Chapter 49- DECEIT

**Flashback**
Leonardo walked out of his room, leaving his wife on their bed. He wanted nothing but to make his wife a meal and get back to her. Her smile had made his long trip back home worth the while.

He could not help but smile as he walked down the hall, past his mother's room and he stopped as he heard his mother and his father's voices. Signora Carina has never been an early bird and just as Leonardo was about to unlock on their door, he stopped.

'You need to come up with another plan as soon as possible" Signor Metteo told his wife, his voice less than friendly as he spoke to her.

'I am trying to but this son of ours is stubborn and his wife is not as gullible as we thought she was. I want her to do one thing and she does another" Signora Carina told her husband, irritated that her task was being made more difficult than it needed to be.

'Then convince her that if your son does not want to take over the company or better yet, make her sign the papers"

'I am trying to make her sign the papers but it seemed as though she too is holding all the documents closer to her. We can only get those lands once she signs"

'And our son, I heard he traveled back to his home" his father inquired.

'No need to worry, our son will be back soon"

'But why did he go back?" signor Metteo asked.

'He needed to go and see his students, something about work I don't know"

Bang!!

His father slapped his hand onto something that Leonardo could not quite see, even from the slit in the door.

'You are slowly losing that grip on your son, Carina"

'No I am not"

'Yes you are losing the grip on your son, you better think of another way to keep him close to you because that fake Liver disease lie will no longer work" his father's words rung in his ears. Leonardo could not bear to think about all that he had heard, his mother had lied about her illness just so that she could keep him close to her.

For years his father had been the villain and now the truth was out, that his mother was just as bad as his father was. His parent's conversation had continued, revealing more lies that he had been told.

His mother had revealed all her plans and he heard it all. Leonardo balled his hands into a fist as all he wanted was to punch the wall with all the anger that coursed through his body.

Taking one deep breath, Leonardo pushed open his parent's room door. The shock on their face was evident, his mother's jaw dropped, eyes widened whilst his father looked unbothered by what his son had seen.
Leonardo's face had reddened with anger and his eyes filled with tears. He looked away from his father and focused his attention on his mother, the woman who had loved him all his life.

Betrayal could not begin to describe how he felt, his mother had let him down beyond what he had ever thought was possible.

'Mother, you lied?" he asked, hoping that he heard wrong and that all this was a misunderstanding that could easily be explained.

He watched as his mother's lips quivered and she covered her mouth with her hands, trying to stop herself from crying.

There was no need for an explanation, his mother's actions were far more telling than any word that could have come from her mouth.

'I ended my honeymoon to be here with you, mother, I lost my mind thinking that you would die and only for me to find out that you lied! Answer me!" Leonardo raised his voice so loud that his mother jumped up in fear.

Never had he raised his voice at his mother before this and this time Leonardo felt that he had every reason to do so. He turned his attention to his father and once more, his father displaying no emotion.

'I am not even going to bother with you, because you have never meant anything to me" Leonardo told his father coldly. With one more look at his mother, Leonardo stormed out of the room.

He had no idea what he wanted to do but he knew that he needed to leave this mansion, the mansion that had forever caused him pain during his childhood. The walls of the mansion always taunted him, reminding him of how alone he was growing up.

Even as he walked down the hallway, it all made sense why the walls were bare, lacking any family portraits… the only family portraits were downstairs and neither had the three of them smiling.
Family portraits were just a reminder of how many times they were forced to present themselves to the world as the happy Romano family, when in truth, the walls inside the home was cracked.

He entered his room and locked the door behind him and as he turned his eyes met that of Aurora's. They needed to leave and they needed to do it now rather than later.

**Flashback ends**

Leonardo had long left for work, leaving Aurora to fend for herself at home. Her phone rang and she rushed to answer, smiling at herself. Her smile quickly faded as she looked at the caller ID and it was not Leonardo, rather it was the Russo home telephone line.

'Hello" she answered in a less than happy tone.

'Did something bad happen?" Signora Meta asked, panicked that something wrong had happened to Aurora.

