Chapter 4
2197 Words
The knock came at three in the afternoon.
Three precise knocks.
Not loud.
Not demanding.
Yet somehow, the entire mansion seemed to hear them.
Rosalina looked up from the book in her hands.
She was sitting in the drawing room by the window, enjoying one of the few moments when nobody was hovering around her.
At least, she thought nobody was.
Her mother was pretending to read a magazine across the room.
Her father was working on his tablet.
Her brother was scrolling through his phone.
Her sister was quietly drinking tea.
And Adrian…
Adrian had been sitting in an armchair for the last twenty minutes without turning a single page of the newspaper in his hands.
Rosalina had noticed.
Of course she had.
Everyone had been acting strangely since morning.
She had gotten used to their attention over the past few days.
The constant questions.
The gifts.
The messages.
The hovering.
The way someone always seemed to know where she was.
It was becoming difficult to remember what privacy felt like.
The knocking came again.
Her father lowered his tablet.
“I’ll get it.”
Rosalina looked toward him.
“Are we expecting someone?”
“No.”
Her father stood.
The entire room became strangely alert.
Rosalina noticed.
She closed her book.
“Who is it?”
Her father didn’t answer.
The front doors opened.
A familiar voice drifted into the foyer.
“Good afternoon.”
Rosalina’s eyes widened.
She stood immediately.
“No way.”
Her mother looked toward the entrance.
Then her expression changed.
The Jonas family.
All four of them.
Standing inside their mansion.
They were one of the most influential families in the country.
Like Rosalina’s family, they had built their fortune through generations of business, investments, technology, and private ventures.
They were modern.
Powerful.
Extremely wealthy.
But unlike Rosalina’s family…
The Jonas family had always been kind to her.
At least, in Rosalina’s experience.
They had never treated her like an inconvenience.
They never questioned her presence.
They never made her feel like she needed to earn her place beside them.
Whenever she visited their estate, they welcomed her warmly.
And when Rosalina had struggled with the loneliness of her own family, she had sometimes found herself spending time with them instead.
The Jonas family had become almost like a second family.
That was exactly what made the atmosphere in the mansion change.
Rosalina smiled.
“Mr. Jonas!”
The older man smiled warmly.
“Rosalina.”
She hurried toward them.
Her family watched.
Every single one of them.
And something inside them twisted.
⸻
The Jonas family’s eldest son stepped forward.
“Still calling my father Mr. Jonas?”
Rosalina laughed.
“What am I supposed to call him?”
“Uncle.”
His father chuckled.
“Don’t pressure her.”
The young man smiled.
“I’ve been trying for years.”
Rosalina shook her head.
“You’ve been trying to annoy me for years.”
“And succeeding.”
She laughed again.
The sound echoed through the foyer.
The family froze.
They had heard Rosalina laugh before.
But rarely.
Not like this.
Not so easily.
Not without hesitation.
Her brother’s fingers tightened around his phone.
Her sister’s smile remained perfectly pleasant.
Her mother folded her hands together.
Her father watched quietly.
And Adrian…
Adrian smiled.
Nobody would have noticed anything wrong.
That was the frightening part.
His expression was completely normal.
Warm.
Polite.
Welcoming.
But his eyes had become colder.
“Please,” Adrian said smoothly, “come in.”
The Jonas family thanked him.
Rosalina immediately moved closer to them.
“Why are you here?”
Mrs. Jonas smiled.
“We wanted to see you.”
“Me?”
“Of course.”
Rosalina looked genuinely surprised.
Mr. Jonas laughed.
“Who else would we come for?”
Rosalina smiled.
Her family’s smiles tightened.
⸻
They moved into the drawing room.
Tea was served.
Conversation began.
Everything looked perfectly normal.
The two families discussed business.
Investments.
Upcoming events.
A charity gala.
Nothing unusual.
Except Rosalina.
She sat between the Jonas siblings.
She was laughing.
Talking.
Relaxed.
Her shoulders weren’t tense.
She wasn’t constantly checking the expressions of the people around her.
She wasn’t wondering whether she’d said something wrong.
She was simply…
Happy.
Her family noticed.
And suddenly, something ugly surfaced inside them.
