ROGERIO“I want this,” he said, pointing to the bottle sitting on the bar table. I glanced at it and arched my eyebrow.“You need to be more specific. We’re already drinking wine. You want some?” I asked with feigned confusion, and he smiled.“Don’t be intentionally obtuse, Rogerio. It’s not cute,” he sighed, standing up and walking to the bar to pour more into his glass.“I’m not trying to be cute. I want you to say the words,” I answered in a stern tone, and we stared at each other for a few seconds before he looked away.He lifted the bottle and stared at the label. “You know what I want,” he muttered, setting the bottle back on the counter.“Yes,” I started, glancing at the bottle before scoffing. “I want you to explain why you want me to enter a war my father and those before him had the sense to stay out of as a favor,” I answered and shook my head. “Do you really think I’d agree to that?”“I’m not asking you to turn against the Narhzy family, Rogerio, I’m—” he began, but I shoo
CHARLOTTEI shifted uncomfortably in the car. The crowd outside had grown bigger, and I could hear sirens in the distance. “What’s happening out there? I should…” I began, reaching for the door, but the driver locked it.“Why… What’d you do that for?!” I exclaimed. He turned around and looked at me intently.“I’m sorry, Signora,” he said after a short silence, then returned to his seat. “I can’t let you leave the car,” he finished, and I scoffed.“You can’t let me leave the car? That sounds ridiculous. Open the damn door,” I retorted, but he exhaled and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel.“I’m trying to keep you safe, Signora; that’s my job. I can’t let you out of the car,” he answered and started watching the area.“Then you’d…” I started to say, but he suddenly pressed the buttons, and the car unlocked. I looked at him in confusion and reached for the door when Sonia entered through the other door.“Where are you going?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.I let go of the door and
CHARLOTTEWhen I opened my eyes the next morning, I knew the meeting with Thiago I was hoping for wouldn’t happen, and this time it wasn’t because I was averse to seeing him. My body ached in places I didn’t know existed; it was hard to move without groaning in pain.“What’s happening?” I said and placed a palm on my head to feel my temperature.The room started to spin, and my mouth instantly became dry, leaving a bitter aftertaste when I swallowed. I sighed at how warm my forehead felt and tried to sit up, but my body had plans of its own. It had decided we weren’t leaving that spot any time soon. I let my hands fall onto the sheets and shook my head. What a way to start the morning.I chuckled at the irony of everything— now that I was willing to see Thiago so I could ignore the thoughts that were on a loop in my mind; I had fallen ill. I looked around for my phone and realized it had fallen on the floor.I contemplated calling Sonia but decided against it. She’d be here soon and wo
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CHARLOTTEI wasn’t feeling any better the next day, and I knew I had to get medication, but I neither had the energy to move from one place to another, nor could I bring myself to pick up my phone to call for help. I lay in bed for over twenty minutes, wondering why my body had chosen this moment to give in to illness.“I guess we can’t have it all,” I muttered, trying to sit up, but my limbs ached as I tried to move them. I sighed and looked around the room. Sonia would be over soon, and I knew she’d want to get a nurse, but for some reason, I didn’t want her to.I couldn’t quite wrap my head around why, but somewhere at the back of my mind, I felt I had neglected something regarding my health. I wanted to be the first to find out what it was before anyone else. I forced myself to sit up despite the pain in my joints, exhaling slowly. The room began to spin as I rested my back against the wall and tried to relax.I heard my phone ringing and started looking around for it, only to rea
CHARLOTTEWhen I opened my eyes, the sun cast a warm glow on the windowsill, and the curtains were closed. I sighed and placed a palm against my forehead to check my temperature. It felt considerably better than the last time I checked; the headache had also stopped. As I looked around the room, I realized that someone had tidied up the place. It wasn’t particularly messy the previous day, but it was easy to tell that someone had picked up items that had been in odd places and put them where they belonged.Another sign of this was my phone, which had been placed on the bedside table. I tried to sit up, panicking at the thought of my body aching if I moved, but I managed it anyway. When I realized the pain wasn’t as bad as I’d anticipated, I sighed in relief and leaned back to rest. As I sat in the quiet room, the silence allowed the thoughts I had buried deep down to rise to the surface, and I realized that, in the midst of everything that had been happening, I was lucky to have Sonia
CHARLOTTE“You should rest a bit; you’ll need…” she started, reaching for the bowl. I readily handed it to her and shifted my weight, trying to find a more comfortable spot.“I think I’ve had enough time to rest,” I interrupted. “I’m tired of lying in bed. I need to…” I continued, but she held up a finger.“The only thing you need to do is stay in bed; you’re not strong enough for any other activity,” she interjected, and I shrugged.“Well, we had a deal. I do what I want today, and afterward, you can call the doctor,” I reminded her. She started to say something, then stopped.“All right,” she said instead. “What would you like to do?”“I need to get to the supermarket,” I started and smiled weakly as she stared at me with a confused expression. “Then a walk around the city would be nice,” I finished, and she chuckled.“Going to the supermarket, yes. No walks. You can barely sit up; I’m not letting you drag your weak body from one corner of Los Angeles to the other,” she replied in a
CHARLOTTERogerio was the type of man any woman would dream of. I spent my time doing things I thought would make him happy. Today, I asked the cook, Maria, to prepare his favorite meal in anticipation of his return for dinner. However, he had not arrived yet.“How many times have you seen a rocket in the sky?" I asked aloud.“What?” Maria asked and lifted her head to meet my gaze. “I don’t understand.”“A rocket, Maria. Do you know what that is?" I questioned, arching an eyebrow.“Of course,” she answered with a knowing smile.“Good. How many times have you seen one?”“Barely," she replied, her expression shifting from curiosity to confusion repeatedly.“Yeah. That’s how much I’ve seen Roggie in this house,” I acknowledged, and an awkward silence filled the room.“He doesn’t like to be called that,” she said after a long time.“I know. Perhaps that’s why he’s angry? And he hasn’t come home. Have I let out that name unknowingly?”“I doubt it,” she responded dryly and lowered her gaze.