Chapter 8

Chapter 8 – Aurora's Humiliation

The housekeeper, with a serious and worried expression, came to her room, silent as a shadow. Without saying a word, she signaled for Aurora to follow, and with no choice, she obeyed, quickly brushing her hair and putting on a simple dress, running barefoot to catch up with the housekeeper.

The hallway was imposing and empty, and she felt small in front of the grandeur of the place. With every step she took, she felt the weight of her fate. The house had become a labyrinth of secrets, a space she barely knew but was already filled with anguish.

When they arrived at Andrews’ office, Aurora hesitated for a moment in front of the heavy door before entering with the housekeeper behind her.

Andrews was sitting behind his desk, facing away from her, staring out the window. The silence in the air felt thick, charged with rising tension. When he heard her enter, he didn’t turn immediately. He seemed so confident, so unshakable in his power.

Finally, he turned around and, with a tired sigh, handed Aurora a piece of paper.

"Here is your list of tasks," he said, his voice deep and emotionless. "Everything you get in this house won't be for free. You will work for your keep, and like any employee, you will have your duties."

Aurora looked at the paper with frustration. She knew he was trying to humiliate her. She knew he wanted her to feel inferior, small, worthless.

She looked at him, determined not to bow to his disdain, though her voice trembled slightly.

"I’ll do what’s necessary, but I demand a salary," she said firmly, not hiding her resentment. "I will not submit to being treated like a slave. If I’m going to work here, I need to be compensated like any other employee."

Andrews raised an eyebrow, surprised by her boldness, but quickly regained his composure. He sighed, irritated, but seemingly willing to concede for a moment. With an impatient gesture, he agreed to her request, revealing a sly smile.

"Very well. You’ll get what you want, but don’t think this will change anything," he said with an indifferent expression. "You’re still here because of what your family did."

The housekeeper watched, uncomfortable with the tension between them, unsure of how to ease the situation.

She noticed the atmosphere was becoming increasingly difficult but remained silent, waiting for the conversation to unfold.

Before leaving, Aurora took the wedding ring from her finger and, without a word, placed it on Andrews’ desk with a swift motion. He watched her without moving a muscle, and she stared at him for a moment, her gaze filled with a mix of contempt and sadness.

"I’m not wearing this," she said firmly. "I don’t want anyone to think his wife is treated like an employee, because right now, I don’t consider you anything."

Her words echoed in the air, and for a moment, Andrews remained silent, as if unsure how to react. But finally, he leaned slightly forward, his expression cold.

"Come to think of it... it won’t be so easy to provoke me," he replied, looking directly at her. "I said I’d pay you for your services, but you won’t see the color of that money. It’ll be used to pay for what Janete took. With your work, you’ll pay off the debt little by little. How does that sound?"

For a moment, she was speechless, pressing her lips together, feeling a growing hatred for Andrews.

"Me? You gave the money because you wanted to. You bought her because you wanted to! What do I have to do with your debt? Do you think I don’t have enough problems? And now I have to deal with you and all this shit falling on my head, and now you want me to work to pay for something I haven’t even seen a penny of?"

"Exactly!" he confirmed indifferently. Aurora approached the desk, took the ring back, and this time threw it against Andrews’ face. The housekeeper looked away as she ran out of the office like the devil fleeing from the cross.

"She dared to do this?" he asked, confused.

"She what?" the housekeeper deflected, looking around as if she hadn’t seen anything.

"She did..." he clenched his fists, containing his rage while the housekeeper discreetly smiled so he wouldn’t see.

She ran down the hallway, and as soon as she entered her room, the weight of the day hit her. Tears began to silently fall down her face as she threw herself onto the bed. The emptiness surrounding her suffocated her. With no one to support her, it felt like she was treated like an employee, worthless, with no dignity.

"I won’t stay here..." she muttered to herself, with anger and fear.

Aurora buried her face in the pillow, crying silently, her body trembling with anguish. She knew she wouldn’t be able to escape so easily, but she swore to herself that she would find a way to escape this prison.

Meanwhile, Andrews remained in his office, a sadistic smile on his lips, feeling like he had taken another step in his revenge. He watched the ring on his desk and, for a moment, allowed himself to think about what he really wanted.

But the desire to humiliate Aurora and make her pay for her family’s mistakes was still stronger, even though he felt it was wrong.

"How can she be so daring... first the slap, now the ring?" thought Andrews, feeling a twinge of frustration.

The following days after the confrontation with Andrews were a constant torment for Aurora. Since the moment he handed her the list of tasks, her life became an endless cycle of humiliating chores and total subordination.

Andrews, with his arrogant demeanor, seemed to make a point of reinforcing how much he despised her, forcing her to do domestic tasks that, in his eyes, were nothing more than punishment disguised as responsibility.

Every morning, he would appear in the kitchen, watching her with a cold stare as she prepared breakfast for him. Sometimes, he didn’t say a word, just staring at her as if she were a piece of furniture that needed to be used. When he did speak, his voice was harsh and merciless.

"Wash this, Aurora. You’ll clean the house like any other employee. I don’t care if you think this is humiliating; you’ll pay for the money I was forced to give to your family," he would say with a cruel smile, intending to crush any remaining shred of dignity she had.

Aurora tried at all costs not to show her frustration. Every movement she made was with the intention of not breaking down in tears. The work was exhausting, and Andrews' disdainful looks made everything feel even worse.

She felt an unbearable pressure, not only from the physical tasks but from the constant emotional humiliation, as the servants watched her anxiously and helplessly, unable to help because Andrews was always watching them and forbidding them from intervening.

Andrews' cynical smile, his indifference, all of it made her feel smaller with each passing day. No matter how hard she tried to maintain her composure, the feeling of hopelessness took deeper root.

At night, finally back in her room, she still didn’t intend to sleep. She waited until the time stretched into the early hours of the morning when the mansion was silent and everyone was asleep. Then, she left her room and headed toward Andrews' office, turned the doorknob, and entered. The cold atmosphere, with the scent of freshly arranged furniture, didn’t interest her. The phone on the desk was her goal. Behind his desk, she grabbed the landline and quickly dialed a number, waiting for an answer, but received none.

"Janete!... You really left me?" she murmured, feeling her legs weaken. She tried a second number and was quickly answered but remained silent as she waited for the voice to speak. Her hands trembled, fearing someone else would answer.

"Aurora? Is that you, dear?" the weak voice asked. Then, Aurora ended the call, pressing the phone against her chest, squeezing her eyes shut as the tears escaped.

"Good... Good..." she murmured to herself as if hearing that voice was a relief, but she soon woke from her reverie when she felt someone’s fingertip slide across her face, wiping away the tears. She froze, too scared to look, wondering how someone had found her.