Vivian, a woman who, after marrying through an agreement between families, traveled abroad after being disappointed by her husband, Mark. The Valencia and Lauren families had been friends for years, and when they had their respective heirs, they decided to betroth them to seal their family friendship. Tragically, on the day of Vivian's birth, there was a major earthquake in the hospital and the babies were confused. They only found out about this when Vivian had to be hospitalized for appendicitis. This caused a great shock in the Valencia family, but after recovering from such a hard blow, they began to look for their legitimate heiress.

Years passed and, although nothing was yet known about the true daughter of the Valencias, the Lauren family began to pressure for the wedding to be celebrated. The patriarch of the Laurens was very ill and wished to see his grandson married to Vivian, whom he had always considered as a second granddaughter. Without further remedy, the Valencias had to accept, since their true daughter had not yet appeared, and also, the Valencia company was not going through a good time. They could not miss this opportunity for association.

Vivian was the most excited about all this. She had been in love with Mark for years, and although he had always been cold, distant and even rude to her, the love she had for him often made her completely blind to his actions. Unfortunately for Vivian, her happiness did not last long, since, as if by magic, Camila appeared, the true daughter of the Valencias and, in theory, Mark's true fiancee. There were only two months left for her marriage to the man she had loved since her childhood, but little by little Camila managed to make her wedding extend more and more. She brazenly approached Mark, and both managed to have a very intimate relationship. In less than two months, everyone in high society believed that it was Camila who would marry Mark and not Vivian.

Upon learning of this, Mr. Francisco Lauren summoned his grandson to ask for explanations, but all he found was a wall. Mark did not want to talk about the subject, and his grandfather, seeing that this could damage his plans, sentenced that if he did not marry Vivian next month, he would give all his shares to his cousin, who coincidentally was also Mark's declared enemy.

Frustrated and angry with his grandfather, but much more with Vivian, as he assumed that she was the one who had told his grandfather all this, he left the Lauren mansion to go to the Valencia mansion. Upon arriving, he asked to speak with Vivian. When the girl came down and saw him, she smiled widely, and approaching him shyly said:

"What's wro...?"

"It was you, wasn't it?" Mark took Vivian's arm, holding it tightly. With his face completely darkened, he continued, "You asked my grandfather to hasten our marriage."

"What? No... I don't understand what you're talking about..." Vivian frowned, a sign of pain, and looking pleadingly into Mark's eyes, said, "It hurts..."

Mark, realizing what he was doing, released her abruptly and stated:

"I know you're not going to acknowledge what you've done, but I want you to know that, even if you force me to be by your side, I will never love you."

Vivian's eyes filled with tears and, desperately, she asked:

"Why? What did I do to you? Why can't you reciprocate my love?"

Mark was surprised to see that, finally, Vivian was direct with her questions and said:

"Because there is already someone else in my heart. I'm sorry, Vivian..."

That was the last thing Mark said before leaving. On the other hand, on the staircase, hidden, was Camila, who, upon hearing this, smiled victoriously and whispered:

"I'm sorry, 'little sister', but it has been many years in which you took what belongs to me. It's time for you to know your place."

After that, Vivian heard nothing more from Mark. The days and weeks passed until, one day, a message arrived asking her to appear at L-Motors Company, the Lauren's company. This excited Vivian, as she hoped to be able to resolve the differences with Mark.

Upon arriving at the company, she went to his office and was received by Mark's lawyer, a man in his sixties, who, after letting her in, showed her a marriage contract. In it, it stipulated that she would join the Lauren family, have access to their fortune and surname, and that, once she signed, Mr. Mark Lauren would be her husband.

Vivian looked at the man, not quite understanding what he meant by that contract, and the man explained briefly:

"Mr. Lauren told me to give you this message. He said that this would be all, he has no intention of doing any kind of ceremony or civil act. He said that, if you don't agree with this, that it's fine with him, but that you will be the one who will have to explain to both families why you don't want to marry him."

Vivian, still processing everything the lawyer had said, said:

"I understand, can you give me a minute?"

The lawyer nodded and, after leaving, Vivian took her phone and dialed Mark's number. She waited for him to answer, but he never did. Tears rolled down her cheek and, looking carefully at the contract in front of her eyes, she signed it. Then she left the office and, seeing the lawyer, said:

"Tell your client that it's done."

Without further ado, Vivian left the place and went to the only place where, whenever she felt devastated, she could cry...

On the beach near the city, Vivian walked barefoot on the damp sand, thinking about how to go back to the time when, in Mark's eyes, there was not only coldness and resentment, but she could also see love and illusion.

