By Narrator

Hours Later

"Nicole, dear. I hope you don’t mind being served by your grandmother tonight." Elizabeth said with a feigned tone of regret. "I had to allow Abigail the night off. The poor thing was in excruciating pain.

Anthony tried hard not to turn that table upside down. He didn’t want to subject his girlfriend to his mother’s whims, but to his chagrin, Nicole was too stubborn and had shown a willingness to face her mother-in-law as na equal. Of course they both knew that that dinner was a complete show of pretense on Elizabeth’s part, what they didn’t know was that it would become even clearer in a few minutes Elizabeth would show how scheming she could be, and that she would not make Nicole and Anthony’s life any easier, by showing that they were not born to be together, for they belonged to different worlds.

"Don’t worry Mistress Elizabeth. I’m used to not only being served by my grandmother, but also to serving people. Didn’t you know I’m a waitress?" Nicole smiled sweetly at the woman who wanted to belittle her. "Actually, I’m proud to know that the food you eat and enjoy is prepared by the fairy hands of Miss Elinor."

Of course, Elizabeth was lost in a moment of bewilderment, for like the others present, she hadn’t expected to hear that response. The older woman really wanted to humiliate Nicole, but in the end it was she who was humiliated, because she didn’t even know how to fry na egg.

For his part, Anthony didn’t hide his smile when he heard the answer his girlfriend had just given his mother. He held Nicole’s hand firmly and lovingly brought it to his lips to kiss her devoutly. Mirella, who was sitting in front of her older brother, blinked at her sister-in-law in approval for the latina’s little rebellion.

"Oh yes..." Elizabeth began, after pulling herself together. "Your grandmother does indeed have wonderful hands for the kitchen, otherwise I would never have allowed her to remain a maid for so long in this house. However, I must say that especially today dinner was not prepared by her." Everyone seemed surprised by the woman who smiled prettily as she spoke. How could Elinor not have prepared dinner? Everyone knew that Elizabeth was a big fan of the lady’s cooking. "I think that special moments like this, I mean, the formalization of my son’s relationship with you, deserve something on the same level, do you all agree?"

"I told you it didn’t smell good." Mirella grumbled to Arthur, who seemed uncomfortable with his mother’s attitude. "That old woman with the bad food is up to something. By the way, did I ever tell you that Dad doesn’t give a damn anymore?"

The brother looked at Mirella, his eyes wide open.

"What?"

"It’s boring, I know."

Mirella took a sip of juice and turned her attention back to the conversation in front of her.

"What are you talking about, Elizabeth?" Octavio looked annoyed.

"Elinor."

Elizabeth called out with a smile on her lips, and it wasn’t long before Nicole’s grandmother appeared at the table with a covered dish. In the older woman’s eyes, Nicole could identify the muted apology. As much as she had wanted to, she had had no way to let her granddaughter know what she was getting into that night; after all, the food Elizabeth had ordered had arrived less than tem minutes earlier.

Elizabeth herself made a point of revealing her trap.

"I hope it’s to your liking, darling. I know how passionate you are about French cuisine."

Everyone looked stunned at the refined and extremely complicated dish, unless, of course, one had knowledge of how to eat escargot, which, by the look on Nicole’s panicked face, was clearly not her case.

"BUT WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?" Anthony shouted.

"Mind your manners, Anthony." Elizabeth scolded her son, but remained cynical. "Why are you surprised? You’ve always liked escargot." The older woman said to her three sons and husband. On the other side of the table, Tomaz seemed to revel in the unpleasant situation his aunt was providing. He didn’t even wait for the others, and served himself. "Nicole, dear. I imagine you won’t have any problems with that, will you?"

The older woman smiled devilishly, but although she had always been strong in her life, at that moment Nicole couldn’t hold back. She felt too humiliated by Elizabeth’s clear effort to show that Anthony and she didn’t belong together. Was it possible to just live on love?

Sobbing, Nicole ran away from the table, followed by Elinor, who, like her granddaughter, was also weeping in humiliation. For Elinor, this situation had reached its limit, and she would never again give Elizabeth the chance to humiliate her or her granddaughter.

"You’re the most scheming person I know. I can’t believe I’m really your son." Anthony spat the words out with contempt.

"Now, don’t be ungrateful, you spoiled cat. You wanted my acceptance in this stupid flirtation, what more do you want from me? Accepting this nonsense you call dating won’t change who we are, or who she is. What did you want me to have you serve? Chicken goose? It’s not my fault if she’s not cultured and refined, but you know what? It just proves that she will never measure up to you."

