Chapter 2 Hope De Luca

• Hope de Luca
• The rehearsal was intense, yet it was wonderful. One of the directors from the Bolshoi was there to observe the training, which made all the other ballerinas excited about the possibility of being chosen to join the best dance company in the world.
• I step away from the stage, bidding farewell to the small audience that had been watching the auditions, and head towards the backstage. I notice the gaze of my mother and sister on me, and I sigh because I can imagine why the two of them are together.
• **Mahjub Al-Makki**
• Even though I am only sixteen, I am bound by a commitment to the future sheikh of Sudan. It's something that I could say excites me. I have feelings for the crown prince of Sudan, yet I am very afraid of everything that might happen in the meantime.
• Apparently, Mahjub does not want me as a wife. On the other hand, I grew up believing that I would be his wife and the only woman he would take as his own. This is something I don't see in him.
• At least that's what my mother always says whenever there is a news report about him at the nightclubs of his “influential” friends. When I began to truly understand what all of this meant, the passion I felt for Mahjub started to fade within me.
• And yes, I did fall in love with the crown prince of Sudan.
• But how could I not fall in love? He is handsome with those light honey-colored eyes, his voice with a mix of Portuguese and Arabic accents that gives me chills every time I hear it. Not to mention his height, which is quite an important factor for me.
• I walk into the staff area and see some of my ballet companions sitting and looking at something on a cellphone.
• “Look at this, Hope…” One of them calls me to sit next to her.
• I smile excitedly, thinking it might be a scene from the dramas we watch together. I sit in the space they make for me and lean closer to the phone screen, which is showing an image I never expected to see.
• Then came the shock with the video circulating on the internet. It was the man my father had promised me to in marriage, the man who was supposed to be my prince and whom everyone in the family believed we would one day love.
• I swallow the bitter taste of his betrayal. Even though it isn't public knowledge, there is still a commitment. I have never done anything to make him doubt my purity and chastity. Unlike the prince, who is always showing off with a different woman.
• I give my friends a fake smile and pretend to be interested in the unfolding video.
• Mahjub was sitting on a couch in a dark environment, illuminated by some colored lights, making it clear he was in a nightclub. The person filming was at a distance, but they managed to capture the image quite clearly. Mahjub was with a well-known runway model, her mouth locked on his in a kiss, while another woman was between his legs, her movements indicating she was doing something highly inappropriate.
• At this moment, I thank God that neither my parents nor Mahjub’s parents have put our relationship in the media, or I would be labeled as the “betrayed girl” right now. I swallow the pain of what I'm seeing and bid farewell to my friends, giving the excuse that I’m being awaited.
• I stand up from among them with the fakest smile I can muster for the moment, my head still spinning from the video of the prince who should have been mine alone. As I walk away, I feel the presence of one of my friends beside me.
• I think she senses how shaken I am by something, maybe thinking I’m worried about the audition we just did.
• “My mom and sister have arrived; something must have happened,” I say, and one of my friends comes closer and hugs me.
• “I think you were the one selected!” she says excitedly.
• I shake my head, frowning. It would be perfect to be one of those chosen to go to Moscow and be one of the dancers in the company.
• “There were girls who did much better…” I say, kissing her on the cheek.
• I hear her laugh at my dismissal and feel her hand slap my butt. I am lucky to have good friends who are by my side, not because I am the heiress of the Oil Company or the daughter of Senator de Luca or Dr. de Luca, but because they see me as Hope, the girl who loves ballet and wishes to dance for many people.
• Our friendship is based on who we are, and if any of us are chosen, I'm sure we'll cheer, but we'll also be heartbroken to lose one of our friends. We've grown up together since elementary school, as they are all daughters of important people here in the capital, from politicians to celebrities.
• I step away from them and head towards the locker room. I need to change; I can't walk around the streets of the capital wearing a tutu and ballet shoes. This thought makes me laugh, even though I feel my heart shattered and broken as I do right now. I enter the locker room and try to be as quick as I can because I'm sure if my mother is here, she has already seen the video.
• I change clothes quickly and sit on the bench just to swallow some of the pain I'm feeling right now. I don't want to worry my mother and sister with my feelings. But I refuse to cry for him here.
• Not here...
• I leave the locker room and meet my family, who must be terribly worried about my delay. As I approach them, the worried and hurt look is on their faces. I move closer and receive tight hugs from the people I love the most, confirming that they have already seen the same video.
• I sigh with my head buried in my mother's shoulder, feeling hands passing over my back. Allowing comfort to take over me and control me from crying here, in front of people who wouldn't understand my reaction.
• I love Mahjub's family; they have always welcomed me warmly whenever I visited or when they came to the capital to visit my mother, as both Carolina and Laís are very close friends of Mrs. de Luca. For this reason, I believe that his mother, who should have been my mother-in-law, must be so ashamed that she doesn't know where to hide her face.
• I step back from my mother a bit and smile, or at least I try to appear as if none of it has affected me. But, in reality, my heart shattered into many pieces when I saw that video. I may be wrong, but I am sure I will never trust anyone again after what I saw.
• "Your father will handle it, my love, don't worry," my mother Alessa says, looking at me.
• "Let's just go home; I'm tired and need to finish sending out my college applications," I say, noticing the exchange of looks between my mother and sister.
• I am turning seventeens, and I have more than enough credits to start college in business management. Even after I found out about the marriage commitment with Mahjub, I wanted to attend college, and my parents have always supported me in this decision.
• Perhaps now, with the unfolding of this situation, instead of going to college, I could go to Moscow and shine in what I love to do. I am sure my father can use some of his influence to get me into the Bolshoi.
• We leave the small theater, and I notice when my mother dismisses my security detail and hands me the car keys. I look at the keys confusedly and hear the laughter of the two in front of me.
• "Just to celebrate your driver's license!" I looked surprised at the two and jumped for joy into their arms.
• "Did the results come in?" I ask eagerly, taking my phone out of my purse to check my email.
• "Yes, this morning," my mother confirms. I opened my email app, and there it was.
• I had passed the practical driving test. I should go accompanied by a legal guardian and get my license. In this brief moment of joy, I forget everything about the Arab who will take away a night's sleep and a lot of tears after what he just did to me.
• Even though I don't want to be the cause of the rupture of Ruslan and Mahjub's friendship, much less of my mother with his mother, I know my family will do everything to cheer me up and, if necessary, distance themselves. I'm sure they will do it without thinking twice.
• "So, after knowing what happened..." my mother begins, and I turn my attention to her. "I went there with your sister; now take us to the congress. We have a celebration lunch!" I see in her eyes the attempt to console me.
• I nod and smile at the key in my hand. We headed towards the parking lot of the small theater, I saw my security and my mother's security moving away. I bite my lower lip when I realize that it will only be the three of us in the car, which makes me shiver. I know my mother will use this opportunity to talk to me.
• I get into the driver's seat, go through all the necessary procedures to start driving, and notice that my mother's car is an automatic. I'm a bit confused, but I'm determined to face driving and move forward, leaving all this past behind.
• My sister was a support at this moment, explaining to me how to drive an automatic car, as I've always used Dad's car to drive. After I manage to adapt to the driving, I smile at being able to do something on my own. I'm proud of myself, so I gather courage.
• "I want to go to the Bolshoi; I want to forget everything that ties me to this commitment!" I say, hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, eyes fixed on the road ahead.