They had known each other since childhood, and although Mark was two grades ahead of her, during recess they would meet to share their sweets. Also, he wouldn't let other children play with her, as he got somewhat jealous if he saw it.

As they grew older, they began to share more things, such as their love for architecture, nature, cars, music, and food, which brought them even closer. It could be said that they were more than friends, but everything changed when Mark took his place in the Lauren's company. The meetings between them became distant, their time together was reduced, and after he spent a year abroad, it was when they really grew apart. Upon returning, the smiling and cheerful boy she knew no longer existed. His character had completely changed, to the point that Vivian no longer knew how to start a conversation with him. When her grandfather fell ill and conditioned the merger of both companies to their union, it was when Vivian realized that the young man she knew was no longer there. The hurtful words he dedicated to her after her grandfather's request still hurt her. He called her an opportunist, suggesting that she was only approaching him for his money. When Vivian tried to explain that this was not the case, Mark did not listen to her, and everything worsened when Camila appeared. She, at every opportunity she had, put her in a bad situation, making her look like someone classist and completely indifferent towards a young woman who had suffered a lot before reuniting with her family. But the reality was different: when she returned to the Valencia mansion, her parents severely punished her for mistreating their real daughter and reproached her for being so ungrateful, because without them it was not clear what would have become of Vivian's life. As "compensation" for her supposed faults towards Camila, Vivian had to do all the work of the servants, in addition to attending to all of Camila's needs.

As soon as Camila arrived at the mansion, Vivian became simply another servant.

Many times she tried to tell Mark all this, but he never gave her the opportunity. He was always busy or with Camila, and she feared that if she told him what she did when no one was watching, it could make things worse. She endured all those abuses with the hope that when she married Mark, everything would change. She would remind him who he was before all this happened, and they would both be like before. But after everything that happened that day, her hopes fell to the ground. He not only didn't want her as a wife, but he detested her, because that way of finalizing their union was all she needed to know that he cared very little about her feelings.

While tears fell down her cheeks, a man approached and asked:

"Are you alright, miss?"

Vivian was surprised by the sudden tone of voice and, turning around, saw the gentleman.

"Yes..." she replied, seeing that he had his jacket slung over one of his shoulders and was also barefoot. "I was just taking a walk."

"I understand, I also come here to meditate." He observed Vivian's red eyes and, although he tried not to, he couldn't help but frown. "Is something wrong? Do you want me to call someone for...?"

"No, please... I just needed to think."

The man, without relaxing his expression, sat on the sand and, spreading his jacket so she could sit next to him, said:

"Alright, if you want you can talk to me. I'm not very good at talking, but I have the gift of knowing how to listen and give good advice."

Vivian looked at him. He didn't seem like a dangerous or bad person, but even so, she had some reluctance to be alone with him. She looked around, and seeing that not far away there was a group of security men watching in her direction, she turned her gaze back to the man and said:

"I don't know... maybe I'll bore you. Besides, I don't know if I should..."

"I have plenty of time. Maybe today I can be your friend. I think you need one right now."

Vivian smiled with some sadness and, taking a seat on the jacket that the man had spread out for her, she slowly told him her whole situation. When she finished, she looked at him again and said:

"And that's how, at this moment, I find myself not knowing if the decision I made is the right one..."

Nikolai looked at her with pity and, unable to help it, hugged her. This surprised Vivian, but, although in her mind she knew that this might look strange, in some strange way the warmth of that hug made her tears come out again. When Nikolai felt his shoulder getting wet again, he said:

"Vivian, you are not alone... Sister, I've been looking for you for a long time, but... Seeing that you had a family and that you seemed happy, I didn't want to... I couldn't get close..."

Vivian got up from the sand and, moving away a little, asked:

"What? Who are you?"

"Don't worry, I'll tell you everything. I only ask that you don't get upset and that you trust me..."

Vivian looked at him for a moment, and seeing that his eyes were the same color as hers, she felt curious about what that man had to tell her. She slowly nodded, and taking a seat again, Nikolai spoke...

As Nikolai spoke, Vivian remained silent, listening to everything he had to say.

"I don't know where to start..." he said, noticing her impatient gaze. "I'll start from when they told me of your existence. I was twelve years old when my mother, our mother, passed away. A few days before her death, she told me that you had been born on October 10, 1995. I was just a child, so I didn't remember anything that had happened on those dates. It was only when my mother died that, along with my father, we began to look for you everywhere.