'No—I just thought that—that it was Leonardo calling me that's all" She answered.

'Oh I see, you miss him already?" Signora Meta teased her and Aurora's cheeks heated with embarrassment.

'Why would you say such a thing? I mean he's only gone to work and nothing more" Aurora downplayed the entire incident, hoping that it would keep Signora Meta from asking her anymore personal questions.

'If you say so" She responded, Aurora breathe a sigh of relief as Signora Meta dropped the subject.

'So are the—"

'Stop asking about the Russo's and to answer your question, they are not back yet" Signora Meta replied. Aurora could not explain the overwhelming feeling of excitement that filled her.

There was a time when all she wanted was for the Russo family to come back, Avena to return so that she could have her life back but now, all Aurora wanted was for the Russo's to disappear. The thought of losing Leonardo to
Avena or any other woman for that matter tore a piece of her apart and now she simply could not imagine a life without him in her life.

'I guess I am just worried signora Meta, what if they come back" Aurora asked, waiting to hear the worst from signora Meta.

'Why are you so worried then? I thought you wanted the Russo's back" Signora Meta reminded her. Aurora shut her eyes, afraid to say what she had been thinking for the longest time.

'I want them to come back but— I can't lose Leonardo" she cried out, her eyes burning as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. Signora Meta's silence made Aurora feel all the more unsure of her future with Leonardo and with every second that passed, Aurora felt suffocated.

'So you have truly fallen in love with this man?" There was no point in denying the truth that lay before her eyes, she was madly and truly in love Leonardo Romano and there was nothing that she could do about it.

'Yes! She cried out, feeling as though all her energy was drained from her body.

'You know this was all that your mother wanted for you before she died, she wanted you to be happy and here you finally are"

'But how can I be happy when I am always looking over my shoulder in case she comes back and steals my happiness away. Maybe I am the monster after all" Aurora cried into the phone, griping onto it tightly as though her life depended on it.

'Don't you ever say that. You did nothing wrong and you know it. Avena ran away with her lover leaving you to deal with the backlash, you saved the Russo's from total embarrassment"

'But it doesn't feel like it"

'Then maybe you should try and feel like it. What has happened to you Aurora? You were once a happy child and all that family has ever done is drain all the life from you and they have never once thanked you for all that you
have done for them" Signora Meta's words had touched Aurora and forced her to think beyond what was in front of her.

All her life she had done her best to be loved by the Russo and every time she was reminded of who she was, where she had come from and who her mother was. She was never treated like a part of the Russo and they had made it clear that she was nothing more than a companion for Avena and a maid to the Russo's.

They had crashed countless number of dreams that Aurora had wanted to achieve and they had never apologized for it. Here she was, finally happy and still she could not enjoy her marriage.

The only thing she wanted right now was to have Leonardo hold her in his arms because his arms was the only place that she felt safe. All her life she had known nothing but instability but now that she had Leonardo, her life was brighter and more stable.

'Aurora!"

'Yes signora" Aurora snapped out of her dream world and answered Signora Meta.

'Do not worry about the Russo's, you just enjoy your life. I have to go, it seems as that every time that I leave none of the maids do their work. Bye my dear" Signora Meta said her goodbyes and just like that, there was silence once more.

Leonardo was at work and she was left alone with no company and unfamiliar with the area surrounding her.
Aurora, you need to get out more and take some time out for yourself. She thought to herself. She needed to calm the storm rising inside her as soon as possible, with no indication that the Russo's will be back, Aurora let out a breath of relief.

Grabbing her bag from her room and smiling as she caught sight of her mother's locket on the bedroom drawer. Walking over to the drawer she lifted the old locket and brought it to her chest.

Memories of her mother flooded through her mind and although some were sad, many of those memories were of the happier days.

'I miss you so much mother" she spoke aloud, in a room where only the walls could hear her.
Aurora took the locket and wore it around her neck, she did not care that it needed polishing or that the clasp often unlocked. It was her mother's, her mother had gifted it to her and that was all that mattered.

Taking the last of her belonging, Aurora exited the house and she was on her way to explore the town around her.