The iron gate opened slowly, revealing the imposing facade of the Ferraz mansion. Aurora watched in silence from the car window, her heart squeezed between anxiety and exhaustion. The marble columns, the impeccably manicured garden, the sunlight reflecting on the glass—everything there seemed cold, rehearsed, distant.
And yet, there was something different. Something subtle. It wasn't welcoming, not yet. But it wasn't disdain either.
As she got out of the car, she was greeted by Marina Ferraz, the family matriarch, a woman of discreet elegance and an analytical gaze.
"Aurora, welcome. I know it's not easy for you to be here. But we thank you for accepting this arrangement, even in such... unexpected circumstances."
Aurora nodded with a polite smile.
"Thank you for the reception, Mrs. Ferraz."
"Call me Marina. And please, make yourself at home. This will be your home now."
Aurora walked through the corridors accompanied by Marina, passing through large and silent halls. The mansion was much more than luxurious—it was organized, almost solemn. The absence of Enzo hung in the air, like an invisible presence that everyone avoided naming.
"You will stay in the room next to Enzo's." Marina explained, with a calmness that sounded rehearsed. "It's not a requirement. But... it might make it easier when you need to visit him."
Aurora just nodded. There was no more room for protests.
When she entered the room reserved for her, she was surprised. The environment was spacious, with light and delicate furniture, linen curtains, and a carefully made bed. On the dresser, a bouquet of white roses—fresh. A small gesture, but one that said more than all the polite words she had heard so far.
She put down her suitcase and took a deep breath. For the first time in weeks, she wasn't afraid of tomorrow. It was all still strange, uncertain, but different.
At the same moment, on the other side of the city, Levi was preparing to give news that many would consider sudden.
Before a table surrounded by old friends, co-workers, and some family members who barely saw Aurora as part of his life, Levi raised his glass with a forced smile.
"I wanted to thank everyone for being here today. I have something important to announce. Something... unexpected, but necessary."
Yasmin, beside him, held his hand tightly. She wore a light dress, subtly elegant. And on her finger... a ring.
The same ring that Aurora had chosen with Levi months ago, when they were still making plans for life together.
"Yasmin and I are getting married," he announced. "Before you think anything... yes, we know it's sudden. But given her condition, we decided to live this moment with intensity. Life is short. And I... can't let her leave without fulfilling the dreams she once had."
Some guests looked at each other. Others smiled, embarrassed.
Yasmin, in turn, lowered her head in a well-rehearsed expression of fragility.
"She deserves this," Levi added, looking at those present as if begging for understanding. "And I... I'm just trying to do the right thing."
Timid applause followed the announcement.
Among empty toasts and occasional words, Levi smiled, unaware that at that moment he was sealing not a commitment of love, but the final signature of his cowardice.
At the Ferraz mansion, Aurora walked through the gardens. The sky was beginning to change color, tinged by the sunset. The branches of the trees swayed slightly in the wind, and for a moment, she allowed herself to close her eyes.
She was alone. Yes.
Helpless? Not anymore.
Inside, in some isolated room on the second floor, the man who would soon be her husband remained unconscious. But the house was not hostile. The servants treated her with politeness. One of Enzo's brothers—Matteo, the youngest—had crossed paths with her in the hallway earlier and offered her a genuine smile and a chocolate.
Small gestures. But for someone coming from abandonment and humiliation, they meant everything.
Deep down, Aurora knew that her marriage would not be about love. Not at first. Maybe never. But it was, at least, a step away from the pain.
A step towards herself.
She just didn't know that, at that very moment, the woman who had stolen her past was about to try to steal her name as well.
And that Levi... would one day realize how much he lost.
Too late.
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