New Walls, Old Shadows
1063 Words
The first night in the mansion felt completely unreal.
Aurora lay in the enormous bed in her new bedroom, staring at the ceiling. The sheets were softer than anything she had ever touched. The room smelled like fresh linen and faint lavender. There was no leaking ceiling, no distant traffic noise, no sound of her neighbor arguing through thin walls. Just silence.
Too much silence.
She got up and quietly walked down the long hallway to Leo’s room. The door was slightly open. She peeked inside.
Leo was fast asleep, curled up peacefully under a thick blanket. His new oxygen machine hummed softly beside the bed. For the first time in years, he looked… comfortable. Not fighting for every breath. Not in pain.
Aurora leaned against the doorframe, tears silently running down her cheeks.
This was why she had signed.
This was the reason she had sold herself.
She wiped her face and went back to her own room. Sleep still didn’t come easy.
The next morning, she woke up to the smell of food.
She found Leo already in the huge modern kitchen, sitting at the island counter while a uniformed chef was making pancakes. Leo’s eyes were sparkling with excitement.
“Rory! They have chocolate chips! And real maple syrup!” he said, grinning so wide it made her heart ache.
Adrien was leaning against the counter, drinking coffee. He looked freshly showered and dressed in a casual button-down shirt. He nodded at her politely.
“Good morning,” he said.
“Morning,” Aurora replied, feeling awkward in the silk pajamas Adrien’s assistant had provided yesterday. She tugged at the hem self-consciously.
Breakfast was quiet but not entirely uncomfortable. Leo asked Adrien a hundred questions about the house, the garden, and whether he could have a dog one day. Adrien answered every question seriously, treating Leo like a real person instead of a sick kid.
After breakfast, Adrien’s private medical team arrived — two doctors and a full-time nurse.
Aurora stood protectively beside Leo while they examined him. The lead doctor, Dr. Reyes, was kind but thorough.
“His condition is stable for now,” she told Aurora later in private. “With consistent treatment and the new medication protocol Mr. Blackwood approved, we can reduce the frequency of crises significantly. He’s a strong boy.”
Aurora nearly cried with relief.
The rest of the day was a whirlwind of adjustment.
Adrien gave them a full tour of the mansion. There was a home theater, a gym, a library, and even a small garden area with a fountain. Leo was in heaven, running (slowly) from room to room with wide eyes.
But for Aurora, everything felt foreign.
She kept touching things carefully, afraid she would break something expensive. When she tried to help clean up after lunch, one of the staff gently stopped her.
“That’s not necessary, ma’am. We’ll handle it.”
She felt useless. Out of place. Like a guest who didn’t belong.
In the afternoon, while Leo was napping with his new nurse nearby, Aurora wandered into the massive living room. Adrien was there, working on his laptop.
“You don’t have to hide in your room,” he said without looking up. “This is your home now too.”
Aurora crossed her arms. “It doesn’t feel like home. It feels like… a very expensive cage.”
Adrien finally looked at her. “I’m not trying to cage you. You’re free to come and go as you please. But for the next few weeks, we should stay close while we establish the story.”
“The story,” she repeated bitterly. “Right. The loving wife.”
Adrien closed his laptop and stood up. He walked closer but kept a respectful distance.
“I know this is hard for you,” he said quietly. “I’m not expecting you to fall in love with me. But I do expect us to be civil. For Leo’s sake… and for both of us.”
Aurora looked away. “I’m trying. But everything here reminds me that I sold myself.”
Adrien was silent for a moment. Then he said something she didn’t expect.
“I know what it feels like to do things you hate for family. My mother… she’s difficult. But she’s all I have left. So I understand the weight you’re carrying.”
For the first time, Aurora saw a flicker of something real behind his cold exterior. Vulnerability.
Before she could respond, Leo’s voice called from down the hall.
“Rory! Come see the garden! There’s a fish pond!”
She gave Adrien one last look and walked away.
That evening, after Leo had gone to bed happy and pain-free for the first time in weeks, Aurora found herself on the balcony again.
The city lights sparkled below. It was beautiful. Almost too beautiful.
She heard footsteps behind her. Adrien.
He stopped a few feet away and leaned on the railing beside her.
“Leo seems happy,” he said.
“He is,” Aurora replied softly. “Thank you for that. For everything you’re doing for him.”
Adrien nodded but didn’t say anything for a while. The silence between them felt heavy but not entirely bad.
“I have my first public event in two weeks,” he said eventually. “A charity gala. I’d like you to come with me. As my wife.”
Aurora’s stomach tightened. “So soon?”
“Yes. We need to start selling the story.”
She let out a long breath. “I don’t even have anything to wear to something like that.”
“I’ll have Victoria arrange everything,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about those things anymore.”
Aurora turned to face him fully. “I’m not a doll, Adrien. I’m not going to let you dress me up and parade me around without a fight.”
A small, almost amused smile touched his lips. “I’d be disappointed if you did.”
For a moment, the air between them felt charged — the same strange chemistry from that first night flickering back to life. Aurora looked away first.
“I should go check on Leo,” she said quickly.
She walked inside, heart racing.
This was only day one.
How was she going to survive a whole year?
- Writer
