Bride Of Hades

Sara had invited the ladies to hang out on the balcony because she knew that they wouldn't be able to talk with the men around. Their protective natures come out when they don't like where the conversations are heading, and sometimes women need to talk amongst themselves just to release their feelings. 

She also wanted Aurora to be comfortable and not feel like she was getting grilled by the men. Aurora felt apprehensive. It was very obvious that the women were familiar and comfortable with each other. And sometimes women from certain circles do not easily welcome other women they didn't grow up with or who don't travel in the same circles.

Aurora did not detect any snobbish behavior and she liked how Sara defended her earlier, but she was still wary of them. It might still be a trap, she thought at the back of her mind. 

"So Aurora, I don't mean to pry, but how did you meet your husband?" Sara initiated the conversation.

"Well," Aurora hesitated and tightened her hold on her glass.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell us. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable," Sara interjected when she saw Aurora hesitate.

Aurora nodded.

"Well, let me share my story first, then you can decide if you want to share your story later," Sara volunteered. 

Aurora listened as Sara told them about her days of being an actress and how Blake stepped in to save her from utter ruin. Sara told her how she rejected Blake in the beginning and later saw the sincerity in his actions. That he was not acting for her sake but because he was a man in love.  The trials they faced had only strengthened their bond.

She felt at ease with Sara and decided she would share her story because it would be better if they heard it from her rather than a rumor that would most likely be false.

"I was drugged by my so-called friend and landed in Dimitri's hotel room. The next day I thought Dimitri had left, not knowing that he was coming back, I ran away without knowing who he was. Weeks later, I found out I got pregnant because of that encounter, so I decided to leave the city and raise Enzo on my own while I studied to be a doctor. I was treating Dimitri's brother at the hospital I worked at, and that's where we met again.

When I learned he was the man I slept with five years ago, I got scared that he was going to take Enzo away from me, so I rejected him. But then he surprised me by telling me he wanted to be in a relationship with me, and he would not take no for an answer. I told him I would give it a go, not knowing he wanted us to get married and be a real family. And now we're here," Aurora explained.

"Well, we all go through some sort of difficulty in our life, except for our princess, who had it easy from the start," Sara teased as she looked over at Ava.

"Sis, you don't know how scary Tristan was before we started dating. He wanted me to agree to everything he wanted, and whenever I disobeyed his wishes, he'd glare at me with his domineering gaze," Ava defended.

"Ohhh… I'm so scared Tristan," Sara mimicked Ava's voice horribly.

"I don't sound like that, take it back," Ava said as she pinched Sara's arm.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Okay, I take it back," Sara flinched and laughed out loud. 

"Okay fine. Our love story is a little more conventional, none of the drama that my sisters had, but still, you don't know how controlling Tristan was in the beginning," Ava conceded.

The women in front of her had a very good relationship, Aurora observed. Ava looked a little childlike and had that air of innocence still around her. Sara was a little more elegant and classier, and she had a more quiet demeanor about her.

"You two seem close, have you known each other for a long time?" Aurora asked.

"We are sisters, that's why we tolerate each other," Sara replied, putting her hands around Ava's shoulders.

"She is my older sister," Ava replied.

"Oh, sisters! That's so nice. Did you meet your partners through your husbands?" Aurora asked.

"Yes, I met Blake when he came to Ava's wedding. He is Tristan's best friend," Sara continued.

"I've heard rumors about the Aristocratic heirs, that they were reserved and cold towards women, but it seems like Blake is very sweet and gentle with you. Are they all like that?" Aurora asked.

"They show their true selves only to their partners. Blake is not as gentle as he looks. He has a totally different persona when he deals with other people, and it's not only him. All the heirs are controlling and domineering so they can get what they want," Sara said.

Sara was not as hoodwinked as Ava. She shared how Blake manipulated the situation all the time, thinking he has Sara fooled, but she knows everything. How her new clothes that were too revealing would magically disappear from her wardrobe, or how all the cars were in service when Sara needed to attend a meeting instead of going out with him.

How he would drag her to bed with her reports unfinished and in the morning they would already be completed. She knew that Blake did all those things for her because he loved her and in turn, she turned a blind eye and let him get away with all of them.

"But Dimitri is not like that. He is quite considerate with me, listening to my requests and giving them consideration," Aurora said.

"Oh dear, you still haven't seen the real him. It will take time before he does. But don't worry he loves you, otherwise, he wouldn't have married you," Sara said.

Aurora smiled, she knew Dimitri was good to her and that's all that mattered.