SHADED

Eleonora Sava was a 25 years old simple, ambitious Italian girl whose main goal in her life was to live happily without any regrets . She worked hard in her small Catering and Event Management company to support her family and herself.

She was born in Italy but moved to USA for her higher studies and after graduating she opened her little business there with the help of her Nonna who lived in USA. Her father Patrick Sava was Italian but her mother Adriana was an American. Eleonora also had a younger sister Called Cara and a younger brother called Lorenzo.

After graduating Eleonora tried her best to provide everything to her little sister and brother because she loved them so much. Her world revolved around her family. All she ever wanted was her family to live in happiness. Her mother was her inspiration in life who was beside her in every ups and downs. Beside her her mother there was another person who supported her mentally and financially. Her Nonna. She had a special bonding with her nonna since her childhood. She mostly spent her childhood in the care of her Nonna.

One could say Eleonora's life was going through the tranquility she herself had created. She worked hard, earned money, helped her father to take care of their family and Travelled where her heart desired. She had roof above her head, enough food to eat and cloths to wear. What else could she want from life?

But there's a saying nothing lasts forever. So how could the tranquility of her life last?

Everything changed when her little brother fell sick and needed an immediate surgery which would cost a lot of money. Eleonora's father was just a butler in a rich man's house.

She and her father tried a lot but couldn't arrange that much money in a short period of time. Even she sold her small company but still couldn't arrange the money. She felt really helpless. Her siblings were her heartbeat. She couldn't imagine anything bad happening to them. Lorenzo was her mischief little sunshine. They had ten years of age gap between them which made them really closest of siblings. She broke down thinking of the possibility of losing her little brother.

When all hopes were almost gone her father told her something that changed her whole life.

For good or worse? She didn't know that time.

She hadn't had the best relationship with her father. Her father didn't love nor care about her that much. For her father, his son was everything. Her father was a steryotype person who valued son over daughter.

It's not like he didn't love her before. He used to care for her but that was until his son and her Brother Lorenzo was born. He gradually changed and give his all love and care to his son while ignored his two daughters.

But Eleonora never felt any grudge against her brother. She loved him with all her heart. She was the elder sister of her little sister and brother. She stood with them in every steps of their life. She made sure to protect her sister from her father's steryotypical behavior. She mad sure her brother grew up respecting women, starting from his own family.

She didn't want her brother to grow up gender discrimination. Eleonora made sure to teach her siblings about equality. It was a bliss that her siblings grew up with good moral values of human life.

Eleonora always longed for her father's love, care and attention but never got any. It made an empty feeling in her heart which grew by every passing days, months and years of her life.

A girl will always crave for her father's love. Every Father and daughter of the world always have a special bonding.

But unfortunately Nora's luck wasn't among them. She and her father hadn't even talked properly since her highschool days. But nevertheless Nora got used to it. She got her mother's love. Her mother loved her very much. Her mother always tried to sooth the empty feelings of her heart.

While growing up Eleonora was really stubborn and sensitive. She couldn't control her tears even over small matters. Even her angers would turn into tears. Her happiness would turn into tears. Her sadness would turn into tears. But with every passing years her life changed so did her emotions.

A few days later Eleonora noticed her parents behaving unusual. Her parents would always argue and she knew she was the person they were arguing over. She tried asking her mother few times but her mother didn't open her mouth. That day when she found her parents arguing again she entered in the room.

Noticing her presence her parents quiet down. She looked at her mother who had tears steamed on her face and her father had an angry expression. She sighed.

"Papa, what's the matter? Why are you guys arguing about? What are you hiding from me? She asked her father while standing in front of him.

Patrick didn't look at Eleonora instead he glared at his wife. Eleonora then looked at her mother. Adriana avoided her eyes and looked away. Nora was sure something was wrong She knew her parents were very worried about Lorenzo's treatment who was still at the hospital.

"Mama, please tell me. What are you guys hiding from me? Is Enzo alright?" She asked thing maybe her parents knew something more about Lorenzo's illness but weren't telling her.

"No. He's alright. We are not hiding anything. Go to your room Nora." Adriana comanded her daughter with a strict voice.

"But Mama-" Nora couldn't finish her sentence as Adriana cut her off.

"I said go to your room." Adriana raised her voice and Nora looked at her perplexed. She didn't understand why was her mother getting so angry.

