Elleonora's PoV:

"C'mon it's been months it's almost your birthday you need to buy something and celebrate" Julia commented

"I don't feel like it, plus I have work to do" I said pointing at the dozen of papers over my desk. Since the company I have been trying to pass it over to my dad by signing a couple of documents but I have also helped my dad out with some things mostly I was rather curious on how the numbers increased so drastically since my marriage.

"Malory is 7 months old I can finally leave for some time. I can drink for real and maybe get a bit stoned" Julia said making me and Diana laugh.

After I divorced Blaze the news was filled with our shocking divorce, I barely had time to tell the family. They never asked directly what happened and my mother never let me too. My Nana on the other side blamed me at first but my mom defended me and Nana never spoke to me again about Blaze. Everyone thought that I was like a porcelain doll if I heard Blaze's name I would fall or break, silly of them I was already broken.

Time is indeed a nice help; it doesn't make the pain go away but makes it bearable daily. I must thank him at the end of the day I didn't not know what love was until I met him and also didn't know the pain of a broken heart.

I am trying to be better for others, I forgot about myself a long time ago. I planned some goals and dreams for now on. I plan on gaining more money with the casinos alongside my dad so we can buy my mom a small bakery shop. Since she and Dad made a truce she has been baking again which leaves Dad ecstatic. Honestly, right now, I only care about them and my family the most.

I haven't seen or had any news about Blaze Maxwell in 4 months since I signed the papers and we divorced, he completely disappeared from me and for all of my family, he even refused to see Charlie and Malory which surprised me. I haven't had any contact with Louis or Jada either.

It sort of feels like these two years were a pure illusion, a mere production of my mind, I imagined I had married a rich CEO and suddenly I woke up.

"It's true though. It's your birthday cous, we need to do something" Diana said, I took a deep breath at their persistence

" I really don't feel like it"

"It's in one week! I am sure Miles and Jen want you to celebrate and Nana will make sure of that too" Julia commented

"Never miss a birthday after Quinceañera " The both said at the same time making me chuckle, that's what our Nana always says. Birthdays are important and they represent another year of growth and lessons learned and the opportunity to pause, reflect, and appreciate all that we are and have been it's also the only day of the year that you can claim to be the most important person because it's your day.

"Maybe a family dinner" I proposed

"It's your birthday not Christmas" Diana said

"We should rent a party venue" Julia propose

"It's not my Quinceañera either"

"Oh wait!! I might know a guy for a rooftop garden party" Daina said happily checking her phone

"God... you don't give up" I mentioned

"We are Vargas women" Julia smiled

"True" I smiled back

My cousins tried everything to make a party for me and they sort of succeeded even against my wishes, Miles and Jenny helped them and so did my mom who wanted desperately for me to go out, she kept on telling me to go on dates so I kind of covered back saying I was seeing someone ... guess who?

Austin. Easy and safe choice. He is always down for lunch or dinner to trick my mother. He is nice company, he has a lot of problems himself with the whole royalty thing so we have sort of hidden meals so it won't cause him any trouble.

The days passed and my friends and cousins tried to gather the perfect birthday for me, they managed to rent a place in Manhattan, 620, it was a rooftop garden pretty simplistic and beautiful. The whole building in itself had events occurring but they managed to get the rooftop alongside another event also occurring, I guess it was a wedding.

"Hey girl you look- STUN- NING!" Miles said once I stepped out of the car. I was supposed to meet them on at the entry of the building

"Thanks, some really nice friends encouraged me to buy this dress" I teased them

"Soft pink looks so good on you," Jenny said grabbing my arm and pulling me into the big doors of the fancy building while Miles grabbed onto my other arm. They guided me to a golden elevator to the last floor

"You know I didn't want all this right?" I said looking at them. I feel so spoiled for them, and I know perfectly well why they are doing this, they are just trying to make me forget about Blaze but that simply doesn't disappear. There are days were it gets better, and working with my dad surely helps me to be distracted and when I am distracted i don't have time to think however at night when I lay in bed by myself, I can't help but to think about him.

We reached upstairs and walked outside to the roof and the view was simply amazing. The garden was beautiful and my family and friends were filling the place with joy and laughter but once they same they started to clap.

"Here it is the birthday girl !" Miles shouted making everyone else scream and whistle in joy making me blush in embarrassment.

I was congratulated one by one and once I was finally done I took a breathe of relief near the stone railing of the rooftop while looking down at the small and busy people of New York walking around. I looked up at the clear May sky watching the beautiful blue but my peace was disturbed by a weird sensation, as if someone was watching me I looked around and watched a man in black by far on the other side of railing on the other event, on the wedding maybe he was as bored as me.

