I opened the door of the apartment, and I had to push to be able to enter, feeling a weight against the wood larger than normal. As soon as I entered, irritated at having to kick the door to open it, I found my mother complaining quietly, holding it in her own head. It didn't take me long to connect the stitches."Dre you listening behind the door? "I restrained a laugh. "Ah, mom, for God's sake. At this age?”"Yes, and you slammed the door on my head. "She grumbled, rubbing her forehead. "It wasn't necessarily listening behind the door, because I was innocently picking up the bags that Raphael left at the entrance, so I noticed that you were standing near the elevator and I ended up hearing one or two words.”I crossed my arms, arching an eyebrow.“One or two? I know.”"Maybe I heard that you agreed to go out together, even after you told me to stop talking about men with you. But now I understand everything.”I frowned."You understand everything? I just really wanted not to think a
"Mom, do you think Dad made me a monster?”My mother leaned over to see my face, because my head was slightly lowered. She seemed outraged.“Rebecca, who said that about you? You would never be a monster, especially because of your father. That has nothing to do with it. You are two totally different people.”" But do you say that because you are my mother, or because you really don't believe that I would do anything intentionally to put me in danger?”My mother was in doubt, looking more and more annoyed with the direction to which the subject was taking. Well, she didn't want to have that conversation, but I had said to end the damn subject about men long before it came up. The problem was that she didn't want to listen to me."I want to know exactly what you could have done to put yourself in danger, daughter.”I gestured with my shoulders, holding my gaze on my hands on my lap."I may have looked for men who did not respect me at all, or for men with complicated and obscure lives,
"Don't say that, daughter," my mother asked, caressing my hair again. "I'm sure you two can solve this situation if you talk right. Maybe he may be confused by the way everything took, but if he really feels something for you, then it won't end like that.”I swallowed it dry. It wouldn't be good to mention that maybe I didn't want anything to be solved myself. Because Fred might have expected me to be like any young and passionate woman. But I wasn't. I didn't know what I really felt, if it was really love, but I didn't want to give it up either. The way he made me feel."I'm confused, mom," I confessed again. "As long as I don't solve this mess inside my head, I'll never be able to make anything else work. Fred doesn't deserve someone like me."You really don't deserve it, because you are wonderful," said my mother, smiling.I stared at her, without any courage."It's not for that, mom. Remember that I was the one who ruined everything.”"And he was mature enough to admit the mistake
"Yes, I'm still going out with him," I gestured with my shoulders. "I need to relieve my head. Besides, Fred was having lunch with another woman today.”My mother made a shocked tone.“ Lie? Who?”"I didn't even want to know, but he doesn't have problems with lack of option, so it can be anyone. No one would refuse to go out with him.”"I need to meet this man," she joked, shaking. "Have you not thought about calling him to try to sort things out in a different place?”I frowned."No, and I don't think he would even come. Fred is a very busy man, Mom. He owns his own business, and I'm not talking about a simple grocery store or silly stuff. He is important, and would not lose something profitable to come after me. Even if I promised that I would apologize for all the shit and nonsense I talked about last time.”My mother laughed, looking away at her hands, checking her nails absent-mindedly."You know that Rapha also likes you, don't you? And it's not a silly like, it's a very old lik
In less than ten minutes that I sent a message saying that I was ready, Raphael had appeared knocking on our door. He wore a dark blue T-shirt and jeans. It was as beautiful as I saw him at the airport. The hair is very well combed and fragrant. I immediately felt embarrassed by my hard hair by the expired shampoo and cream."How can you be even better than earlier, Becca? "He provoked, giving a little smile. "I'm starting to think that my deluded heart won't keep beating this way for long.”I laughed out loud."Rapha, is this your best sung?”"I wasn't flirting," he said, with an expression that suggested otherwise. "I'm to blame if you don't already consider me a small and harmless friend? I'm just acting as I always did.”"You're drooling on my carpet! "I cursed my mother, sitting scattered in the living room. Raphael leaned over to see besides me at the door and I waved at her. "You two, if you drink too much, call a taxi. I don't want to have to pick up anyone at the police stati
I left my cell phone on top of the nightstand and went to the bathroom to take a shower. I turned on the two taps on my bathtub and waited. I knew it hadn't been a bad idea to buy an apartment in Georgia, I knew it would be useful for something. I left my clothes on the floor, getting completely naked. I checked the water temperature and went in completely.The apartment in Georgia had not been bought just because of Becca. I didn't even know if she would ever return to that state, remembering everything she had already spent there with her family. However, as I was always traveling, I preferred something fixed over hotels, for the sake of privacy.A few seconds ago I was on my cell phone with Becca, she seemed surprised to answer my call. And to make my mood worse, I was still accompanied by the same boy who took her to the restaurant, even telling me by email that he was just a friend, there was something inside me that was not convinced of it.I sank completely in the water, even c
