Chapter 27- DISAGREEMENT

The driver walked into the mansion, holding onto Signora Carina as though his life depended on it whilst Aurora watched from a close distance. Aurora's hand covered her mouth as for her not to scream, she looked out for signs of Leonardo and he was nowhere in sight.

'Please hurry up, we need to get her to her room before Leonardo sees her like this" Aurora whispered as she followed behind both the driver and her mother in-law. They walked into the main area of the house and still there was no Leonardo.

'Okay let's take her to her room" the driver escorted her mother in-law up the steps and Aurora followed behind them.

'Stop right there!" Aurora, the driver and mother in-law stopped in their tracks, Leonardo's loud and thunderous voice rang through the interior of the mansion setting fear into whomever heard it.
She swallowed the lump in her throat as though she was swallowing a rock that blocked her airways and turned around slowly, with hopes of trying to prolong the inevitable.

Her head bowed down, as she was afraid to look Leonardo in the eyes, his anger was something that she did want to face… not ever.

'Avena look at me!" Leonardo raised his voice; Aurora shrieked at the sound of his voice and she looked at him.
'Yes" she answered in a little voice, only loud enough for Leonardo to hear her.

'Please take my mother upstairs" Leonardo ordered the driver who walked his mother to her room with the help of one of the maids. As soon as the sound of their footsteps was gone, it was time for her to face to the music.

'I can—" Aurora stopped herself as Leonardo raised his hand to silence her as she was about to speak.

'I do not want to hear more of your lies Avena, the mare fact that my mother is home drunk, tells me that you have something to do with it" He accused her, leaving Aurora's jaw dropping to the floor.

'My fault! You act as though your mother is some child that should have twenty-four seven surveillance, well I am not her bodyguard and I did not sign up for this" Aurora fought back, her action leaving Leonardo stunned.

But what had left Aurora speechless was that Leonardo stood on the spot, silent, looking her up and down as though he was studying her. This action on Leonardo's part left Aurora feeling insecure.

'All that I heard about you were true" he said before walking past her.

'What did you hear about me?" she asked him, raising her voice as he turned to face her.

'That you are a party girl, no good and you love alcohol" his words hit her, burnt her like an incurable poison. Her lips quivered, almost ready to cry but the big girl in her held her tears back. For years, she had people walk over and she could not say a word but today, she refused to stay silent.

'How dare you! How dare you say that about me without even knowing me as a person!" her voice raised, eyes tearing and fist balled besides herself. Leonardo seemingly unbothered about her stepped down a few steps and looked down at Aurora.

'If the shoe fits, then why not wear it?"

'You are so unbelievable! I tried to stop your mother but she refused. This was supposed to be a shopping trip and she took me to your family's vineyard"

'Oh great! You two must have had a blast drinking the entire day" Leonardo laughed, clapping his hands together with an undertone of anger in his voice.

'I did not know she would take me there Leonardo, I swear. As soon as I found out that we would be drinking, I wanted to leave"

'Then why did you not leave?" He asked her, looking into her eyes searching for some truth in them.

'You don't get it, my mother is not here to hold me and reassure me. Your mother has treated me like a daughter ever since I got here and she had taken the liberty of showing me your family vineyard. I did not want to disrespect her but you wouldn't get that!" Aurora made her opinion heard.

Her eyes burning into that of Leonardo and he was silent as Aurora voiced her opinion. He searched her eyes for signs that she was lying but all he could see was a hurt woman, pouring her heart out to him.

'How do I know that you are telling the truth?" Leonardo broke the uncomfortable silence between them, asking her as a precautionary measure.

'What difference would it make? You have already made up your mind about the kind of woman I am based on what you have heard about me" Aurora told him.

Without waiting for another word to come out from Leonardo's mouth, words that could possibly cause her more pain as she thought of her own mother. Aurora walked away up the stairs and made her way to their room.

Leonardo watched as Aurora walked up the stairs and disappeared. He stood on the steps wondering just what had happened between them. In the week that he was married to her, Leonardo had never seen Aurora as hurt as he had seen her today.

