Leonard was going crazy, literally. He had been closely following the aspiring Prima Donna through photos published online. The latest ones he'd seen were from Harry's daughter's baptism, and Daniel appeared with her in all of them.
He couldn't shake that strange sensation that had lingered since the day he met her. He didn't even know what drove him to keep insisting—maybe wounded pride because she had resisted him, or maybe the idea that she was the right woman for him.
He had an episode of desperation when he called Marcus to force him to find her and convince her to return to the theater. His friend refused, and Leonard erupted in anger. All avenues were cut off, with Crusher standing in the middle blocking his path.
He was tired of waiting. He had done his part, and nothing was r
Leonard's blood ran cold in an instant. The man with the fewest scruples and the least shame suddenly felt like crying. The connection he'd felt with her wasn't physical after all; something deep inside had drawn him to her, and he'd mistaken it for desire. Wanting to die didn't even come close to what he felt in that moment.Everything made sense now. He'd once told Marcus that Deanna sang like an old soul; she was like her mother. His cold and dismissive mother had also sung when his father met her, before forcing her to abandon her career and becoming a bitter woman.Deanna had inherited her grandmother's talent. But the hair and eyes were all Philippa's. He'd always had that nagging feeling of having seen her somewhere before. If he'd bothered to ask for her information from the professor who arranged her auditions, he would have
It was strange, but she opened the notification anyway. "He's cheating on you," it said. She played the file that barely lasted 3 minutes, but with each second she watched, her chest tightened more."What's wrong?" Leonard asked her.But she didn't respond.Reed stood up and approached her, took the phone from her hand, and then he saw it.The video seemed to have been recorded from a high angle in an office. Daniel's office. There he was, sitting with a woman standing in front of him. Then he touched her and this woman straddled his lap, they kissed, and the next thing was on the desk with Daniel between her legs. Shit! It was Beverly."What's happening?" Philippa began walking toward them
Daniel was growing anxious. She had gone to visit her mother that afternoon but still hadn't returned and wasn't answering his messages. Everyone had arrived quite a while ago; his plan was to try to repair relationships now that the truth was out in the open.Harry cradled Emma while feeling the same unease. Was she avoiding him? Maybe she was deliberately running late so she wouldn't have to show up because he was there. But that wasn't like Deanna—she never hid from confrontation.Someone mentioned a car pulling up. Daniel glanced out the window and saw a vehicle parked at the entrance, but nobody was getting out."Want me to wait?" Leonard asked."I thought you were worried about him seeing you?"
"What happened?" Camila asked Harry."Your son is an idiot. He lost the only good thing he could have by sleeping with Beverly.""What? That can't be...""What can't be, mom? I told you not to mess it up!" he shouted at his brother.She entered the bedroom, her bedroom, the one she had shared with him for so long; she leaned against the door and tried to fight the anguish that was making it difficult to breathe. She inhaled and exhaled through her mouth several times, large amounts of air each time; she was about to break down.She grabbed a bag from the coat rack and hurriedly, without looking at what she was taking, began to fill it. She didn't even need any of that stuff; she just wanted
Daniel woke up in his office, still with the door closed when the children left for school. Fortunately, Susan had refused to leave that night. She stayed with the children in Ethan's room, not coming out, but the shouting was heard anyway. She had to comfort Naomi and Jonathan who had been frightened by their father's harsh voice.She knew him, knew her brother very well. All that wall of cement and ice that made up his armor was nothing more than a defense for him; inside he would be breaking into pieces. Before leaving for school, she tried once more to knock on his door, but got no response.He would stay there until he had no choice but to face reality again. Silence was falling over the house once more, but this time it would feel heavier and more oppressive. The pieces of the phone and the ring had been left on the floor in the livin
"I told you it would work. It's done.""Now I'll have to endure his anger.""Don't worry too much about that. I did this very carefully.""What are you talking about?""You'll see soon enough. I opened the door for you; it's your move now. You've stayed in the shadows too long. Either seize the opportunity now or do what you want. For me, the game is over.""You really are frightening."
