After dinner with the widow and her children, Aurora said goodbye with a contented heart. The meal she'd worked so hard to prepare — the one her own family had scorned — had fed a family in need who hadn't hesitated to eat it. When she arrived back at the house, everything was silent. Even the lights were off, as if no one cared whether she came home or not. She smiled and sat down in the dark, empty living room. Her family was home, but loneliness was what reigned inside her. Everyone was off doing their own thing.
Still, she had to keep going — to give them the space they demanded. How she missed her eldest son. He'd always been attentive and affectionate with her. After sitting in thought for a while, she decided to take a shower. She went into the bedroom where Jose was reading a book. Without a word, she grabbed a towel and stepped into the bathroom. For the past ten months, her husband had been ignoring her existence.
Aurora was not an unattractive woman. Despite having had three children, she maintained a slim, curvy figure. Her abdomen was a little soft, with small rolls when she sat, but her long chestnut hair fell like a waterfall down her back. Her fair skin and amber eyes made her beauty stand out even without makeup. She came out of the shower wrapped only in a towel. She went to the wardrobe and found a nearly transparent silk nightgown. She dropped the towel, standing naked in front of her husband, hoping to get his attention. But he just glanced at her and went back to his book.
Aurora wasn't about to give up. The nightgown was sexy — her breasts were visible through the sheer fabric. She climbed into bed and began insinuating herself toward Jose, pressing close to him, practically invading his side of the mattress. She smelled wonderful. But Jose stayed focused on his reading, ignoring her presence. There were days when his wife's very existence irritated him, and this was one of those days.
"Honey," Aurora said softly.
"Mmm," Jose murmured.
"Don't you want to be intimate? It's been months since we've done anything."
"I'm tired. You should go to sleep," Jose said.
He pulled the blanket over himself and turned his back to her. Aurora sighed, trying to suppress the longing. She was a human being — she had needs too. She found her side of the bed and let her tears fall in silence. Her emotions were connected body and soul, and she felt her fragile body couldn't withstand so much pain from her family's lack of love. Even sharing a bedroom and a bed, her husband's coldness made her feel utterly alone. She was convinced he no longer loved her the way he once had. For more than two years he'd been cold with her. When they did have sex, Jose would finish quickly, leaving her wanting — without the release of dopamine, the hormone that brings pleasure during intimacy. There were no more caresses, no more kisses on the mouth. He no longer took pleasure in her body. He'd finish and get up, heading straight for the bathroom as if he wanted to wash her scent off his skin.
She dried her tears and, clutching her pillow, fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. The next morning, her routine continued. She rose early to make breakfast for her daughters and a good cup of coffee for her husband. When the girls came to the dining table, the delicious meal was laid out and waiting. This time, Aurora didn't speak and didn't sit at the table. She stood leaning against the kitchen counter, watching her cold family. They didn't complain about or criticize the breakfast either. When Jose arrived, he noticed there was no plate set at his wife's spot.
Their eyes drifted toward the kitchen, where they found her leaning against the counter, choosing not to join them. He didn't give the attitude much importance. He chatted with his daughters, and when breakfast was done, he left the usual money for the weekly groceries. Then they all walked out without saying goodbye to her. Aurora felt like just another piece of furniture in her own home.
She flung the rag in her hand onto the counter and went to the window to watch her family leave without so much as a farewell. Through the curtains, she saw them go. She collected the dishes from the table, carried them to the sink, and cleaned the bedroom. In the pocket of her husband's pants, she found a receipt from a jewelry store listing the price of a gold choker necklace with diamond fragments. The cost was substantial, and a smile spread across her face. Her birthday was in a week, and she thought her husband had spent a great deal of money on a gift for her.
He still cares about me. What a fool I am, putting stupid ideas in my own head. He almost always forgets my birthday — but I think this time he won't. She smiled.
With the tender smile that always characterized her, she continued cleaning the house. It was time for the younger daughter's room. As usual, it was a mess — clothes strewn across the floor. She started picking things up, and when she tugged at a coat, a new framed photo belonging to her daughter fell and shattered on the ground.
"What is this..."
It was a photo of her family together with the mother of her youngest daughter's best friend — as if they were a happy family of five. Aurora didn't have a single recent photo with her now-teenage daughters. Only her husband did. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, which stung as tears escaped. Now she felt excluded from the life of her sixteen-year-old daughter.
But then she smiled, remembering that receipt. She imagined the thoughtful gesture her daughters and husband must be planning. Her eldest daughter's room was locked. She went for the keys, and just as she was about to open it, the front door swung wide. It was Juliana — she'd forgotten her phone and had to come back in a taxi.
"What are you doing, Mom?" Juliana asked.
"I was going to tidy your room," Aurora said.
"I've told you not to go into my room — not today, Mom." Juliana took a breath. "I didn't make a mess. You can clean when I tell you to. Now I need you to step away."
Juliana went into her room and shut the door practically in her mother's face. She didn't want Aurora to see a portrait of her father with Lucia that Juliana herself was painting for them — a gift for their second anniversary as a couple. If her mother discovered the portrait, Juliana was sure she'd make a scene, as usual.
It's coming along so nicely. I'm not going to let Mom ruin it, Juliana thought.
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