"As if it was necessary for you to accept or not who we should relate to." Mirella laughed scornfully. "You know what? I’ll understand if Tony never wants to look you in the face again. You’re despicable, Mom."

"Watch how you talk to me, you insolent little bitch. As long as you three live under my roof, eat at my expense, dress on my money, and depend exclusively on my conquests, you owe me respect." Elizabeth scolded her daughter, who didn’t seem to mind her mother’s offense. "It’s not my fault if Anthony had to see for himself how absurd this relationship is. That girl will never measure up to any of us. But you really know what, I understand her. If I were her, I would also want to take a swing at na inexperienced and rich man like her brother."

"STOP IT NOW!" To everyone’s surprise, Octavian was the owner of that indignant voice.

"Have you gone crazy too, Octavio? Stop this nonsense and let’s all dine in peace."

"I was crazy when I married you, Elizabeth, but it’s never too late to fix a mistake."

The older woman narrowed her eyes, and now husband and wife were dueling.

"What do you mean by that?"

"That I’m tired of your follies and insanities. I want a divorce, Elizabeth."

That night, not only did Anthony leave that house without looking back, but Octavian also left the woman he once loved so much, and who today he could not recognize.

By Narrator

Two Years Later

"What are you thinking so much about?"

Anthony hugged his wife, who was on the balcony of the small apartment they shared, admiring the stars, which had already become routine in their relationship.

Since the day he left his mother’s house, the older Morelle had been living with Elinor in the small house she shared with her granddaughter. Did he have relatives to turn to? Of course he did, but they were all just as haughty as Elizabeth, and he didn’t want to have to continue dealing with a life full of haughty, superficial people.

Of course, this was a whole new world for Anthony, who had always lived in luxury, but there wasn’t much he could do since the allowance he reluctantly accepted from his father wasn’t enough to maintain the same standard he had always been used to. Octavian, who accepted his son’s decision, as well as his relationship with Nicole, even wanted to give him a luxury apartment and keep them until he got a job in any hospital, since he was adamant when he refused to take a position in the family hospital.

It wasn’t so hard for the twenty-six year old young man to get a position in a clinic in the center of town, after all, his college curriculum from abroad was exceptional, and from then on his life began to be run according to his wishes and little by little Anthony conquered his place in the medical world, as well as organizing his life according to his life’s goals.

Both Anthony and Nicole were too young, and although Elinor had offered the older Morelle shelter, he was still not sure if they were both ready to take such a long step in that early relationship. Both Anthony and Nicole, were young and inexperienced. However, she knew that all the two of them needed least was someone else to be against their love. That being the case, with Elinor’s support, the boy had convinced Nicole to move with him to a better apartment than the little house they lived in with Elinor. They even wanted the older woman to accompany them, but as she was stubborn and proud, the lady argued that for someone starting a life with two people, they needed to have their own space.

"I’m just admiring the stars. They’re so beautiful." Nicole looked up at the night sky completely enchanted by what she saw. "I keep asking myself: how can something that is millions and millions of miles away be so wonderful?"

Anthony laughed as he remembered that in the beginning of their relationship, he had been enchanted by Nicole’s passion for the sky and all its extremely hidden, but still fascinating, magnitudes. He remembered Nicole’s exact words on the night of the disastrous dinner that Elizabeth had made sure to destroy with pride, prejudice, and pride: “You and I are like the moon and the sun, two extremes that can never be together,” and as could not be otherwise, Anthony promised his girlfriend that he would show her that even the sun and the moon can love each other, even if this requires na eclipse to happen every day.

"One day we will still admire together the sky that bathes the most beautiful beach in Mexico." Anthony said looking at the sky.

"I can assure you, it is the most beautiful thing you can see during the nights. The stars seem to shine even brighter, the sound of animals, the cold wind, and then the next day – "

"The moon gives way to the sun, which, still hot as a fireball, shines its bright, sunny rays all over the horizon rising into the sea."

Anthony concluded the thought of the woman who had his heart, after all, he had heard those words spoken so many times by Nicole, that he had already memorized them and was curious to know the place about which his beloved seemed to harbor so much passion.

"You sound like a proper Mexican, mi amor!" the woman laughed.

"I’m not, but I’d love to marry one." That said, still hugging Nicole’s small body, Anthony placed a ring before her dark eyes. Nicole blinked several times trying to organize her thoughts, but the surprise was too great. "It’s not a shiny ring, but it’s with all my love. Will you officially marry me, Nicole Hernandez?"