Beverly maintained a serious posture and an indignant face as they went down in the elevator. She was confident this would regain Daniel's trust, clear her of blame, and now that Deanna had left him, she would finally have her chance. But she needed to remain cautious.When they arrived at the security chief's office, everyone was surprised—the owner rarely came down to this basement."Good morning, Mr. Colins.""Good morning, Mr. Crusher. What brings you here?""I need to ask you some questions about the restricted security cameras on the upper floor. Recently there was access to the recordings from those cameras, and I'd like to know what happened.""That's impossible; those recordi
He collapsed into a chair; his hand hurt. He had released all his frustration and pain over Deanna in that punch. His life was, once again, a disaster without her. He tilted his head back and cried again, silently.Every time her smile invaded his thoughts, his heart clenched. He could still go beg her to return; but he pictured her with Reed, getting out of his car, the man ready to come to blows with him to defend her, and his stomach turned.And Harry... all his speeches about starting over were for this. He would start a new life in another city with his daughter and wife, but before leaving, he would make sure to finish him. Was his resentment so great that he needed to separate them to be happy?God, he wanted to kiss her so badly! He had believed he would spend the rest of his life k
But the papers remained abandoned in a corner of his desk; he didn’t even look at them. Her signature was on them, and he didn’t want to see it. If he did, reality would hit him straight in the face: "She doesn’t love you anymore."Harry had become the black sheep of the family. Susan was livid with him and never missed a chance to throw what he had done in his face. Daniel outright pretended he didn’t exist, and Charles would sometimes watch him with suspicion. He kept going over it in his head. He had gone down to the security department to check if it was true, and it was. His ID badge had recorded it, and he had made a copy of the video.What bothered him the most was seeing her with Leonard. It was more than confirmed that Deanna had left Daniel for him. They were seen all over the city together, and now people were saying the guy had
Sacha Feni wasn't just left open-mouthed; he was amazed. The call to Deanna didn't take too long—the next day he was already informing her that her audition had been a success and that he wanted to start working with her as soon as possible."I can't believe it..." She was so surprised."I told you! I told you! This is great, Deanna!" Leonard was euphoric."But...""But nothing! You did it!... I'll have to get in touch with the guy and see how we proceed... Get ready, baby, because the world awaits you from now on.""I have to call mom."Shouts of joy and tears rang out in the small restaurant. Her little girl had taken a giant step f
The Ambassador Theater was packed with people. The audition was closed, but it had attracted many aspiring performers from the area and neighboring cities. Deanna had arrived with Leonard, but when the moment came, they had to separate, and he went to sit in the upper rows, just like when he used to spy on her before knowing the truth.Sacha Feni, the producer, was seated right in the middle of the orchestra section, and Marcus came and went at his every request. The guy had a reputation for being fussy, but he already had several successful stars to his credit. When the auditions began, the Professor looked for his friend and sat down beside him."Well... What's she going to sing?" he asked."Un bel dì vedremo," Leonard answered."S
Leonard went to speak with Marcus that morning, needing a place where Deanna could practice her voice before the audition. The professor was furious with his friend."You're a traitor. You knew I wanted her here with me, and now you're going to hand her over to Sacha...""Don't be like that, Marcus. You know as well as I do that this is a one-in-a-thousand opportunity, and if this Sacha doesn't appreciate her, I'm sure she'll agree to stay with you.""You finally got your hands on her, you bastard.""It's not like that...""And you really put in the effort this time. I suppose you must be euphoric.""I'm telling you it's not like that..."
Ethan was doing his school homework when his computer began to emit a constant beeping sound. It was a video call. He couldn't identify where it was coming from, but he answered anyway. The screen showed him an image of Deanna."Deanna!""Hello Ethan, how are you?" Her smile was barely a grimace."Deanna! Where are you?""I'm so sorry about what happened... I'm sorry... They told me you wanted to see me.""Yes! Yes! Wait, I'll go get my siblings! Wait Deanna!""Of course..."Ethan ran out, but he didn't find his siblings in their rooms. He went downstairs and saw them in the living room wit
"I'll accept your proposal, but with one condition," Deanna told him as they walked through the park.Leonard got excited."Really?!""Yes... But I don't want to have a representative who chases after young girls...""Oh, Deanna! Don't do this to me...""It's the only thing I'm asking you, otherwise I'll go back to finish the semester and look for a job."The relationship between them wasn't yet one of father and daughter, but it had grown closer with the days and with Leonard's persistence. A few weeks ago, he was nothing more than a stranger who pursued her to corner her, and now he had become a support for her. Without Harry, without her
Days passed for Daniel as if in a trance, endless. At times, he had episodes of desperation and threw things against the wall, enraged because Deanna had left him; at other times, he broke down crying like a child for the same reason. He was going to lose his mind.He went back to half-living in his office at the company, finding it difficult to face the accusing looks from his children and Jonathan's sadness. The little boy seemed like a ghost around the house, wandering aimlessly or shutting himself in his room, no longer even using his music player. Daniel couldn't bear to see him, couldn't face them because he himself couldn't escape his state of anguish.What support could he give his children when he was such a mess himself? When his wife had died, Daniel spent almost three intermittent months between the office and home. Camila and S
He collapsed into a chair; his hand hurt. He had released all his frustration and pain over Deanna in that punch. His life was, once again, a disaster without her. He tilted his head back and cried again, silently.Every time her smile invaded his thoughts, his heart clenched. He could still go beg her to return; but he pictured her with Reed, getting out of his car, the man ready to come to blows with him to defend her, and his stomach turned.And Harry... all his speeches about starting over were for this. He would start a new life in another city with his daughter and wife, but before leaving, he would make sure to finish him. Was his resentment so great that he needed to separate them to be happy?God, he wanted to kiss her so badly! He had believed he would spend the rest of his life k