first.

She believed it.

And, because she believed, she didn't see the slight tremor in his gaze. The hesitation in his voice. The shadow that crossed Levi's face for an instant.

Levi always knew how to say the right words. And Aurora was so immersed in the idea of ​​being loved that she didn't notice the silence that came after the vow. A heavy silence. A silence that would soon become a scream.

Later that same morning, she found the wedding dress hanging behind the bedroom door. The veil was next to it, carefully folded.

She ran her fingers over the delicate lace, imagining the walk to the altar. His smile as he saw her enter. The applause. The teary eyes.

In her mind, the future was light and white.

It was Wednesday, and Aurora had decided to surprise Levi at work with a light lunch—one of the lunchboxes he loved, made by her. Nothing too elaborate, just care in every detail. Sourdough bread, fresh salad, grilled chicken with citrus sauce, and his favorite dessert: gourmet brigadeiro with lemon zest.

She knew he was under pressure with the company's new campaign, so small gestures like this were her way of supporting him. Showing that, besides being his fiancee, she was a companion. A partner.

She stopped by the printing shop where the wedding invitations were. Seeing them ready, she felt her heart race. The gold typography on the matte white paper, the intertwined names, the date firmly marked. Her and Levi's names, printed as a promise.

She could hardly wait to deliver that invitation to the few friends she still had left—even after so long away. Even with the scars that Levi swore to help her heal.

Arriving at the company, she discreetly notified reception. Aurora was always discreet about her appearances there. She never wanted to seem intrusive, even being the fiancee of the agency's most coveted creative director.

It was then that she overheard, unintentionally, one of the employees on the phone:

"Yes, doctor, Levi was quite shaken, yes... He didn't even sleep last night. No one expected her to come back like this... Yes, Yasmin… it was a shock."

Aurora stopped. For a moment, she felt the world spin in silence. Yasmin? The name echoed within her like a ghost she had never met—but had heard too much about.

She knew who Yasmin was. The ex. The woman who disappeared from Levi's life at his most fragile moment. The one he almost never mentioned, only with harsh looks and a tense voice. The one who, according to him, taught him to never depend on anyone again. The only one who had left him broken.

Aurora blinked, trying to catch her breath. Her hand tightened on the strap of the thermal bag. She felt sweat run down her back, even in the air-conditioned environment.

She tried to ignore it. Maybe it was just a coincidence. Or someone with the same name. Or some poorly told story that didn't concern her. Maybe…

"Aurora?" Levi suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway, still with the folder in his hand and an exhausted expression. "What are you doing here?"

She forced a smile, disguising the slight tremor in her fingers.

"I wanted to surprise you… I brought your lunch."

Levi hesitated. Just a second. But to her, it felt like hours of silence. He swallowed hard, quickly approaching and taking the lunchbox from her hand as if he wanted to hide something.

"Thank you, my love. You're amazing, seriously. It's just… you caught me in the middle of a crazy situation here. We'll talk at home, okay?"

She nodded, but her eyes sought answers he didn't offer.

There was no kiss. No touch. Just a tired smile and an automatic thank you. He seemed distant. And, for the first time in a long time, Aurora felt the warmth of love burn differently.

That night, Levi took longer than usual to come home. He said he had a last-minute meeting. He was tense, with deep dark circles under his eyes and a lost look.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, sitting next to him on the couch.

Levi ran his hands through his hair, taking a deep breath.

"I just… I received news today. Something from the past. Nothing much. But it shook me up."

She waited for him to say more. To include her. To share the pain. But he didn't.

"If you want to talk, I'm here," she said softly.

He nodded. And remained silent.

Aurora didn't insist. But something inside her, silently, broke.

And that night, while Levi slept beside her, she stayed awake for hours, staring at the ceiling, feeling that an invisible presence had invaded her home. Her relationship. Her peace.

The silence began little by little.

First, it was a shorter response.

Then, a touch that didn't come.

Next, a kiss forgotten on the way to work.

Until, without realizing it, Aurora began sleeping next to a man who seemed increasingly distant.

Levi no longer bothered to have dinner at home. Meetings became frequent, excuses, vague. And his phone, which was always left on the table or sofa, was now always in his pocket or face down. Always on silent.

Aurora tried not to see malice. She tried to believe in the tiredness. In the pressure of work. In the stress with the wedding suppliers. But deep down, something inside her knew. Something screamed, albeit silently.

