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As soon as the car comes to a stop, Danny steps around to open the door for me. It’s not necessary, and I’ve told him several times to stop, but he’s not a very good listener.
“Thank you,” I say to him.
“Sure thing, boss lady,” he replies. “Good night.”
He offers me one last charming smile before walking off in the direction of the smaller houses in the compound. He never listens to me, but he’s good company. Nico made the right choice picking him to be my bodyguard.
When I step into the house, Corinne approaches me.
“Welcome back, Mrs. Ramirez.”
“Hey, what’s up?” I ask her.
“The Don has requested your presence in the private cinema upstairs, ma’am,” she informs me.
I arch an eyebrow. “Nico’s asking me to come up to the cinema? That’s…weird. He doesn’t even watch movies.”
Corinne shrugs. “He asked me to send you up as you arrived, ma’am.”
“Okay,” I say with a nod. “I’ll go up. Thank you, Corinne.”
The private cinema in the mansion is a recent addition. I’m not sure how recent, but it certainly wasn’t there ten years ago. I was surprised when one of the maids told me about its existence a while ago. Apparently, Valerio got bored and made some renovations to the mansion before he died.
This house is entirely too big with way too many empty rooms. It’s no wonder he got bored and decided to change things. But he also surrounded himself with enough people that it doesn’t ever feel that lonely. I climb a flight of stairs to the third floor.
But when I reach the landing, I pause. The hallway stretches out before me, bathed in soft, golden light. There are alcoves along the walls, each housing some sort of statue or an intricate vase. I take in a shaky breath as I realize my art studio is also on this floor. I can’t believe I forgot. I wonder if my things are still there. I find myself torn between wishing they were and wanting more than anything for someone to have gotten rid of them all.
I consider going back, but Nico’s waiting for me. So, I continue down the hallway. My heart skips a beat as I pass the door and then my steps come to a stop. It’s just a normal black door. But it holds the key to my past, to who I used to be before everything.
My breathing turns erratic as I just stand there. A part of me wants to open the door. My hand reaches toward the knob. It would be so easy to turn it. To enter, to be back there again. I remember the last time I was in front of an easel. The last time I attempted to paint or draw something personal.
But it didn’t work because all I could hear was the silence. All I could see was a body falling to the ground.
My hands shake and my heart starts to race even faster.
“Breathe, Aurora. It’s just a door,” I whisper to myself.
Eventually, I start to relax. I close my eyes and count to ten and the nerves fall subside. Maybe one day I’ll finally find the strength to go through that door, but it won’t be today.
CHAPTER 24
NICO
Aurora would be upset if she knew I just witnessed that. Which is why despite how much I want to reach for her and hold her to me and comfort her, I know I can’t. Not yet.
At least I have answers. Asking her to come up here was a strategic move. I needed to see how she would react to being back in her art studio. I thought she would at least walk in, but it’s clear the demons plaguing her couldn’t even let her do that. I knew something was wrong. I just wasn’t sure how to help her, and I’m still not sure I do.
I slip out of the alcove and head into the dimly lit cinema. Valerio certainly went all out when he built this place. There are rows of plush seats in the room. I take a seat in one of them, waiting for Aurora to appear.
She does a few minutes later. I turn to look at her at the sound of her footsteps walking down. There’s no trace of the panic attack she nearly had in front of that door on her face. Instead, there’s a smile playing on her lips as she looks at me.
“This place is insane!” she exclaims, entering the row of seats and taking the one right by my side.
“Yeah, I know. How did it go with your friend?”
“Pretty good.” She nods. “I’ll tell you all about it later. First, tell me what we’re doing here. I’ve never seen you successfully finish a movie before, and I hate watching them at best.”
Right, but I needed a good enough reason to bring her up here, and the opportunity presented itself.
