Chapter One Hundred Two: The Family

Adrian's aunt arrived on a Friday.

I didn't know she was coming. He told me that morning, over coffee, in the same tone he used to discuss business meetings and security protocols.

"My aunt is flying in today. She wants to meet you."

I set down my cup. "You have an aunt."

"I have an aunt."

"You never mentioned her."

"We're not close. She lives in Portugal. She doesn't travel much. But she's coming for the wedding."

I looked at him. He looked at me.

"When were you going to tell me?"

"Now."

I didn't respond. I didn't know how.

He reached for my hand. He took it. His fingers were warm. Steady.

"She's the only family I have left besides Thomas," he said. "I want you to meet her. I want her to meet you."

I looked at him. He looked at me.

"Okay," I said.

He nodded. He didn't smile. But something in his expression shifted. Something warm.

---

Her name was Beatriz.

She arrived at the penthouse at four in the afternoon. She was smaller than I expected. Gray hair pulled back in a bun. Dark eyes that missed nothing. She walked with a cane. She didn't smile when she introduced herself. She just looked at me. Really looked.

"So you're Elena," she said.

"I am."

"I've read about you. In the papers. The trial. The evidence. The whole thing."

"And?"

"And I'm impressed."

I didn't respond. I just looked at her.

She walked to the couch. She sat down. She set her cane beside her.

"Sit," she said. "I want to talk to you."

I sat across from her. Adrian stood by the window. He didn't speak. He didn't need to.

"My nephew has spent fifteen years alone," she said. "Fifteen years planning revenge. Fifteen years not caring if he lived or died. And then you walked into his office."

I didn't respond.

"I've been waiting for someone to change him. For someone to make him see that there's more to life than anger. For someone to give him a reason to live."

She paused. She looked at me.

"You did that."

I looked at her. She looked at me.

"I didn't do anything," I said.

"You did everything."

I didn't respond. I didn't know how.

She reached for her cane. She stood.

"Welcome to the family," she said.

She walked to the door. She paused.

"Take care of him," she said. "He's not as strong as he pretends to be."

She left.

Adrian walked to me. He didn't reach for me. He didn't take my hand. He just stood there.

"She likes you," he said.

"How do you know?"

"She didn't tell you to leave."

I almost smiled. Almost.

---

That evening, I found Daniel in the living room.

He was sitting on the couch. He was reading. He looked up when I entered.

"You met the aunt," he said.

"Felix told you."

"Felix tells everyone everything."

I sat beside him.

"I met the aunt."

"And?"

"And she's terrifying. In a good way."

He almost smiled. Almost.

We sat there. The city hummed outside. The clock ticked.

After a while, he said, "I'm glad you're my sister."

I looked at him. He looked at me.

"I'm glad you're my brother," I said.

He nodded. He picked up his book. He walked to his room.

I stayed on the couch. I didn't stare at the wall. I didn't think about the past.

I thought about the future. And for the first time, I wasn't afraid of it.

---

That night, I sat on the balcony.

Adrian was beside me. He didn't speak. He didn't reach for me. He just sat there.

The city hummed outside. The lights flickered. I watched them.

"Your aunt," I said.

"What about her?"

"She said I changed you."

He didn't respond.

"She said I gave you a reason to live."

He didn't respond.

"Is that true?"

He turned. He looked at me.

"Yes."

I looked at him. He looked at me.

"I don't know if I believe her," I said.

"You should."

I looked at the city. At the lights. At the sky.

"Okay," I said.

He didn't reach for me. I didn't reach for him. We sat at the railing, two people who had spent years chasing the same ghost, and watched the city breathe.

Tomorrow, the headlines would run. Tomorrow, the world would move on.

But tonight, the balcony was quiet, and the sky was clear, and for once, I didn't want to be anywhere else.