Jealousy.
At first, they had thought it was harmless.
Normal.
After all, they had only recently realized how much they loved Rosalina.
Of course they didn’t like seeing her close to other people.
But as the afternoon continued, they began to realize something.
This wasn’t ordinary jealousy.
Not anymore.
Because when Mr. Jonas made Rosalina laugh, her father felt an irrational urge to interrupt.
When Mrs. Jonas fixed Rosalina’s hair, her mother wanted to pull her closer.
When the Jonas siblings teased Rosalina, her brother wanted them to stop.
When Rosalina leaned toward them while speaking, her sister’s fingers tightened around her teacup.
And when the Jonas family’s eldest son casually put an arm around Rosalina’s shoulders…
Adrian smiled.
“Careful.”
Everyone looked at him.
The young man blinked.
“About?”
Adrian’s smile didn’t change.
“She’s holding a hot cup of tea.”
The Jonas son glanced at Rosalina.
Then at the cup.
“Oh.”
He immediately moved his arm.
“Sorry.”
Rosalina laughed.
“You worry too much.”
Adrian smiled.
“Perhaps.”
But underneath the table, his hand was clenched.
⸻
The Jonas family had always had an easy relationship with Rosalina.
That was the problem.
They didn’t have to try.
They didn’t have to earn her trust.
They didn’t have to carefully approach her.
Rosalina simply trusted them.
She smiled at them.
She joked with them.
She accepted their affection.
She even leaned against Mrs. Jonas when they spoke.
The sight was almost unbearable.
Rosalina didn’t realize it.
Why would she?
She had no idea that five people around her were silently fighting the same battle.
Why them?
The thought appeared in each of their minds.
Then another.
Why does she smile more around them?
Then another.
Why does she trust them so easily?
And finally…
Why weren’t we the ones she felt safe with?
The answer was obvious.
Because they had failed her.
They had pushed her away.
The Jonas family hadn’t.
And that realization made their jealousy even worse.
⸻
“Rosalina.”
She looked toward Mr. Jonas.
“We’re hosting a small gathering next weekend.”
“Oh?”
“I’d like you to come.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
Rosalina smiled.
“I’d love to.”
Her mother nearly crushed the teacup in her hand.
Her father noticed.
He gently touched her wrist beneath the table.
A silent warning.
Not here.
Not in front of Rosalina.
Her mother relaxed her fingers.
“That sounds lovely,” she said.
Mrs. Jonas smiled.
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”
Rosalina nodded.
“Thank you.”
Adrian’s smile remained.
“That’s generous.”
The Jonas patriarch looked at him.
“Rosalina has always been welcome in our home.”
A pause.
Adrian nodded.
“I know.”
The two men smiled at one another.
Neither smile reached their eyes.
⸻
Later, Rosalina showed the Jonas family around the mansion.
She walked ahead of everyone.
The Jonas family followed.
Her own family followed behind them.
Nobody noticed how carefully the distance was maintained.
Whenever Rosalina walked too far ahead, someone from her family caught up.
Whenever one of the Jonas family members stood too close to her, one of Rosalina’s relatives conveniently appeared beside her.
It became almost comical.
Almost.
Rosalina eventually noticed.
She stopped.
Everyone stopped.
She looked around.
“Why is everyone following me?”
Silence.
Her brother smiled.
“We’re touring the mansion.”
“You’ve lived here your entire life.”
“Still a nice mansion.”
Rosalina stared at him.
“You’re weird.”
He laughed.
The Jonas siblings exchanged amused glances.
“She’s right.”
Rosalina smiled.
Her brother smiled back.
But his eyes flicked toward them.
A warning.
Barely noticeable.
The Jonas brother noticed anyway.
He said nothing.
⸻
When the Jonas family finally prepared to leave, Rosalina walked them to the front door.
“Thank you for visiting.”
Mrs. Jonas hugged her.
“We’ll see you next weekend.”
Rosalina smiled.
“I’ll be there.”
The Jonas son smiled.
“I’ll pick you up.”
Before Rosalina could respond, Adrian spoke.
“I’ll drive her.”
The words were calm.
Polite.
Immediate.
