Page 27 of Code of Heart
Aurelia let that sink in for a moment, wondering how often she had met with Estrella these last few months without her knowledge. Even in death, Eleanor was still a sneaky bitch…and it lifted her spirits a bit.
“I can only imagine the things she said about me,” Aurelia said wryly, as Estrella bit into a strawberries and cream flavored macaron, humming in appreciation. “Eleanor's explanation delivered in her last video was as subtle as someone whispering secrets through a megaphone in a library.”
The words slipped out of Aurelia’s mouth before she could think them through. Estrella almost choked on the dessert with laughter, needing a long sip of her tea to wash it down. Once she regained her composure, the air in the room shifted as those mesmerizing eyes aligned with hers, an unnatural stillness befalling her.
It was a strange feeling that made her skin prickle.
“It’s clear that despite the unusual circumstances, you’ve agreed to move forward with finding your match,” Estrella stated.
Aurelia could have sworn her eyes were changing colors, but she pushed the thought from her mind as quickly as it arrived.I’m imagining things.
“Beyond the wealth at stake, what made you decide to come?”
The question stopped Aurelia in her tracks, and she thoughtfully considered her response. Ultimately, she decided to repeat exactly what she said to Charles in Eleanor's study only a couple of days prior.
“Because I've nothing left to lose. I’m sure Eleanor spilled all the gossip about my upbringing in foster care, how I came to be her personal assistant, and my past romantic entanglements.”
It should have been harder to say the words aloud, but it was as if someone else was in control, her thoughts ill content to be silent any longer.
“I don’t really have any friends; growing up, I was shuffled around so much that it became impossible to connect with other kids. Being thrown into the real world without any protections the day I turned eighteen forced me to put such trivialities on the back burner—surviving was more important.”
Aurelia paused, that invisible tether drawing her story out, unable to stop it even if she tried. It was disconcerting; her instincts begged to erect a wall around her heart. She fought against it.
I’m fierce. I can do this.
“I was in my mid-twenties when I felt ready to go beyond basic survival…to try to live. Though I didn’t know what that entailed. I started by volunteering for activities in my community; I took classes like beginner’s crochet or line dancing to meet other people, but…” she bit her lower lip in hesitation.
I lied, maybe I can’t do this.
She shook her head and that voice out of her mind. “I haven’t been able to get past that first introduction and small talk. No one seems to be interested in pushing a friendship further than that.”
Facing the windows leading to the backyard, Aurelia peered into the distance, reliving those memories and the accompanying feeling of embarrassment.Arms wrapped aroundherself protectively, she asked in a broken whisper, “Is there something wrong with me?”
Estrella said nothing. She dropped her arms and took a sip of tea to buy herself time to gather her thoughts and strength, hating how exposed she was—how vulnerable.
Hating how her voice progressively became more distraught as she continued.
“I have no issues getting attention from men. The problem is my inability to choose the right ones. Every relationship failed because I wasn’t good enough for them to stay.” Her inadequacy had become the only constant companion in her life.
Aurelia was so adrift in the memories of every failed past relationship, especially the most recent one, that she didn’t feel the silent rivers streaming down her face, wrought with emotion.
“Losing Eleanor has affected me more than anything in my life so far; she wasliterallythe only person who has ever cared deeply about me. Yes, she was my employer, but for me, our relationship went beyond that. She was the grandmother I never had—someone who let me be myself without pretense and fall apart without judgment. Eleanor made me feelsafe.”
She chanced a glance at Estrella, who, save for those swirling blue orbs, had not moved a muscle.
“I’m here because I havenothingleft to lose by letting someone help me,” Aurelia said, her voice steadier than she felt. “If it doesn’t work out, fine—I’ll be right back where I am now. The money itself doesn’t mean anything to me, but it could help so many other people—kids like me who are aging out of foster care with nowhere to go, no support.”
Confidence and determination began to replace her embarrassment.
“Ibarelymade it on my own. This inheritance could create something real—a safety net that actually helps them, so they don’t have to fight to survive like I did.”
She took a shaky breath, surprised by the emotion rising in her chest. Emotion that didn’t push her down for once; instead, it picked her up and pushed her forward.
“Ninety days before my eighteenth birthday, they gave me a transition plan…said it would help me find a safe place to live, a job. My foster parents even agreed to let me stay until I was settled. But all of that fell apart. I came home from work one night and found my bags already packed. They told me I had to leave—that another kid was coming and no room for me.”
Aurelia’s throat tightened at the memory. “So, I left. And with nowhere else to go…I ended up living in my car.”
In a voice that sounded neither far away nor close—somehow everywhere at once, Estrella asked, “What is it that you want?”