I looked for Becca's number on my cell phone, and even with all the noise of the place, I tried to call. She still didn't answer. I kept walking in circles, going around, until I went to the bar. I couldn't find her and it made me frustrated, I needed at least one drink to put my thoughts in order.I ordered a drink based on red fruits, limiting myself to knowing what types of drinks would serve in that place. I soon imagined that Becca was so drunk that she couldn't hear my calls. At best, the asshole who accompanied her should be taking care of her at that time.Thinking that something serious could be happening left me at the tip of an outbreak. Becca was so irresponsible. The people around her were also so crazy, and only she didn't realize that. How the hell was she going to her mother's city, and on the first night she was already going to a nightclub? Traveling to Georgia seemed to me just a lame excuse."Are you alone? " asked a brunette next to me, I just ignored it, taking m
The fresh and fresh air touched us as soon as we left the nightclub. The security guard at the door did not move a single muscle while Becca struggled over my shoulder, asking to leave her on the floor. I only left her free when we were already near the car, she kept fighting me, but it was easy to put her leaning against the passenger door."You're such an asshole! "She cursed. "A real shitty asshole.”I took a deep breath, embodying the nanny to have to deal with an hurt drunk."You're just a little more altered than usual. I'll take it out.”"Fuck you, Fred. I got tired of all this bullshit.”“What bullshit, Becca?”She widened her eyes and gestured with her hands, in a very indignant pose."What do you mean? Which one do you want to know? Because you're an idiot in every way. You kicked me out for a ridiculous reason. You tore the contract. You chased me, put people to chase me too, and still come to tell me that you don't know what the problem is? YOU. You're the problem, Fred. I
I had woken up all sweaty and panting. I had had a nightmare like that.I found myself again in that terrible basement, and the smell was so putrid that my nose burned. The men who tortured me had faces. They were well-known men. Some good, others naturally bad. And they knew me too. They smiled when they tortured me, they screamed and laughed. And I, sitting in that chair, just wanted them to be fast, because I needed to sleep and wake up in a good place.There were days when nightmares didn't happen, but lately, they were constant. So, when I woke up in panic, I didn't need to count my fingers. I simply looked out the window and saw the landscape moving, felt the soft swing of the bed, and looked in the direction of the portraits that were glued to the walls so as not to run the risk of falling. I saw the child smiling with teeth still being born, with blond hair fluttering through the wind, and eyes similar to his father's. So I knew I wasn't dreaming.That day, I got up and looked
When I finally got to the hospital, I learned that even Tyler was fine. My mother was in a panic, but taking care of Madeleine, who seemed to be a reality show star who had just had one night like that. Raphael was with Becca's mother, because his family was still on their way to Seattle. Meanwhile, whether she wanted to or not, Rebecca was only accompanied by Pauline. My cousin's girlfriend left the room when I arrived, throwing me what seemed to be her first look of pleasure. I was surprised, but I thought it was just an effect of the madness of that day.“How are you? “I asked Rebecca.She was sitting on the bed, with her hands crossed on her lap and staring at the emptiness."I'm fine, just trying to absorb.”"Do you want to know his reasons? “I asked.Becca denied it with her head."I know they will never be enough. I've never done anything against him. And I should never have gone through what I went through.”Becca's voice became trembling at the end of her sentence, and I felt
Madeleine and Raphael were really at the place where Finley had sent me, but unfortunately the damn Donovan had set traps around the place. That day seemed to be the day I would die, or that the son of a bitch planned to be my end, but it wasn't. Luckily, or perhaps because they got tired of being incompetent, the police did their job of protecting me before I reached the destination that was supposed to be my end.As they found me, it would take me a while to know that it was because Mark was tracking me clandestinely. The damn investigator was suspicious of my steps "he still had that ridiculous idea that me or my sister were behind Joana's murder and trying to cover everything up," and that's what ensured that he would send a car to the scene. But I found out about the bombs in the worst possible way, watching the death of more innocents.If he were put on a paper, that day, Donovan would take at least a life sentence for the amount of deaths he had caused. In fact, it was those de