A wave of guilt washed over him as Aurora's face flashed before her his eyes, she was hurt and he was the cause of her pain. Now that he stood on the steps, he realized just how stubborn his mother had always been and it could only take a strong person to stop her from drinking.

'Woman, you can't live with them and you can't live without them" Leonardo shut his eyes tightly as he heard his father's voice coming from behind him. The old man had always been a torn in Leonardo's side for as long as he could remember. His hands gripped onto the wooden handrails, pressure building up as though he was readying himself to crush it.

'Strong grip you have there" his father continued pushing him past his breaking point.

'I suggest you stay out of matters involving me" he warned his father.

'Well, I was talking about Avena" his father corrected him, the smirk on his face, one that Leonardo wanted to slap.

'Well then, keep my wife's name out of my mouth, that warning extends to her and I am watching you in matters regarding her" he pointed his index finger at his father, who simply watched him and sipped his brandy.

'Oh please spare me that, you don't even love the poor woman. I believe that as soon as you get tired of her, you will leave her"

'And why would I do that?"

'Because you are just like your old man… I believe the saying is ‘like father like son' his father looked at the ceiling as though he would get the answer from there whilst Leonardo fumed with anger.

'I am nothing like you, I actually have done far greater things than you have"

'Oh please, teaching those poor good for nothing children"

'I warned you before to stop speaking about my students like that" Leonardo warned his father one last time and just like before, his warning had fallen on deaf ears.

'I do not have time for all your shenanigans, I'm heading out. I do not have time to deal with your mother in the state that she is in" his father's less than kind words about his mother had done nothing to Leonardo, he had grown up with it and have always wondered why his mother had chosen to stay.

His father walked past him, reeking of alcohol just like his mother. He had always blamed his father for his mother's excessive drinking. Puddled with his father's lack of attention and countless scandals, his mother had drowned herself in alcohol.

Everything about his father had made his blood boil, even now as he heard his father's steps walk away from him. Leonardo had decided years ago that his father would never change and there was no use in him trying to make him a better man.

His father was a hard Italian man, one that stuck to his ways no matter what… the only thing missing from him, was the lack of love that he had for his family.

Leonardo walked up the stairs, the entire time reminding himself that he was nothing like his father, keeping in mind that he had to make things right with Aurora.
**

Even as he stood at the front of his door, Leonardo lifted his hand and knocked on the door.

'Who is it?" Aurora asked from within their room.

'It's, it's me" he answered and just as quick as he answered, silence filled their space. 'Avena, can I come in?"

'It's your room after all" she answers, making Leonardo feel guiltier than he did. He unlocked the door, but Aurora was nowhere in sight that was until he heard ruffling in their bathroom.

He walked up to the bathroom door and knocked once more, hoping that Aurora would give him a listening ear.

'Words cannot explain how sorry I am, I should not have expected you to play babysitter to my mother. She is a grown woman and as much as I love my mother, she is not your burden to bear"

Aurora sat in the dry bathtub, hugging herself; she had spent the last few minutes crying her eyes out. Once again, she was made to feel as though everything was her fault.

There was a time when Signora Mia had blamed her for her father leaving her mother and her mother's death and now, Leonardo had blamed her for his mother's state, all those memories flooded back to her.

She tried to stop herself from sobbing but the pain was unbearable and even as she heard Leonardo apologize to her, still it did not take away the pain that she felt when he accused her.

'Avena, please open the door!" he slammed on the door and yet again, Aurora said nothing.

I am not Avena. She told herself mentally.

'I am not leaving this place until you speak to me" Leonardo told her, his tone of voice filled with hurt. Hurt was something Aurora was all too common with growing up.

Leonardo slumped to the floor, laid his head onto frame of the door, refusing to move until Aurora came out to speak to him. Shutting his eyes, he remembered every word he threw at her and it sent a sharp pain through his heart.

'I am so sorry, I don't know what came over me" he whispered, only loud enough for him to hear himself. Shutting his eyes, he hoped Aurora would be out of the bathroom soon.