Chapter 13- NEW LIFE

*flashback*

'I am not a liar, I am not a liar" Aurora repeatedly told herself as she sat in Avena's bed. The party was in full swing and for the first time, everyone was catering to her needs and not the other way around.

Her new mother in-law, Carina Romano was a sweet woman, making conversations with her and introducing her to all of her friends. The rest of the employees were pleased with Signora Meta's decision, so much that none of them had acted out of the ordinary. They even referred to Aurora as Avena and often she would forget that she had gained a new identity as of this day.

As soon as she got the chance, Aurora sneaked away into Avena's room. Upon arriving there, she shut the door behind her, as she needed to be alone. Crying had been her last resort; she buried her face in her hands and fell to the floor.

The guilt was overwhelming, a white lie was simply telling a small lie but here she was, faking an entire identity and getting married to a complete stranger.

'I know how you feel" Aurora heard a voice coming from behind her, she quickly wiped her tears away, turned around and only to see Signora Meta looking down at her.

'I am such a terrible person," Aurora told signora Meta who rushed to her on and fell to the floor with Aurora. As a mother would, signora Meta wrapped her arms around Aurora as tightly as she could.

'You are not a bad person; you are the most selfless persons that I have ever come across Aurora" she removed herself from signora Meta's embrace, her eyes now swollen as she looked at the older woman.

'But I am lying to everyone"

'I know that you are but you are doing this for a good cause, this is not your fault"

'Then whose fault is this!" Aurora slammed her hands onto the carpeted floor, her actions broke signora Meta's heart as she realized how such a lie weighed heavily onto Aurora's conscious.

'It is Avena's fault, I have always told you my child that she is selfish but you refused to believe me. I knew that her agreeing to this wedding was too good to be true but you refused to believe me" Signora Meta pointed out to her and Aurora sat there on the ground, feeling a wide range of emotions, realizing just how right signora Meta was.

'What am going to do now?"

'I am afraid that you have to go with him, you are legally married to him" signora Meta told Aurora who stared at her in utter shock.

*flashback ends*

Making up her mind to come along with Leonardo and his family on the trip back to the United States was not an easy one, especially when she was lying about who she was.

'Put on your seatbelt" Aurora turned her head and looked at Leonardo as he was instructing her. All four of them were boarded on the Romano family's private jet, she was nervous as she had never flown before but she knew that she could not show her discomfort.

'I was about to do that, thank you" Aurora answered sarcastically. Marrying Leonardo did not mean that she would bow down to him whenever he wanted.

She was familiar with men like Leonardo Romano, men who were rich and thought that having money meant that everyone would bow beneath them. Aurora buckled her seatbelt and tried to relax before the flight began, it was an almost ten-hour flight and Aurora was determined to spend it sleeping her fear away.

**
Leonardo watched the woman who was now his wife sleep, she was beautiful like his parents had said but he could not get over the fact that something was off about her. At times, she was exactly what everyone described her to be, mean, conceited and vile but often she was sweet and caring.

Their reception had not lasted long and within a few hours, their cloths were packed and they were headed back to the United States. He had observed how caring she was towards the other employees and how they returned that very same affection towards her.

He smiled as he looked at her in her seat, sleeping like a little angel but even at that, he knew that she was nothing more than a spoilt rich woman that might ruin his life.

'Avena Russo is beautiful is she not"? Leonardo stopped smiling as he looked at his mother, who was whispering to him. Still upset that both his parents had forced him to marry Avena Russo, their relationship was just as strained as before.

'I have to work now" Leonardo told his mother, looking away from her, returning to his laptop and continuing his work. His mother reached out and touched his arm.

'I know you are mad at me but please try and make this work for my sake"

'Mother I have given up my entire life for you and father's sake, all you and father have ever done is take from me continuously" Leonardo told his mother, hoping that his words would be enough for her.

**
Fifteen hours later

'Wake up, we are here" Aurora heard a voice calling out to her, her eyes still shut and tired, she covered her blanket over her head, only to have it removed.

'Hey!" she complained, opening her eyes and seeing that it was none other than Leonardo Romano looking down at her. He looked fresh as though the long flight had no effect on him.