It was as if her presence began to bother him. As if love had been swallowed by something invisible — and cruel.

It was on a Wednesday night that everything began to become clearer. Aurora arrived home early, intending to prepare a special dinner. She thought of creating a quiet night, just the two of them. His favorite food, red wine, soft music in the background. She wore the thin-strapped blue dress, the one he used to compliment with a hungry look. She put her hair up in a casual bun and lit the candles on the table. Everything like in the old days.

But he didn't show up.

The clock struck eight. Then nine. At ten, Aurora called. The call went to voicemail. She sent a message. No reply.

She waited sitting at the table, alone, looking at the cold dish and the wine that had not been opened. The candle was slowly consumed, like the last vestige of hope.

At eleven at night, Levi finally entered the door, with his eyes downcast and his steps hesitant.

"Aurora... I..." he began, but stopped when he saw the set table, the candle already extinguished, the food untouched.

She said nothing.

He sighed, dropping the keys and backpack on the sofa.

"I'm sorry. I had to go out. An... an unforeseen event."

"With Yasmin?"

The name came out low, but firm. It wasn't a question. It was a statement. She already knew. She didn't need him to confirm it.

Levi hesitated. He sat in the armchair, as if his body weighed more than it should.

"She's back... and she's sick, Aurora. Very sick."

She stared at him, without moving a muscle.

"And that justifies disappearing? Ignoring me? Coming home as if nothing was happening?"

"I'm not ignoring you. I just... don't know how to deal with this. She came to me crying." She said she's in the terminal phase. Cancer."She said she just wanted to have peace... And that she regrets everything. She just wants to say goodbye to the world in peace."

Aurora kept her voice calm, but her eyes were teary.

"And that's why you disappear? That's why you leave me alone waiting? That's why you don't touch me anymore?"

Levi lowered his head.

"She's dying, Aurora. I can't just turn my back. She... she was an important part of my life."

"And what am I? A footnote?"

"Of course not! But you need to understand. I don't love her anymore, I just feel sorry. Compassion. I would never trade you for her. I'm with you."

But no word he said found truth in her eyes.

Aurora watched him for a long moment. The man in front of her was no longer the same. The Levi who promised her the world was now a stranger who carried too much guilt to see what he was losing.

And that was just the beginning.

In the following days, Levi began to go out frequently. He said it was to accompany Yasmin to appointments, help her with exams, be present because she had no one.

Aurora, initially, tried to understand. She knew what it was like not to have anyone. She knew how much it hurt to be left aside. But what Levi was doing went beyond a gesture of compassion.

He started taking flowers to Yasmin — the same lavenders he used to give to Aurora.

He took foods that Aurora prepared, now cooked by him.

And, finally, he began to use the ideas that the two had planned together for their own wedding... with Yasmin.

Everything came to light when Aurora saw, by chance, Levi's cell phone unlocked on the sofa. She wasn't the type to snoop, she never was. But that night, something pulled her. Something that needed answers.

And there they were.

Messages of affection. Photos of wedding venues. Cake tastings. Decoration.

Everything. Absolutely everything that had been dreamed of with her... now shared with Yasmin.

Aurora's throat closed. She couldn't breathe. This was no longer compassion. It was betrayal.

It was perverse.

That night, she didn't cry. She didn't scream. She just lay down next to him, like someone sleeping with a stranger. Like someone saying goodbye in silence.

The next day was the last straw.

Levi was waiting for her in the living room, arms crossed.

"Yasmin is feeling very bad." She said she's afraid of dying full of bitterness. She... she wants to apologize to you. But for that, you need to... go there.

Aurora stared at him, perplexed.

"You want me to go to her?"

"Yes. She wants to apologize. But... she wants you to apologize too. For having offended her in the messages you sent when she came back."

Aurora felt the pressure in her chest.

"I never sent any messages, Levi. Never."

"Yasmin said it was you. And I believe her."

There, Aurora understood. He no longer saw her. He no longer heard her. He no longer recognized her.

"You want me to kneel before the woman who destroyed everything I had with you?"

Levi took a deep breath, as if giving one last chance:

"I'm just trying to give peace to someone who is dying. Be human, Aurora. That's all."

She looked at him, and for a moment, everything she once felt shattered into a thousand pieces.

"And who is going to give peace to me?"

He didn't answer.