The yes could not be any different, it had to be watered with a passionate kiss between tears and emotion.

"Does this mean that you will be my husband?" I asked amused, still in disbelief and overjoyed

"Do you want me as your husband?" He returned the question with another.

Nicole turned red as she realized that now it was serious and that she would not only be part of the Moralle family, but would also form her own with Anthony.

The color change was inevitable.

"You are beautiful, you know? Even more so when you’re all red." Tony confessed and gave her a gentle squeeze on the cheek.

"You smell good! Did I mention that I like the way you smell?" he said as he hugged her and massaged the back of her neck.

Nicole started to laugh, she was tickled.

"Yes. Did I mention I’m ticklish? Not like that, you clown." She patted him lightly as he began to laugh and sniffle purposefully at her neck.

They both smiled and looked at each other in complicity.

"I love you!" Anthony spoke hypnotized.

"Don’t ever give up on both of us." Nicole asked, looking deep into Anthony’s dark eyes, while feeling nothing but passion running through her veins.

And as serious as she was, Anthony responded by holding her face gently:

"You are the best thing about me, I will never let you go."

With that said, the two of them indulged in warm caresses and kisses, as they walked towards the bedroom, where they loved each other all night long.

By Narrator

Two years after the wedding

Time passed and with each new day, the coexistence between Anthony and Nicole was of new discoveries, but even the preferences and quirks of both seemed to leave them even more enchanted by each other. However, the strained relationship between Anthony and Elizabeth, were like a ghost to the kind heart of Nicole, who always believed that one of the most sacred things in life, was the bond between parents and children. She couldn’t live with the reality that her love for Anthony somehow was responsible for the disunity of her beloved’s family.

In turn, Anthony could not understand how after everything his mother did, Nicole still wished to see her get back together with Elizabeth. Anthony had many qualities, but one defect could surpass them all... Pride. And that’s exactly what Nicole tried to fight against every day when she argued that people can make mistakes, but that it’s never too late to fix their mistakes and become someone better than we believe is possible. No one is only goodness or just evil. The two extremes live in constant encounter in our heart. With this, Nicole tried to make her husband see that Elizabeth had a bad side, but somewhere in her heart the goodness was hidden.

It took time, but Nicole finally managed to convince Anthony to allow herself to get back together with her mother. All right, she knew that things would no longer be the same between mother and child who had such different personalities, and to be honest, she didn’t ask for it, she just wanted to see them get along in peace.

However, what Nicole did not imagine was that in Elizabeth’s heart, there was only hurt and room for contempt. The eldest did not verbalize, after all, she did not want to see her son walk away again, but she always held Nicole responsible for the ruin of her family, because at that time, Elizabeth not only lost contact with her son, but also saw her marriage be destroyed. Yes, the elder did not allow herself to see and take responsibility for her own family failure. That’s because we humans are so flawed that we can’t even realize how the modern family has become a group of strangers. Each one with his own mistakes, quirks, problems, loneliness... Each one trapped in his own world. Often the family comes to an end and we do not even realize it, but when this is finally realized, it is easier to find guilty, than to face our own guilt and take responsibility for our chaos.

In Elizabeth’s tormented thought, her days were difficult, lonely... If in the past Elizabeth had faced a war with Anthony, in that present she saw herself in a second war, but this time with her two other children. As she struggled with Mirella, finding that she had decided to go against her will, and now preparing to take her place in a fire department in the city of Seattle, she also had to live with Arthur’s decision to open her own clinic, exempting himself from running the hospital that carried his family’s surname. For the elder, those were difficult days, to which she could not understand that she was only reaping what she had planted.

Well, at least for something Nicole had served, after all, with her influence on her husband, she had managed to convince him to make peace with his mother and take over the Morelle hospital alongside his parents, who although divorced, amicably remain the only majority owners of the enterprise. The relationship between them was still not good, so little Elizabeth could see with good eyes the marriage of her son to the woman she despised so much, because for her, Nicole was synonymous with shame and would never be at the level of carrying the surname of her family. However, just having Anthony run the hospital with her and Octavian was a good start, and made him believe that at some point Anthony would go back on the decision of that marriage.

Although Nicole is a key piece for this rapprochement, things did not come back as before between mother and son. Anthony could not forget what his mother had done to him in the past, nor forgive her truly, but that’s the problem of forgiveness... When it is not true, it becomes suffocating, to the point of suffocating us with the guilt for the lie told, for the memories that haunt the soul, and especially for the words stored in the heart.