The rain falls steadily on the buildings and streets of New Jainamorne, one of the four major cities of Ternalia. Famous for its bars and casinos, the city never seems to stop, attracting many people worldwide.

On the balcony of the eighth floor, Carmelia watches the rain while sipping a glass of black tea. A crumpled letter lies next to a small waste basket on the floor. With an annoyed sigh, she begins to talk to herself.

"Once again, rejected..." - She takes another sip of the hot tea. "Your portfolio and resume do not meet our requirements, thank you for your interest and we wish you luck next time. It seems that everyone always says the same thing."

A lightning bolt in the distance cuts across the horizon and hides between the many skyscrapers, the twinkling lights of the city are enchanting but simultaneously bring sadness to Carmelia.

Life was much simpler before, but much sadder, Carmelia thought. There was no pressure or anxiety when she met someone or tried to find a stable job. Now, the price of her freedom is to live in constant alertness, to be careful with every word she says and the details of her past.

Breaking her train of thought, the familiar ringing of her phone catches her attention. The soft but piercing melody was her favorite song. She looked at the name of the person calling making her eyes roll instantly.

"What do you want?" She said irritably.

"Is that any way to talk to your mother? You didn’t call me and ignored my calls for a month now. That's no way to treat me."

"What do you want, besides complaining, of course."

"Rude, that's not how we raised you."

"If you don't tell me why you're calling, I'll hang up."

Even without answering, she knew her mother was seething angry. Great.

"If I knew you were going to treat me like this, I shouldn't have called, but I'm still your mother even if you deny me that right."

"Bye..."

"WAIT! I'll tell you right now, you remember your aunt Augusta, right?"

"Yes, I loved talking to her when I was little."

"Well, she passed away last month and only now the will was released."

She wasn't that close to her aunt, but the news was like a knife going through her stomach.

"What do you mean she died? Last month?! You're only telling me this now?!"

"Don't yell at me, young man, it's not my fault you're always rude when I call you and I ended up forgetting."

Young man, those words hurt more than anything she's ever said to her.

"Okay, so why are you telling me now? Did you feel guilty or something?" - It was impossible to try to correct her mother's behavior, she knew that no words would change the way she spoke and today was not a good day to remember the reasons she had moved out of her parents' house.

"No, as I was saying, the will was finally released after all the legal processes and disputes on her husband's side, and this will request the presence of all beneficiaries and you are one of them."

"What? She put me in her will?"

"Yes, and if you don't show up, according to your uncle's lawyers, it means you're giving up the inheritance, so they asked me to let you know about the day of reading the will."

"When and where will it be?"

"Two weeks from now on the eighteenth, at ten in the morning, at the central courthouse in Carlile."

"Carlile?! That's three days away by bus from here." - Irritated, she scratches her head, messing up her curly hair.

"Yes, I'll give you the lawyer's number so you can confirm your attendance." - She gives the lawyer's number and the courthouse's address details.

"Did you write everything down correctly?"

"Yes, I already have everything here, I'll talk to the lawyer and see how to get to Carlile."

"If you want, dear, your father and I can pick you up and take you there."

"Never, I don't want to talk to that trash."

"Don't talk about your father like that!" - said the mother, exalted. "He only wants the best for you!"

"Of course, of course, and I just want to go back to being an office slave like him."

"You're an ungrateful boy! We gave you everything..."

With a simple touch of the finger, the phone goes silent, and with an exhausted sigh, and the relief of not having to listen to any more nonsense and insults from her "beloved" mother. She finishes her tea in one gulp, it was already cold, unfortunately. Inside her simple apartment, she throws herself on the unmade double bed.

"Always the same thing..." - Again a bitter sigh leaves her lips.

"She can't hold a normal conversation without being annoying, what was my aunt thinking when she left me something, the last time I saw her was eight years ago."

It was a sunny afternoon when Aunt Augusta visited the house where she lived with her parents in Arthym, a small town with less than eighty thousand inhabitants.

