Chapter 5 Ava's Pov

I couldn't help but feel a strange sense of disorientation as we approached the large gates. The family home was grand more than I could ever imagine. The architecture was older, classical, yet elegant, with ivy creeping up the stone walls and large windows that seemed to reflect a history I had no part in.

Maria and Mirabel led me inside, but I felt more like a guest than family. The house was full of echoes of laughter and life, but they all felt distant. Almost as if I wasn't meant to be here.

"Don't worry, Ava. Take your time," Mirabel said, her voice comforting, though I could sense the weight of her worry behind her smile.

We entered a large sitting room with high ceilings, walls adorned with paintings that spoke of a family lineage, names and faces I didn't recognize. As I stood there, trying to ground myself, I could feel the tension in the air. It was palpable.

"Come, come," Maria urged gently. "Let me introduce you."

She led me into the next room, and there, sitting by a grand fireplace, was a woman who looked... older. Her face was lined with age, but her eyes held the same kind of warmth that Maria had shown me.

The moment she saw me, she gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. Her eyes widened with disbelief, and she stood up quickly. "Luciana..." Her voice quivered, full of raw emotion. "Luciana, is that you?"

I froze. My mind spun. Luciana? I didn't know who that was, but the way she spoke the name with such pain made my heart lurch. I wanted to say something, anything, but I couldn't find the words.

The woman stepped closer, her hands trembling as she reached out toward me. Her eyes filled with tears. "My God... Luciana... Is it really you?" Her voice broke on the last word.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no sound came out. I was caught between her desperation and my own confusion.

She looked at me with the most sorrowful expression, her breath shallow, like she was waiting for some kind of confirmation. "Luciana... it's really you, isn't it? My sweet girl..."

I could barely process what was happening.Why was this name haunting me? I wanted to say something, but I couldn't find the strength.

At that moment, a man stepped forward from the side, his face pale, his expression caught between disbelief and shock. "I... I don't know..." he muttered, his eyes darting from the woman to me, still unsure of what to think. "It can't be... Luciana's gone. We heard about her passing years ago." He shook his head slowly, as if trying to convince himself of something that didn't quite fit.

I wanted to understand, but everything was coming at me too fast.

The woman, her voice still trembling, turned back to me, her gaze not leaving my face. "No, it can't be," she whispered, her eyes desperately searching for mine. "But... you look just like her. You must be......Ohhh my God Elena"

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but the words caught in my throat.

"Romano," the man said, his voice still shaking. "I... I'm not saying I'm sure, but..." He looked me over again, this time with something like reluctant acceptance. "I don't know, but the resemblance is uncanny."

The man that came over with Mirabel, standing off to the side, crossed his arms and shook his head. "No. We can't just assume that. This... this is too much." Her voice rose slightly with worry. "What if it's just some coincidence? We can't jump to conclusions just because she looks like Luciana."

Romano stood still, his face full of contemplation, before speaking with a firm tone. "There's no way to know for sure unless we ask the one person who can give us answer. And you know who that is." He looked at the others, trying to find support for what he was about to suggest.

The woman, still looking at me with such intensity, nodded slowly, her expression resigned. "Yes... I know who we must call."

She turned to the rest of the family, her voice steady but filled with emotion. "We need to bring Mateo here. So we'll know the truth."

The room fell silent at the mention of his name, the tension thick in the air. Everyone seemed to know who Mateo was, and whatever had happened in the past, it was clear that his arrival would change everything.

Mirabel's eyes widened in shock. "No! Not Mateo. We can't bring him into this." Her voice shook with fear, and she stepped forward, almost pleading. "Not after everything that happened... we can't."

But Romano stood his ground. "We need answers. It's the only way."

The grandmother sighed, looking as though she were carrying the weight of a heavy burden. She gazed at Mirabel for a long moment before speaking in a quiet, resigned voice. "I must admit... he's right. We can't just keep wondering. Mateo is the only one who can help us."

Mirabel didn't say anything more, but the frustration and concern in her eyes were clear.

As the room simmered with tension, I stood in silence, trying to make sense of everything. I didn't know who this Mateo was, but the look in everyone's eyes told me his arrival was going to be the moment that answered everything.

My eyes wandered as I tried to make sense of it all. As I did, my gaze landed on a family portrait on the wall, a large, framed photograph that seemed to capture the entire family in a moment of happiness. As my eyes scanned the faces, one person immediately caught my attention.

The woman in the portrait looked so familiar, it felt like I was staring into a mirror. Her features, her expression, it was like I was looking at myself. I couldn't tear my eyes away, and it hit me then, deep in my gut. This woman looked just like me.

Suddenly, everything around me seemed to fall silent. I wasn't sure what I was seeing, but the resemblance was too uncanny to ignore. The realization sent a shock through my body.

I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. Could I really be Elena?

I didn't know what this meant or how it all fit together, but I had no more time to think. The door to the room opened, and someone stepped in.

"Mateo has arrived."

My heart skipped a beat. Mateo. The man who held all the answers, the one who would tell me the truth.

I felt my pulse quicken, but I didn't know whether to be relieved or terrified.

Who was Mateo, and what was he going to say when he saw me?