The tropical weather, together with the ambiance of the villa had calmed and relaxed them both down. It was like the last of the barriers between them had vanished, and it was the perfect time to express their love.

They were gazing out at the stars when Dimitri turned to her, staring at her lovingly, when she looked back at him he said, "Aurora sweetheart, I love you," he confessed.

She felt the love in the air but did not expect him to confess his feelings, so she was stunned when he did. He was never big on words, and it really surprised her, so she was not able to answer right away. "I…," she stammered when she saw the intensity in his eyes.

Dimitri turned away from her. She hesitated, and that told him what he needed to know. She was not ready. His confession just came out naturally, and he did not want her to feel she had to say the same thing just because he did. He wanted her confession to come out naturally as well.

When she saw him turn away, she saw the dejected look in his eye, "Dimitri, look at me," she said as she tried to pull his body to face her. She could not bear him looking so sad, but he just looked the other way.

So she went on her tiptoes and grabbed his face with her hands, turning his face towards hers. "Why are you so impatient? I was not finished with what I was saying," she said impatiently.

He looked at her with hope in his eyes. "I love you too Dimitri. I love you so much," she said softly.

He gasped. Each word went straight to his heart. It was the sweetest salve in the whole world, and it was melting all the aches and pains he felt earlier when he thought she was rejecting him.

"Is it true? You really love me?" he had the biggest smile on his face, something that she's never seen before, and it made him look more handsome than before, "I'm the luckiest man on earth! Wohoooo!" he screamed from the balcony.

He gave her the most mind-numbing kiss he's given her yet, her legs were starting to turn into jelly, and for a second, she forgot where they were when their lips separated.

"Will you promise to be with me forever?" he asks.

"Yes, yes, yes," she felt giddy like he was proposing to her for the first time, and they had just been engaged.

"Even if something happens, you will still stick to my side?" he asked in a doubtful tone. In his mind, he was asking her the most important question in his life. Will she be there when she learns who he really was.

"Yes, I promise to stick with you, no matter what happens," she promised, not knowing what lies ahead. She thought his hesitation was just because he was not sure about her real feelings.

He tightly hugged her and whispered, "Yes, you are mine forever, and you can never leave me." She hugged him back, with all the love in her heart, not knowing that some promises will not be easy to keep.

Because we all know life is not what we expect it to be, and who knows what life will throw their way.

-=-

Violet was very worried about her mother. Moving her to a better hospital will definitely make her condition better but money was tight, or should she say non-existent. She had approached all her relatives, on her mother and father's side, but none of them would take pity on her.

When that didn't work, she turned to her parent's friends and old business associates, but they turned a blind eye on her as well. The more successful they were, the more biting their words became, and if they didn't turn her away, they propositioned her to render services that would bring everyone to shame.

She felt so disgusted after visiting most of them that she wanted to give up. But her mom needed her now more than ever, so she turned to some people she knew in school that she was friendly with, but they all pretended not to know her.

The only good thing that was happening in her life these days was seeing her mother. But today when she came to the hospital, she heard loud voices coming from her mother's room. Her mother was trying to check out, but the nurses would not let her, they said she needed the treatment and should wait for her daughter before she did anything drastic.

Her mom was adamant about checking out because she knew they could never afford the treatments, not on whatever little money they saved, or even her daughter's meager salary. But Violet assured her that the cost was not that expensive and that she had enough money saved to cover all the expenses.

After reassuring her mother, and feeding her the lunch she brought, Violet wandered out of her mother's room, walking aimlessly, and when she got tired she found herself sitting in one of the chairs in the lobby of the hospital. She kept going through the list of people she could ask for help and kept replaying the conversations she had with them.

Maybe it was time to bite the bullet and just agree to their absurd demands, maybe she could choose the least ridiculous one, that won't tie her to anyone for the longest period. It was going to be the most humiliating thing she would be doing in her life but if her mom would live longer, then it was the price she was going to have to pay.

Gabriel had been in the hospital almost every day of that week. As soon as his brother and their family came back from their vacation, he was instructed to be Aurora's personal security. He never thought his brother had a gentle and caring side to him, and because of that, he was being too overprotective. So since Aurora was now a part of their family, all he could do was obey.