"We started at the hospital where you were born. There they only told us that at that time many newborns had died due to the collapse caused by the earthquake. But then we found out that a group of nurses managed to get several babies out in time, and you were among them. We looked for you for years, until we discovered that one of the families who had also given birth in that clinic had left for their country days later. We lost track of them, and it was very difficult to find them. We were about to give up when, in a magazine, my father saw you. When he showed it to me, it was like seeing Mom again. You... your eyes, your hair, you are the spitting image of her.

"I wanted to travel, but my father said we should take it slow. Maybe you didn't want us in your life, or maybe our lifestyle would make you uncomfortable. We investigated you and knew you were okay, and that's what really mattered to us. I planned to keep my distance until I saw you married, and then go back with Dad. But my men noticed certain incidents in which you were harmed, and your supposed fiance didn't help you either. So I decided to put someone in charge of your safety. That person told me about everything that happened today, and I didn't think twice. I came to talk to you. Maybe you don't believe me or what I'm telling you sounds crazy, but the Vitales keep their word and never lie about these things. Family is the most precious thing to us, and that's why I'm here. You are not obligated to accept me as a brother, but whenever you need me, I will be there for you."

Vivian continued to look out at the sea intently and, suddenly, asked:

"What was she like?"

Nikolai took out his phone and, extending it to her, replied:

"She never lost hope of finding you."

She looked at the photo carefully. What he said was true: she was the spitting image of that woman. Then she raised her face again.

"I always imagined this moment, what it would be like if my real parents were looking for me. I always thought they had abandoned me or were dead... but knowing that I will never meet her makes me sad. At the same time, I feel like a weight has been lifted from my heart. Thank you for being here tonight."

Nikolai hugged her again and, noticing that she was freezing, commented:

"I think we should go. It's cold and you're freezing... What do you plan to do? Do you want to go back?"

Vivian looked him in the eyes. Without knowing why, she trusted him blindly.

"No. I want to go far away and disappear."

"I can help you with that," he replied, getting up and extending his hand.

She looked at it and, without hesitating for a second, took it. They both headed for the exit, but when she tried to go to her car, he stopped her.

"They'll track it. If you want to disappear, it's best to leave it here."

The girl hesitated for a moment. She nodded.

"I'll take my bag."

Nikolai watched as his sister took only her bag and left the car keys inside. Then, they both got into his car and drove off without leaving a trace of where they were going.

Three years later...

At Los Angeles airport, a woman of imposing figure and great beauty was heading towards the exit, escorted by several bodyguards. Her father and older brother had asked her not to travel, but seeing her refusal, they decided to allow her to return on the condition that she take enough security until they could reach her.

When she reached the exit, seeing the men waiting for her, she turned to Ivan, her brother's trusted man. He, noticing her expression, hurried to say:

"I didn't know about this, Miss..."

"Of course not," she retorted, waiting for them to open the car door for her. She got in and ordered: "Straight to the hospital, please. Then we'll go to the hotel."

"As you wish, ma'am."

Once the car started, she turned on her cell phone. Since the night she left, she hadn't turned it on again, as her brother had advised her not to be tracked. But now, with Mr. Lauren seriously hospitalized, she had decided to return. In her old life, he had been the only one who showed her genuine affection. That's why, when her informants told her about his condition, she didn't hesitate to leave everything and return to thank him for everything he had done for her. She was afraid to return, but it was necessary for two reasons: one, to see him, and another, to know if she was really married or if Mark had never filed the papers with a judge. That was the only question she had had during all these years. Not out of love, but to close that chapter once and for all.

When the cell phone picked up a signal, hundreds of messages and notifications began to arrive. It had been turned off for three years, and now the messages wouldn't let her make the call she wanted. After about ten minutes, she took it again, searched through her contacts and dialed Francisco Lauren's number. It wasn't long before a hoarse and excited voice answered from the other side.

"Hello? Vivian? Vivian, is that you?"

"Hello, Grandpa. Calm down... I want you to calm down."

"Where are you? I'll come for you right now. Tell me where..."

"I'm on my way. Wait for me five minutes, I'm already with you."

He accepted, and after hanging up he looked at his grandson, who had a shadowed face.

"She's on her way. I want you to leave."

"Grandpa, do you realize that I am...?"

"I don't know what you did to your wife, but whatever it is, she's been avoiding you for three years. I'm not going to make her uncomfortable. I know you have to talk, but first I want to see her and know how she's been. Then you can go on with your business. I won't interfere anymore."

Mark gave his grandfather a hard look. Then, after saying goodbye, he headed for the exit to wait for Vivian. He had many things to tell her... and this time, he didn't plan to let her escape.