"Why are you shouting at her? She has the right to know. Let her decide what she wants." Patrick glared at Adriana while voicing out his words.

"No. She doesn't need to know. I wouldn't allow you to sell my precious daughter, Patrick." This time Adriana didn't hold her anger and yelled at her husband. She couldn't believe her husband would agree to something like that.

"I'm not selling her. It's just getting help. They didn't give any conditions. They just want her to make their daughter in law. She will have a good good future and We also can save Enzo. Don't be foolish, Adriana." Patrick yelled. He had enough of this. He couldn't let his son die and do nothing. There was nothing bad with Mr. Williams proposal.

Meanwhile Nora stood there motionless with a perplexed expression. She understood it's about her marriage but didn't understand who wanted her to make thier daughter in law. Coming out of her shock when masked her true emotion and cleared her throat before speaking.

"Papa, tell me clearly about it. You don't need to hide anything. You are right. Let me decide what I want to." She said while looking straight into her father's eyes.

"Mr. Williams heared about Lorenzo's illness and he said he will help us with the money. He said he will even arrange Lorenzo's treatment in the best hospital." Patrick began to explain but paused in the middle.

Nora listened attentively and didn't comment anything. But when Patrick paused in the middle of his sentence Nora understood what's next. Even though her heart was beating fast her expression didn't change. She still maintained a calm expression which made her parents worried.

"What's the condition?" Nora straight asked about the main point without beating around the bushes. Patrick cleared his voice before saying "He wants you to marry his elder son. Zanvil." Patrick said and avoided looking at Nora. Nora already guessed it so she didn't react at first. Suddenly Adriana who was standing quietly started so sob. Nora looked at her mother and sighed.

"How much do we need?" Nora asked her father calmly.

"Almost 250K Euros." Patrick said. He was a little bit worried about his daughter's lack of response.

"We have 50K at this moment. So we only need 200K. I agree to marry Mr. Williams Son. But I have one condition. We will just borrow the money and I will return the money as soon as possible."Eleonora stated in a composed voice. Her father looked at her shocked. He didn't expect her to agree so easily. He didn't say anything just nodded.

"No. You don't have to do this Nora. Don't force yourself." Adriana tried to convince Nora but Nora didn't budge.

"Don't worry mom. I'm not forcing myself. We should be happy that we could save our Enzo. Marrying Mr. William won't be bad." She said to her mother softly instead. Adriana hugged Nora and sobbed at her daughter's misfortune. Nora didn't say anything and let her mother cry.

Nora was shocked that Mr. Williams wanted to make her his daughter in law. Mr. Harris Williams was a businessman. Her father worked in Mr. Harris Williams family house as a butler. She knew their family quite well.

She met him and his wife few times in the past when she still lived in Italy. She got quite close to them when she had saved his wife from a road accident few years back.

She also met Mr. William's younger son and daughter who were twins and were of her age. But she met his elder son only few times and in this little time she got a huge crush on him. He didn't come to Italy that much when his family they came for vacation or to meet thier family.

When her father told her this proposal she didn't know what to say. Sure she would do anything to save her brother. She knew her father wanted her to agree with the proposal. He would do anything to save his son and even if it meant to sacrifice her daughter he still wouldn't hesitate. So Eleonora didn't think twice about the proposal and agreed. Because she would do anything to save her brother and make her father happy.

She knew that after hearing her decision her father was very pleased with her and she was happy to that finally she made her father happy and even could save her brother. Because her family meant the world to her.

As promised Mr. Williams helped them with the money and arranged the surgery for her brother with the best treatments while Eleonora signed the prenuptial contract. According to the contract she had to stay married to his son for at least 5 years and provide a heir within 2 years. Eleonora was shocked but still didn't object. It didn't matter what she has to do till her family was fine.

Mr. Williams and his wife adored Nora from the moment they met her. They wanted her to marry their elder son. That's why when Nora's father came to him for help he proposed Nora's hand's in marriage with his son. They knew they couldn't find a better bride for their son than Nora.

Zanvil was mad with his father's decision but Mr. Williams emotional blackmailed him because he knew his son loved him a lot. He would do anything for him. He was guilty for forcing his son to marry someone against his will but he knew he wouldn't find any better match for his son than Eleonora. His wife and other children was very happy with his decision.