"Why are you doing this? "I asked in desperation, knowing that my voice would come out absurdly loud on the phone. "Madeleine never did anything against anyone. Raphael doesn't deserve any of this. If you want me, come pick me up.”“Oh, no, dog. I can't. Did you forget that you put me in jail? "He made fun of him, giggling. "And don't do so much drama, you just have to choose a name, and then it ends. At least that part, since I have some surprises for you after that.”"How the hell are you calling me if you're still stuck?”"I have some privileges.”"And how are you planning things if you can't get out of there?”"I'm still just the spokesman, dog," he said, looking so comfortable on the phone, that I swore I would be sitting with my legs up, and not in a police phone booth. It was outrageous that he had time for that kind of thing. I was outraged, but I couldn't prove it. "And I'm calling so you can decide which of your close friends should survive. Think about it, I could very well
"Can someone tell me what the fuck is going on here? "I besieged no one in particular, and I didn't even have an answer, because everyone was giving priority to surround me and try to take me safely to the car. Unfortunately, many of my security guards were being hit at that act. Everything to keep me alive, because the intention of the men who opened fire on us was simply to kill me. "How could this be happening?”"Stay behind me, boss," Tyler asked, shooting mercilessly at men who didn't even bother to wear masks, since they were really planning to end my life that day. "We were betrayed in some way.”Betrayed because only my team knew where I was going or coming throughout my day, and that team was carefully chosen to maintain the secrecy of my routine. And if those people were linked to my number one enemy, or to the gangs that wanted my blood every day, they were there, then that meant that someone from inside had passed on the news. In the midst of chaos, I felt my cell phone vi
"But how can I have my period normally? "I asked in despair, my eyes could barely see the test lines in Pauline's hand. I leaned even more against the door, ending up sitting on the floor. Suddenly, my stomach seemed not to know what its function was, and I felt extremely nauseous and with blurred views. “Pauline, that can't be true. Fred and I are barely having sex... I mean, we are, but not as often as before. In addition, pain remedies and antibiotics are too strong for a pregnancy to happen. The doctors told me about it in the hospital. In fact, they made it very clear that due to the lack of menstruation, I wouldn't ovulate. That's why Fred and I rely so much on not using any condoms, since I couldn't use the pill either. This is simply impossible to happen.”"But you told me that your period is in a much smaller flow and on irregular days," said Pauline, tilting her head lightly. I hadn't even noticed that she was sitting next to me, staring at the test as if he were the child h
"What is your real doubt? " Pauline asked, separating my medicines by schedules inside plastic coconuts."Well, I have several, especially about this virus," I explained after a long sigh. "I don't feel well, I had to end the self-defense class earlier today. I just wanted to lie down and be silent for as long as possible, but someone is always coming in to know how I am and if I'm still alive. I don't want to do anything in my life today. I think this is a very serious symptom.”Pauline laughed, moving away from the nightstand where she had put the medicines of the day. She only offered me a glass of water and baking soda, because I had complained about a strange feeling in the mouth of her stomach. It wasn't nausea or heartburn, but something so weird that I just wanted to lie down and complain all day.Moura didn't like that I had said I couldn't stand the stride of a full class, and left grumbling with Elijah who didn't know why he put her in situations of training people who didn
August Spencil was the dumbest man I've ever had the displeasure of meeting on the face of the earth.The worst part was knowing that he had some shares of my company and claimed to be a partner, but if everything depended on him, I would be bankrupt before sunset. I didn't know how Maddie had dealt with him in recent months, but I was already planning to buy a new car for her in thanks, because putting up with August was not an easy job for anyone. The man had such big shitty ideas that he couldn't take it seriously."It's just that you're not listening to me, Fred," said August, for what seemed to be the thousandth time. And I wished I wasn't in that car with him, I wished I wasn't going on a two-hour trip with him, and that I didn't have the blessed idea of giving a ride to that asshole. But no matter how big my will was, I couldn't make time come back. "I've already said that Canadians are trying to pass us back. They are almost infiltrating people in our company, just to know wha
The months seemed to pass absurdly quickly. In the blink of an eye, two of them passed by. Two months in which Elide remained trapped and saying that he would only recognize his accomplice if he heard his voice. The men who tortured me kept silent. They did not have lawyers, unlike Elide, who hired only the best of the entire state. Fred was also committed to listening to what Elide had to say, so he continually visited her on the days when the police tried to interrogate her.Meanwhile, my health improved, at least, on the one hand. Around two weeks before, I started to feel tired and with a ringing in my ear that didn't pass at all. I visited medical specialists, and everyone said the same thing: that it was probably something emotional, that there were no infections and no reasons for me to get so upset with that strange sound inside a single ear. The point is that I barely slept at night, and in the morning, I woke up very early to train with Elijah and Moura.Moura was a former s