*Aurora*
A few hours after our arrival, I decided to lock myself in before starting anything, but that clearly wasn't my dear friend's plan, because as soon as I fell asleep, she woke me up with a large glass of orange juice. I gave her a grumpy look, but she didn't seem to mind and held my gaze.
"At least I'm allowed to rest, right? You may be tireless, but not me. I'm pregnant, remember."
"When it suits you, you use that excuse, even though I remember perfectly well that it didn't stop you from working two shifts in a row a week before I came to see you, so I was on my feet."
I get up from my bed and grab the tablet she left on the shelf before leaving my room.
"God, why did it have to be here?"
I realize that her novel convention is taking place in the same room where my wedding was held.
"Are you okay?" she asks me, returning with a tray of food.
"Yes, I'll be fine. As you yourself said, I'm the strongest woman you know."
A few hours later, we're at the entrance to the room, which is already full of journalists. I take a deep breath and enter, greeting the journalists with a small smile. Sandy and I sit side by side. It's not so much the journalists' stares that bother me, but rather the nervousness of my friend, whom I sense nearby. So I decide to speak.
"Hello everyone. I'm the novelist Aurora Haywood and also a dear friend of your favorite author, Sandy Farrell. I'm here today to participate in her convention by giving my opinion on her latest novel, which I'm guessing you've all read since that's why you're all here.
"Indeed," a journalist began, "but lately, she's not really as well-liked as she was in the beginning."
"Oh, really? Enlighten me, please."
"Her latest novel reflects a lot on her past scandal with the married man she had an affair with. And readers didn't appreciate it at all. At the time, a few months after the scandal, readers decided to forgive her and give her a second chance to recover by reading..."
"Wait, excuse me?! Forgive her? Give her a second chance? Do you realize what you're saying?"
"These are readers' opinions."
"All right, then, dear readers, let me tell you that love can't be controlled, and you're not God or some supreme power to judge the authors you read." I understand that what happened with her isn't at all glorious for her career, but has it ever occurred to you that it might not have been her fault? I was there during that period of her life, and I can definitely say that she's not the one to blame. The man in question, named Simon Watts, was married but hadn't informed her of this and preferred to continue their affair even on the evening of her sixth wedding anniversary, until his wife called him just as he was about to take Sandy to a restaurant.
"But how could she be in a relationship with him for two months without knowing he was married?"
"As I just told you, he preferred to remain silent about his marital life and keep the information to himself. Perhaps to better hurt and humiliate her." But he didn't succeed in stripping her of her dignity because she continued to write despite her condition resulting from this scandal. And for that, I'm proud of her.
A heavy silence reigned in the room. I saw several journalists lower their microphones.
"If you truly admire her, I beg you to reconsider your remarks. She strives to make you dream in her works, so the least we can do for her would be not to criticize her private life and instead focus on her work. Because it's not easy to write unmotivated and when you're in poor health." I'll now turn over to her for the rest of your questions. That's all I have to say to you, hoping you'll reflect on these details.
The rest of the session generally went well, proof that I was able to ease the tensions and negative opinions. My phone vibrated several times in my purse. As I looked at it, I realized that my arrival had already made the rounds of the newspapers. I was kind of expecting it. I take a deep breath and stand up with Sandy at the end of the conference.
At the exit, our bodyguards are already waiting for us near the cars, protecting us from the flashbulbs.
- It went pretty well, right?
- You call it well? Are you talking about the beginning or the end?
- Aurora, you know I don't really care about their opinions.
- But you should. From the start, they attacked you as if they were beyond reproach. You
You're not the only woman I know of to be cheated on by a married man, and certainly not the first person to do it. Everyone has their problems, but that doesn't give others the right to exploit them against the person in question to prove themselves right.
- You helped me calm them down, so don't worry. I'm fine. If you hadn't been there, I think I would have cracked.
- There was no way you were crying in front of them. If they really love you, they have to accept you as you are, with all your flaws.
- Thanks, Rora. Your phone.
Indeed, my phone vibrates, and when she sees the name of the call, Sandy is shocked.
- Yes, I know what you're going to say.
- How could you keep that bitch's number when she destroyed your relationship?!
- I know, yes.
- I imagine she's calling because she heard about your return from the journalists. What are you going to do?
- Me? It's simple. I bet she'll play the good cousin who calls to invite me to eat with my family and ask how I'm doing. So I'll just go in casually and leave quickly.
- I'll come with you.
- I know. You and me...
- For life or death. Well, let's head to the Belmore manor.