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17. Mere pawns
Last Updated:
2023-05-21 02:13:46
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He Can't Forget Me 18. No escape
"James," Mariana whispers, staring at the car's inside rearview mirror. "What is it?" "I think there's a car following us." The man looks at the automobile, which, in fact, seemed to be right behind them. "It's all right. I think it's just a coincidence." As if to test his own theory, James sped up a little more, taking an adjacent road that would not take them to their new house. The black car pulled into the same street. Nervous, Mariana's "butler" tried once again to enter a path that was not part of the original route. To confirm his fear, the car continued steadily in pursuit. The girl's breathing began to fail. "Calm down, it's okay," James murmured, but it was obvious that she was not. What were the chances that just on the day Maximilian's ex-wife decided to put a stop to this situation, some crazy person would start following them around? This was no coincidence. With his thoughts racing, trying in vain to find some other escape route, James can only think of two th
Last Updated : 2023-05-24He Can't Forget Me 19. Cage
The conversation with the two law enforcement officers was, at best, tiresome. At worst, horrible.The two policemen were about the same size, age, and build. The expression on their faces was not the best either. It was evident that they were treating the couple with a certain disregard.James also noticed that they didn't act like normal policemen. With each passing minute, his suspicion grew.When after ten measly minutes the cops started walking back to their vehicle, the man walked up to them."Wait."One of the men turns to him, and the other continues walking to the car as if he had not even heard anything."My mistress and I are very scared. Is there absolutely nothing they can do? You won't even take us to the police station to file a report?"The policeman spits out the gum he was chewing before smiling at James, but there was sarcasm present in his expression."Listen here, butler. I don't think you understand the gravity of your situation yet."Before James can ask anythin
Last Updated : 2023-05-24He Can't Forget Me 20. In search of answers
Without fear of sounding rude or offensive, James, fearing that Mariana would have another breakdown, takes the cell phone from Mariane and quickly gets up from the couch."James!" she complains."Leave those worries to me, Mariana.""But that affects me directly too!""I know. But please let me take things from here on out, okay? I don't want you to lose your baby."Upon hearing those words, the girl bites her lip to hold back the tears. How could she continue her pregnancy with calm and tranquility when everything around her was in complete chaos?Mariana's friend reads the e-mail."First of all, I need to tell you from the beginning: we are in a complete jam, involved up to our necks in a much more complex and cruel plot that I would never have expected. However, it is obvious that even though they are very good at what they do, they are not perfect. Worse still: they underestimated me. I will be in constant contact with you, so keep your eyes open.A friend."Frowning, James rerea
Last Updated : 2023-05-25He Can't Forget Me 21. The request
Mariana is puzzled by the sudden change in James' expression. She puts the bowl of cereal aside and turns completely to him, feeling a mixture of curiosity and anxiety."What is it?" she asks, her voice revealing a slight tremor of expectation.James scratches the back of his neck, looking away for a moment before fixing his eyes on hers."I... I don't even know how to say this to you, but... Look. First of all I want to apologize to you.""Apology for what?""For being quiet all this time. For not...being totally clear."Mariana raises one of her eyebrows. James has always been quite eloquent, having worked in journalism for much of his life, but there and now the man seemed to be a shy student presenting a poster to the rest of the class."What are you talking about? Did something happen?""Yes. Yes, it happened. And... I'm sorry.""But I should apologize to you for what? For you nott telling me sooner, or for what happened, whatever it is?""Both."Mariana puts her hands on her wai
Last Updated : 2023-05-25He Can't Forget Me 22. Touch (Explicit content!)