The Jonas son looked at him.
“I don’t mind.”
“Neither do I.”
The two men stared at each other.
Rosalina looked between them.
“…I can drive myself.”
Both men answered simultaneously.
“No.”
Rosalina blinked.
The entire foyer went silent.
She looked at them.
They looked at each other.
Then Adrian smiled.
“I simply meant that I would be happy to take you.”
The Jonas son smiled.
“And I meant the same.”
Rosalina sighed.
“Fine.”
She walked away.
The moment she was out of earshot, the smiles disappeared.
⸻
The Jonas family stood at the entrance.
Her father spoke first.
“It was good seeing you.”
Mr. Jonas smiled.
“Likewise.”
Nobody moved.
Then Mrs. Jonas looked toward the staircase.
“She’s doing well.”
Her mother smiled.
“Yes.”
A pause.
“She’s happy.”
That sentence landed differently.
Because they knew.
The Jonas family had been one of the few sources of genuine happiness Rosalina had in her previous life.
The family had remembered that.
They remembered seeing Rosalina sitting with the Jonas family.
Laughing.
Relaxed.
Loved.
While their own family had ignored her.
And now they had another chance.
But so did the Jonas family.
The thought was uncomfortable.
Very uncomfortable.
Because for the first time, they realized something.
They weren’t simply afraid of losing Rosalina.
They were afraid someone else might become more important to her.
Someone who could give her what they had failed to.
Someone who could make her feel safe enough to leave them behind.
The thought terrified them.
⸻
After the Jonas family left, Rosalina returned to the drawing room.
She noticed everyone was unusually quiet.
“What?”
Nobody answered.
She looked around.
“Why is everyone staring at me?”
Her mother smiled.
“We’re not.”
“You are.”
Her father cleared his throat.
“We were simply thinking.”
“About?”
He smiled.
“Nothing important.”
Rosalina sighed.
“There you go again.”
Her family exchanged glances.
She didn’t notice.
Or perhaps she pretended not to.
Rosalina picked up her book.
“I’m going upstairs.”
“Already?” her mother asked.
Rosalina looked at her.
“Yes.”
Her mother smiled.
“All right.”
Rosalina left.
Her footsteps disappeared up the staircase.
The moment she was gone, the room became cold.
Her brother leaned back.
“I don’t like them.”
His sister glanced at him.
“Neither do I.”
Her mother looked toward the stairs.
“They make her happy.”
Silence.
Her father spoke quietly.
“That’s what bothers us.”
Adrian remained standing.
His expression was unreadable.
Finally, he spoke.
“We shouldn’t feel this way.”
Nobody argued.
Because they knew.
Their jealousy had gone beyond jealousy.
They didn’t simply dislike the Jonas family.
They wanted Rosalina to choose them.
They wanted her attention.
Her trust.
Her affection.
They wanted to be the people she ran toward when she was happy.
They wanted to be the people she called when she was frightened.
They wanted to become indispensable to her.
And the frightening realization was that none of them wanted to share.
Her father closed his eyes.
“This is becoming unhealthy.”
His son laughed bitterly.
“Becoming?”
Everyone looked at him.
He stared toward the staircase.
“We’re already there.”
Nobody denied it.
Adrian finally walked toward the stairs.
His wife looked at him.
“Where are you going?”
“To see Rosalina.”
“Why?”
He stopped.
For a moment, he didn’t answer.
Then he quietly said,
“Because she shouldn’t have to wonder whether anyone wants her around.”
He continued upstairs.
Her mother watched him disappear.
Then she whispered,
“He’s right.”
Her father sighed.
“That’s the problem.”
Because they all wanted Rosalina close.
Too close.
And the Jonas family had just reminded them that Rosalina had people outside this mansion who loved her.
People she trusted.
People who could make her happy.
People who might one day ask her to stay with them.
And for the first time since receiving their second chance…
The family realized that their greatest fear wasn’t Rosalina discovering the truth.
It wasn’t her learning about the previous life.
It wasn’t even her remembering the pain they had caused.
Their greatest fear was much simpler.
Rosalina might realize that she didn’t need them.
And if that happened…
They didn’t know what they would become to keep her from leaving.
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