'We have arrived, now get up. I won't be carrying you like some sort of princess" Leonardo told her and she stared at him in shock, before she could get a word out of her mouth, Leonardo had left her and proceeded towards the cockpit.

Aurora unbuckled her seat belt, stood up and stretched herself; finally, the long flight was over. She looked around and there was no sign of both Leonardo's parents.

Like a strike of lightening Leonardo appeared, his face with little or no emotion at all as he looked at her.'What?" she asked him.

'Nothing"

'Then why are you looking at me like that, I am not an animal"

'Well if you can sleep through a fifteen hour flight then surely you must be some kind of animal" Leonardo responded, his answer left Aurora shocked that he had mentioned fifteen hours instead of ten.

Clearing her head up, Aurora tried to make sense of what it was that Leonardo was saying to her.

'No it is a ten hour flight" Aurora argued in which Leonardo stared at her in complete silence as though he was waiting for her to say more. 'Hello" she waved her hands in front of Leonardo's face.

'You talk too much, now get your things, it's late at night and we are in Hawaii" Leonardo informed her.

'In Hawaii! How did we get here?" She asked Leonardo, hysterically but he was walking away from her. 'I am talking to you!" she yelled at Leonardo whom stopped, turned around and looked into her eyes. The look of annoyance was clear as day light and Aurora stepped back.

'Listen Avena Russo, if you are not happy about this marriage arrangement then trust me I too hate that I have to be attached to you for the rest of my life but here I am. I will not put up with your attitude, do you hear me?" Leonardo asked her, pointing his index finger at Aurora.

Even as Leonardo descended the stairs of his family's private jet, he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He could not remember the last time that he had lost his temper and yet Aurora had made him lose his cool.

Standing at the foot of the private jet, he looked at his watch for what seemed like the billionth time and just when he was about to go back up and get her, Aurora appeared. She looked everywhere but at him as she descended the steps of the private jet, holding onto her little handbag.

'I apologize for—" Leonardo stopped as Aurora walked past him, he bit his lips, annoyed that once again Aurora had snubbed him. Clenching his fist besides himself, Leonardo walked after her, grabbed her arm and spun her towards him, so much that her chest slammed into his.

The look of shock was evident on her face as she looked up at him, she tried pulling away from him but Leonardo's grip was strong on her. She tried wiggling herself out of Leonardo's strong grip but there was no hope, he was simply too strong for her.

'Let go of me!" She yelled at him but Leonardo refused, looking at her, studying her features as though she was a work of art.

'I don't even know how I am going to do this" Leonardo spoke aloud.

'Do what?" Aurora could not resist but ask.

'Living with you, has your mother not thought you any manners? I tried to be nice to you by apologizing to you and all you could do was to snub me"

'Don't you ever mention my mother" Aurora warned him, with strength coming from a deep and dark place; she pushed away from Leonardo and broke out of his grip. Stepping away from him and pointing her index finger at him.

Leonardo could tell that Aurora loved her mother, the fire burn in her eyes as she pointed her finger at him and for just that split second, he was ashamed of himself. He too loved his mother and if anyone had pointed a finger at her, he would lose his mind.

Looking away from Aurora and looking at the limousine that had arrived to fetch them and take them to the Romano family vacation home.

'The car is here, come, let us go home" Leonardo informed her, this time, he chose to walk away from her instead of her walking away from him. True to the good values that he was raised with, he unlocked the door and gave way for Aurora to walk in.

'After you" He told her as he watched her get into the car and he followed after. The car ride was exactly what Leonardo had expected it to be, quiet as neither of them spoke to one another.

The ten-minute ride was enough for the both of them; trapped inside the same car was uncomfortable to say the least. Leonardo exited the car and Aurora followed after. The house was spectacular, nothing like the big Russo family mansions that she had been too but this house was smaller.

The perfect beach house, facing the beach, built with wood and painted in white. The perfectly positioned porch at the front of the house, facing the beach with a rocking chair outside. Even though it was late and Aurora could not quite make out what the beach looked like, she could hear the waves trashing against the rocks and the smell of the ocean filling her nose.

'This looks just like it looked in my dream" Aurora whispered beneath her breath.