Mariana bites her lip, trying in vain to calm down and understand things. Then, in a breath of her voice, the girl says:"Yes."That simple answer seems to turn on a flickering light on James' face, who was surely hoping for a negative. Subtly, the man strokes Mariana's rosy cheeks, with all the delicacy in the world. She snuggles into his touch, but her eyes are still curious, dazzled by the discovery and the surprise that still gripped her."James," she murmurs.The man's nose brushes against hers as he slowly brushes his own lips against hers.The kiss is quite sweet, soft and whispery, like the spring breeze on flowers.Every touch, every snap, and every movement is subtle and not at all disrespectful, as if James was pondering that the time was not right for that passion to be fully demonstrated.Mariana opens her eyes and frowns as she places her hand on her own belly."The baby kicked," she says in surprise, smiling immediately afterwards."That's good. I always knew he liked
Last Updated : 2023-05-27He Can't Forget Me 23. Secretary
Sitting at his own office desk, Maxmilian Philips swallowed his cigar and put it in the ashtray, staring at the computer in front of him. A knock on the door sounded. "Hello, sir. I brought you some water and coffee."And of course, that was Michelle, who even after all the confusion and eventual death of Mariana, was still in office.Max just stared at her and thanked her with his eyes as he clicked and typed.The woman with red hair tied up in a bun, social uniform, and lips painted crimson felt the icy stare of her own boss, but said nothing. Propping the tray on the table, she took the opportunity to examine her lover further."He's so tense. Are you still sad about the death of your ex-wife?"Maxmilian's dark eyes almost pierced through her."Michelle, I'll let you ponder the question itself rather than answer it."Shocked, the secretary puts one of her hands on her waist."Why are you talking to me that way? I haven't done anything to you.""Of course. I'm sorry, Michelle."The
Last Updated : 2023-05-27He Can't Forget Me 24. Bell
!James flips through the newspaper page, sighs, and puts it back on the nightstand next to the bed. Mariana, who is reading a book, notices the obvious disturbance in the man."What's wrong?""The lack of news is driving me crazy, to say the least.""We knew it would take some time for Daniel to find out everything he could to help us. His absence is a good sign.""Do you really think so?""I do.""Well, I think we're too confident, and something terrible has probably happened to that detective. You know our phone call was tapped, and the police in this town already know who we are. We're trapped."Mariana sets the book aside and places her hand on her belly."I thought you were a little more confident than that.""And I was. But...""But?"Initially, James says nothing, just stares at a fixed point on the wall.Mariana insists, "But?""But it's been two weeks since we last had contact with him. And so far, we haven't received a single sign of life.""Don't be silly. What about the s
Last Updated : 2023-05-31He Can't Forget Me 25. Change
"Are you not going to invite me in?" Maxmilian's brother asks, opening a charming and inviting smile. But his eyes showed anything but happiness.Still in shock, all James can do is take two steps back and make room for the man to pass.Mariana comes out of the room to see what's happening and immediately stops in her tracks. Before she can say anything, her ex-brother-in-law goes straight to her."Well, well, well. My dear sister-in-law."He looks her up and down, paying particular attention to her nightgown, and raises his eyebrows."You look fine.""What do you want?" James asks, closing the door and crossing his arms shortly after."Aren't you even going to offer me some water? A coffee?""Get to the point," Mariana also crosses her arms, trying her best not to show fear. "What happened? Why did you come here?""In case you haven't noticed, my dear," he places two fingers under the woman's chin, "you're not the one in charge here.""Let her go!" James makes a move towards Maxwell,
Last Updated : 2023-05-31
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He Can't Forget Me 43. Epilogue
Mariana is thirty-two weeks pregnant. Lost in thought, she caresses her belly and sighs, closing her eyes afterward.Knocking at the door. She turns when a man enters, smiling, and kisses her on the forehead."How are you, dear?" he asks."Good. Just a little anxious.""About the arrival of our child?""Yes," Mariana murmurs, looking back at the window. "Yes, that's what I'm thinking about."James crosses his arms."Did you know you're a terrible liar?"The woman rolls her eyes but doesn't disagree. Instead, she takes short, heavy steps and sits on the bed in the spacious room."Love," James murmurs, sitting next to her.As if she simply couldn't bear the idea of seeing him or looking at him directly, Mariana just keeps staring at nothing. Then, she starts caressing her belly once again."Love," the man insists."What do you want me to say?""The truth."She remains silent. James continues:"It's about him, isn't it?"Although she doesn't mention any specific name, Mariana knows who h
He Can't Forget Me 42. Determination
Mariana's words hit Maxmilian like a punch in the gut. He feels a knot forming in his throat and his eyes fill with tears again. The hopes that had begun to flourish are drowned out by the painful reality.He looks at her, searching for words that can express his pain and regret."Mariana... I know I was a terrible husband. I know I did terrible things. I don't take away your reason, you must be dying of anger at me, and in your place, I-""In my place? You have no idea what it's like to be in my place! You didn't before and you don't now!""Mariana-""I was kidnapped! I was taken hostage. And even worse, by YOUR family! I had to fake my own death, and I even dragged an innocent person along in the process. James, who barely knew me, had far more consideration and empathy for my life than you, Maxmilian. There is NOTHING you can say or do. Absolutely nothing. That's the truth."Mariana's words are like arrows straight through Maxmilian's heart. He feels the weight of his guilt and reg
He Can't Forget Me 41. Hurt