Eleonora was seating beside Lorenzo in the hospital. It's been few days since Lorenzo's surgery. He was recovering faster than expected. Eleonora ran her fingers through Lorenzo's hair since he was sleeping. The day when Lorenzo was brought in the surgery room Nora was so scared. She thought what if Lorenzo couldn't make it out of the surgery room? What if something bad happened to him?. She prayed days and nights for her brothers recovery. Thanks to God that Lorenzo make it safely.

Lorenzo woke up and looked at Nora. He would forever be grateful to his sister. His sister sacrificed her happiness for him. He felt guilty that Nora had to marry some stranger for his sake.

When Nora noticed Lorenzo was awake, she smiled at him brightly. He also smiled back.

"Come on, Get up. I brought you lunch. Come on come on. Eat it." Nora said in cheerful voice.

Lorenzo chuckled and tried to sit back. Nora help him by raising the bed in seating style. Though Lorenzo was recovering, he was still weak. Nora brought the food and gradually started to feed him.

"Do you hate me, Nora?" Lorenzo suddenly asked in a sad voice. He thought maybe Nora would hate him someday. Because of him she had was going to get married to a stranger.

"Why are you asking such a stupid question? Why would I hate my cutie pie?" Nora was perplexed at first but soon recovered and understood why was he saying such thing. She then answered him with another question of hers.

"You have to marry that guy because of me. If I hadn't fell sick you wouldn't have to marry a stranger. I know you hate arrange marriage." Lorenzo said and looked away. He felt awful for putting his sister in that situation. He wished he could do something.

"Life is unpredictable,, Enzo. What we think not always happens. But we need to accept and move on with a smile. Sometimes it's hard but all we can do is hope. Hope for better and then hope for the best. And I could never blame you for those things. It's not your fault. It's no one's fault. You and Cara are my Sunshine. I love you both so much that there's no place for hate. I would forever be grateful to Mr. Williams for helping us. So in future never thing something stupid like this, okay?" Nora explained in a soft voice to Lorenzo. When she finished she smiled soft which melted Lorenzo's heart. He would forever be grateful to God for giving her a elder sister like Nora.

He nodded with a smile. Nora made his bed flat again and covered him with a blanket. She kissed Lorenzo's forehead and Lorenzo closed his eyes.

"I love you, Nora." Lorenzo mumbled.

"I love you more. Now rest for a while. I will come back later." Nora said and picked up her belongings. Lorenzo nodded. Nora smiled at him before exiting his room.

After Eleonora's brother recovered from the surgery the wedding took place in Italy. It was a simple wedding with only family and close friends present. Eleonora didn't get to meet her husband until the wedding day.

When she walked down the aisle with her father and her eyes met with his, her breathe stopped. He was really Handsome with sharp jaw, full pink lips, golden tanned skin straight nose and brown hair which were nicely combed.

He was like six feet tall and muscular. She only saw this type of man in TV or read about in books. She had last saw him maybe 3 years ago. Since then he had changed a lot. He had a pair of ocean blue eyes which bore hole in her coldly. He was a walking Adonis.

When her father gave her hands in his he took it with a nod. He didn't smile at her. He made her feel cold and she was worried for her future with him.

Everything happened in a blur. She didn't even realise when she had said I do.

Never had she thought she would someday marry the man she once liked so much. After she had moved to USA she didn't think about him. She was focused on her family and herself. And now suddenly she was married. Lorenzo was right. She hated arrange marriage. She once thought she would marry because of love. When she heard people marry for money she had felt disgusted. She had always prioritized love above everything. But what happened in the end? She was also among those people.

Life is truly unpredictable.

After her wedding she moved to USA with her husband. Her husband! Mr. Zanvil Williams. Now she was Mrs. Eleonora Sava Williams.

When she moved to USA she got another two biggest shocks. First she didn't know her husband was a billionaire and second he didn't want her. She knew The Williams were quite rich but she didn't expect they were a billionaire family. She never did any investigation on them. She was always in her little world away from the outer world.

She was always inside the four walls which she had build over those heartbreaking years. That's the reason why she got the shock.

When she moved in with her husband in his house or it's better to say mansion he immediately cleared everything that he didn't want her. He wouldn't love her and she should not expect anything from him.