"Hello dear Carmelia." - She said with a kind smile to the young woman in her room. "How is my dear niece?"

"Aunt Augusta!" - Happy with her presence, she hugs her tightly.

"Awww dear, I should come here more often, I always enjoy your hugs."

"I wish you would come more too, you are one of the few decent people in this family." - Carmelia's words pour bitterness.

"Did you fight with your parents again my angel?"

"And is there ever a time when they won't torment me because I'm not the "perfect son"?"

The aunt hugs her tighter, trying to give her as much affection as she needs.

"You should come live with me, my dear. It's a small village, but the nature and tranquility of that place will do you a lot of good.

"I don't want to change, aunt. I want to live in peace, but it seems impossible."

"Sometimes, you need to change to achieve your goals, even if it's difficult and you know that well.”

"Change... maybe I need that again." - She covers herself with her favorite blanket and tries to sleep.

The days pass without change until the day of the hearing, the trip to Carlile was boring as she had already predicted. The city's central courthouse building was larger than she expected, its imposing architecture left her impressed, after asking for information she entered the room where the family's lawyers were waiting for her, other family members were present, some she barely knew, and others she wished she didn't have to meet.

Everyone present sits around a large table, at one end of the table, two men wearing black suits and red ties open a folder with several documents, and one begins to speak.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, my name is Henry Aclamante and the one next to me is Gerald Bartildo, we are the lawyers representing the wishes of the late Augusta BarneHall."

The lawyer then read the will, describing what each person would receive. As the will was read, some gifts showed joy, others disappointment, and only a few showed sadness about the current situation.

"...to my dear and kind Carmelia, I leave her my ranch and my store, which are located in the small town of Halley River, and I also leave her with some words that I should have said before. My dear Carmelia, follow your path as you wish. You are a precious gem in the rough, but I am sure that you will find your way and polish yourself into something so valuable and special that it will enchant everyone as you have always enchanted me. I love you, my dear niece. May your life be filled with joy."

The words addressed to her had the expected effect. Unable to hold back the tears, she smiled. She was certainly the one who wrote this will. This kind of thing was something she did often when they met. The lawyers then finish delivering all the necessary papers to everyone present, and everyone signs and receives the proper documentation about their inheritance gains, for Carmelia, they call her to a separate room to talk in private.

"Miss Carmelia, first of all, my condolences for the death of your aunt, now I am acting following her wishes so that you can appropriate the inheritance as desired, you must present yourself at the Halley River city hall and there you will receive the deeds to the ranch and the store as your aunt wished."

"Do I have a deadline to do this? Or can I go at any time?"

"The sooner the better, unfortunately there are people involved in the will who were against your involvement in it, and we have a message addressed only to you in writing from your aunt that she would like you to read without any of your family members knowing about this letter." - He takes an envelope from an inside pocket of his jacket and hands it to Carmelia. The yellowed paper envelope had written on it "To my most precious jewel". She carefully opens it and takes out a letter.

Dear Carmelia, I planned to bring you to Halley River a long ago. I started to work on my ranch and store, but your uncle didn't want that. After all, he never got along with my side of the family. Well, you know how your parents and the rest of the family are, traditionalists with no chance of dialogue.

When I finally convinced him, I learned that you had been kicked out of your home by your father and we lost contact. I'm sorry for everything you've been through and that I couldn't do anything to help you. So I hope that with this small gesture, I can show you that I've always cared about you. I've always tried to find out about you, and I was relieved to know that you survived the hell that your life turned into thanks to your father. My beloved Carmelia, when you arrive at the city hall, you will speak directly to a friend of mine, Marlene Alviverti, the mayor. I was hoping you could take this opportunity in addition to taking care of the ranch and the store to start a new life. Use this moment to choose a new name and I hope you can have the peace and tranquility you deserve.

The tears that had been shed before return with greater intensity. In tears, she holds the letter close to her chest and smiles, then whispers to herself.

"Thank you, Aunt Augusta, thank you so much."