"Hey birthday girl" Austin said catching my attention, I smiled watching his blue eyes looking at me

"Hi"

"You look really ravishing" He said making my eyebrows rise

"That's a big compliment"

"It's a big truth" He fired back making me laugh

"Are you having fun?"

"I guess so...my family is quite..."

"happy?"

"I would say loud" I told him watching Charlie dancing with Nana and Arturo

"They look like a very united family" Austin noticed while looking at my family

" We've been through a lot" I said looking at them carefully "Although sometimes we fight we could never hate each other, we are family you know?"

"Not really" he laughed surprising me "My mom and my dad didn't really have time for this family thing"

"Oh... I am sorry" I said embarrassed

"No-" he chuckled calming me down " It's fine, it was my reality. They are great governors and parents they just didn't have much time for being with me alone "

"I am sorry to hear that"

"Don't worry I learned from them what never do with my children in the future" He said making me smile, he was a nice and thoughtful person I get why Blaze and him were friends, well almost like brothers in fact, in a way they were very similar, they had this mistic aura and both were very powerful man, they were a bit difficult to crack but certainly they were kind-heart...well or so I thought.

But there is this thing Austin doesn't have compared to the Blaze I thought existed, sincerity... Blaze was so sincere in his words, he didn't back down, he was direct but in a gentle way, and he simply said what he felt, being hurtful or not, he said it. Even his deepest feelings he would say with no second thought like the day he confessed his feelings for me- Why am I thinking about this now?

Just to suffer more? because all of that wasn't even real GOD I am so stupid I have this handsome man next to me, a prince and a director of a Spa, a nice and comprehensive man yet here I am thinking about the man who broke my heart.

"Are you okay?" his question blurred my thoughts

"Hm?"

"You zoned out for a bit" he smiled looking at me

"sorry, I was just thinking..." I said while biting my lip, hoping he wouldn't ask me further details

"It's ok, you should unwind... have fun, dance and talk with them" he mentioned looking at my family, I nodded at his suggestion...that's exactly what I need - a distraction.

"You're right! Let's dance" I smiled while walking to the floor and grabbing Charlie in my arms "GOT YA"

"Hi, Auntie!"

"Hare you dancing with Nana and Arturo"

" He is Pops" he pointed at Arturo, I nodded at him realizing he was right

" He is! You're right"

"Auntie!" The boy called my name taking my full attention " Where is Uncle Blaze? I miss him?" The boy pouted looking at me "Mom says you had a fight but can't you forgive Uncle Blaze? I miss him a lot and you miss him too, right Auntie?" Oh this boy, the one who had to bring me tears into my eyes in my birthday

"I wish it was that easier, Charlie."

"I miss Uncle Blaze"

"I know, honey, so do I " I said while caressing his face, Julia barged in probably realizing what Charlie was saying

"I am sorry Ellie. Charlie! We talked about this didn't we?" She said angrily taking the boy away from me

I took a deep breath, I felt like this dress was so tight not letting me breathe. I needed to get out of here, so I did.

I got away from that festive ambient and I ran away trying to escape that, trying to breathe from the lies from that party that clearly wasn't what I wanted right now. I just wanted to be home, I just wanted to be in my bed alone, I just wanted to -

*BUMP*

I just wanted to not bump into someone. Gosh, what an embarrassment. " I am so sorry" I said looking at the man who I had bumped, he was tall and he was wearing a nice black suit, he had a thick mustache and he looked a bit wary as he saw me.

"Dovresti guardare dove vai,signorina" You should watch were you going, miss

" Mi scusi" I am sorry

I was going to the bathroom but once the weird-looking man bumped into me I felt like going out, maybe I should just take a deep breath outside and enjoy the wind on my face, trying to unwind as Austin said. I tried to find my way out and it looked like I had succeeded, I managed to be at the back of the rooftop away from the events, away from the people, I got near the stone railing once again and I took a deep breath when honestly I just wanted to scream.

The wind was blowing on my face and the fresh air calmed me down as long as the smell of the roses due to the flowerbeds near the railing. I took a deep breath in and closed my eyes smelling the sweet scent of the roses, it was so calming it smelled like - cigarettes.

Cigarettes?

I opened my eyes to see where that disturbing smell came from, I looked around and I found a man with his back laid on the railing wearing a blue navy suit.

I looked back watching the no smoking sign and I looked back at the man again. Unbelievable.

"Sir, you can't smoke here" I said, but he didn't care at all or maybe he didn't hear me so I went closer and I spoke again "Sir, you can't-"

My mouth stopped working and the words I wanted to say didn't come out as the grey eyes landed on mine.