She could remember his every words that he had spoken to her.

It was almost evening when they had reached the mansion. The butler came and helped them carry their things inside. Zanvil had already left her there with the butler. She didn't mind though.

"Madam, please give those to me." Bill the butler said and tried to take Nora's luggage from her. Nora shook her head and said.

"Thank you but I got it. You can help me with those. And please call me Nora." She said with a kind smile which could melt anyone's heart."

"Yes." The old man said with a smile and helped Nora to carry her things inside.

When love entered in the living room she heard Zanvil shouting on someone over the phone. She kept her things aside and stood there awakwadly. She didn't know what else to do or what to ask him. They didn't really talk since they got married 2 days ago. Nora sighed.

Zanvil finished his phone call and turned around to go to his room. He was in a terrible mood. The construction project he was working on got some issues which made his mood more sour. When he turned around and found Nora standing their looking at something, his mood worsened. Everything was her fault. If she didn't agree to this fucking marriage then everything would have been good.

He was about to go upstairs when Nora called him from behind. Her voice was so soft that almost didn't hear. He turned around and glared at her.

"Which is our room?" Nora asked him. She didn't know the direction or anything there was no one in the house and Bill just left.

" There's no our room. You can take whichever room you want except mine." He said in cold voice. Nora looked at him perplexed. She thought they would share a room since they were husband and wife.

"Husband and wife? Share a room? You must be crazy to think that I will live in the same room as you." Zanvil said with a sarcastic chuckle.

Nora as a bit shocked. She didn't realise she had said that aloud. Before she could say or answer Zanvil had cut her in.

"Listen carefully, I don't love you nor I want you. You are nothing to me. You will never interfere in my life and never enter in my room or in my study. Get that in the thick head of yours. And of course stay away from me. I never wanted any of this. If it wasn't for my parents I wouldn't have married a girl like you."

He spat those venomous words and left her there. She stayed there shocked to the core. She didn't expect him to love her either but still he could have showed her some respect. She knew he didn't want to marry her. He did it because his parents forced him to do. That exact moment She realised she was nothing more than a Shaded Woman. It seemed like she would always be Shaded. She was just a shade in her father's eyes and then she was the same in her husband's eyes. She was a shade that only showed in dark.

Why is life so unfair with her? Why does she always has to suffer? Isn't God tired of punishing for the sin she doesn't know she had committed?

It is true. Human proposes and God disposes.

She should stop expecting things from others. No one was paid off to fulfill her expectation. But she couldn't help. She was a human after all. She had her expectations which served her hurt and sadness in a golden plate. But still in the end all she could do is hope. Hope for the better.

Eleonora came out of her zone and moved towards the staircase. She met the housemaid and gave her a smile.

"Mrs. Williams. Do you need any help?" The maid Rose asked her with a sad smile. Eleoanora was sure she heard everything which Zanvil had said. But didn't say anything.

"Please call me Nora. I thought no one was present in the house. Could you please show me a room where I can stay?" Nora asked with a small smile.

"Yes sure dear. Come on, I will show you around the house then you can chose the room you want." The elderly woman said with a smile. She felt bad for the poor woman. No one deserved such treatments from their newly wed husband. But she wasn't someone to interfere.

"I will take this room." Eleonora said with a smile. She liked the room very much. Though it wasn't a big fancy room still she loved it because of the huge window and wide balcony. The room didn't have much furniture either. But she didn't mind. She loved tiny rooms.

"Are you sure dear? There's many other big rooms with more decorations." Rose said in a worried voice. She was shocked that Nora wanted that small and less fancy room.

"Yes, Rose. I like this room very much. Could you please tell someone to bring my things here?" Nora said with a smile.

"Yes. Sure. You must be tired. Take some rest." Rose said with a kind smile and exited the room.

Nora slowly moved and went to the balcony. She looked at the beautiful sky which was reaching twilight. Soon there would be millions of twinkling stars and a bright moon.

Orange and reddish. Sure the sky was beautiful and happy. Unlike her unhappy soul.

Not everyone were born to be happy and she was, unfortunately, one of them.

Happiness was the unicorn she chased in her dreams and reality was the ugly monster of her dream from which she tried to ran away. Ran as far as possible. But she didn't know how far she could go.