Mariana simply cannot absorb the vast amount of information that takes over her mind.The words, images and attitudes of the last few hours are etched in her mind, and try as she might, she relives every frame and every second of what could be an action movie, drama and definitely a tragedy.In mere months, her life had turned into a total and complete mess. And now...And now she was there, in that hospital, after once again almost losing her son: her most precious possession.The heart monitor at that moment, however, signaled that everything was fine... At least for now.The door to the room opened.And... there he was.His situation was deplorable: blood and dirt still covered his skin in some spots: one of his eyes was seriously damaged... But the shine of his eyes, of those eyes, still remained.Mariana remained motionless, trying in vain to appear indifferent towards Maxmilian, but failing. Her son stirred in his belly, as if guessing that his father was there.Slowly, the man
He Can't Forget Me 40. Attendance
Maxmilian arrives at the hospital dirty, not only with blood, but with dirt.His gait is heavy and difficult. One of his eyes is partially closed and swollen from the enormous amount of punches he has taken.The only thing that made him happy, and even then partly, was that Maxwell would never again be a problem for anyone.Michele was gone. Since she was the owner of that property that was made to be inhospitable and difficult to access, her former lover probably knew well about the escape routes and the most complicated way to be located.He himself had a hard time getting out of that maze, walking in directions he knew were wrong, but with no choice. Then, after finally gasping and stumbling, Maxmilian managed to find a dirt road that, minutes later, became asphalt.It was a man who gave him a ride as soon as he saw the state Max was in. When the stranger dropped him off at the hospital door, the businessman pulled out a small wad of one thousand dollars from his pocket and discree
He Can't Forget Me 39. Escape
Mariana had felt fear many times before.She remembered how frightening it was when, when she went to sleep, all the lights in the house were turned off. The darkness made her head ache with panic, and nightmares often stunned her mercilessly.The girl also felt an unusual fear of butterflies, although she had never told anyone about it. When they took off, flapping their colorful wings in the sky, everyone around thought it was beautiful. She just wanted to run away.But Mariana had never felt so afraid as she did at that moment, when she saw the amount of blood running down her legs and knew that yes, she was losing her baby.Maxmilian immediately releases Michele, who runs out the back door of the house as if her life depended on it.Isabella screams and makes mention of going after her, but hesitates when she sees Maxwell's wound.Mariana is so shocked and immersed in loss, grief and pain that she can't move. Maxmilian holds both sides of her body and embraces her."Mariana! Maria
He Can't Forget Me 38. The shoot
At first, Mariana really believes that everything is over.She sees the pale, tear-stained, hate-filled face of the former secretary, the way she snarls and cries. The gun doesn't stand still aiming at a specific point, because the hand that holds it is also terribly shaky.Then, in a space of time that could be hours, days, minutes or seconds, Michele pulls the trigger.But Mariana feels nothing. Not even a burning sensation or the beginnings of pain.Because she has not been shot.In a burst of screaming courage, coupled with a very high speed and coordination, Maxmilian pushed the redhead's wobbling body, causing her to miss, and badly, the target.A loud male scream echoes throughout the room as Maxwell, holding his left shoulder tightly, falls on his own knee. Blood drips down his shirt, spreading rapidly."You bastard!" shouts Mariana's ex-brother-in-law.Mariana watches in shock as chaos unfolds before her eyes. Hearing the gun fire and seeing Maxwell wounded awakens a mixture
He Can't Forget Me 37. Final point?
Mariana watched in a mixture of astonishment, curiosity, and even denial as the car actually started to come closer to the house.This place had been tailor-made to be her captivity. It was obvious that these were not mere passersby."I guess it all ends here," Maxwell mutters, between his teeth.Mariana puts her hand on her belly. The baby begins to fuss wildly.When the door finally opens, the woman doesn't know where to look first.At the secretary who wasn't really just a secretary, Michele, wide-eyed from what could be panic.To the gray-haired but imposing woman holding Michele by the shoulders as if she were a prisoner.Or to the man... the man who simply could not take another step when he saw Mariana.Not only alive, but pregnant. Pregnant with their child.Tears stream down the girl's face. Maxmilian is still standing there, staring at her, dumbfounded and absolutely in shock.Isabella looks at Maxwell:"Everything is over now," she says, in a stern tone. "Our role in this g
He Can't Forget Me 36. The day of the rescue
Emanuele takes a step back."What did you say?"Maxwell doesn't answer, just stares at her."What did you say?!" she repeats, exasperated. Her voice comes out much shakier and wobbler this time.Her ex-brother-in-law just shrugs."That's it, Emanuele. I'm sorry."Was he? Everything seemed to indicate that she didn't.She sits back in her chair, slowly."The secretary... No, it's not possible.""You don't believe me?""How would a secretary do all those things? That's impossible."A sad little smile appears on Maxwell's younger brother's face."Impossible, you say?"Scratching one of his eyes, he tries to keep his tone of voice as cool as possible, but fails:"It would be impossible if we followed the normal course of things. If we followed... you know, the established pattern. But you know, my dear Mariana... Everything you know so far, and even everything I know... They are nothing but a beautiful web of lies, perfectly contrived to leave anyone who is the most curious in the dark."
He Can't Forget Me 35. Old enemy
Maxwell looks once at the cell phone screen, frowns, rubs his eyes, and stares again at the incoming text message. No, he was not blind; the text remained the same after he doubted what his eyes showed.So, by elimination, Maxwell was going crazy. Or...Everyone around him had loosened the screws and he was the only one mentally sane.His mother had made it very clear that she was going to go after Michele to redo the deal, make more money at the expense of the front secretary, and thus ensure that she would become richer than she already was. What Max didn't expect was that she would not only threaten him with a gun, but also rat him out to Maxmilian.And at that moment, that was where they were headed, to the perfect captivity hidden in an equally perfect place. Mariana would be freed and would probably return to the arms of Maxwell's older brother.As if she could smell her own rescue coming, Mariana, leaning back in a rocking chair in the living room, looked up at the glassed and
