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
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
!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
"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,
As James packs his bags, he paces back and forth as if he wanted to grab Maxwell's neck with his own hands. Sitting on the bed, trembling and still unable to believe the worst news she could receive, Mariana simply intertwines her hands and gazes at some invisible point on the wall.With crossed arms leaning against the bedroom doorway, Isabella's youngest son stares at the curly-haired man as if he knows his true violent intentions. Then he turns his gaze to Mariana."You suddenly became so quiet. What's wrong? Don't you like the moving plans?"There is scorn and mockery in his voice. The girl looks away, as if she could ignore his presence."Please, leave her alone," James pleads, still finishing up Mariana's things."And what did I do? It was just a simple question."As if the journalist's patience was wearing thin, which it was, James stops what he's doing, stands up, and coldly stares at Maxwell for a few seconds before speaking:"Mariana had a recent bleeding, and we received de
Maximilian Philips looks from side to side before entering the dark building at the end of the street, its glass doors preventing any curious onlookers from seeing what goes on inside.As expected, as soon as he takes the first steps on the dirty and dusty ground floor, two menacing brutes approach him, not seeming very inclined to ask before striking."Your boss summoned me," he says as a greeting, raising his hands in the air. One of them holds a small envelope."What's the password?" one of the brutes asks."Great White Shark."Seconds of silence.The other brute, who could very well be the twin of the first, juts his chin to appear larger and superior. He snatches the envelope from Maximilian's still-raised hands and opens it rudely.After counting the hundred-dollar bills, he signals to the other man, who starts frisking Maximilian from top to bottom. The entire operation takes less than twenty seconds."He's clean," Security One growls, as Maximilian mentally decides to call him
The entire journey is silent, tense, and absolutely terrifying.Not because Mariana has been attacked or frightened by Maxwell; in fact, the driver and now the new watchdog didn't even look at her while driving the black sedan with equally dark tinted windows.But knowing that James was officially out of the game, even if he claimed to have a plan, was a terrible sign that they wouldn't easily escape from that impasse.The only thing that gave her a glimmer of hope, albeit not much, was knowing that Daniel, somewhere, was gathering as much information as possible about the woman's ex-husband and, of course, uncovering any connections it might have with Isabelle and Maxwell.It was almost dusk when the man made a turn onto the dirt road, entering a partially hidden terrain surrounded by lush trees and the surrounding landscape.The approaching house appears quite large, albeit strategically camouflaged. All Mariana can see is the garage gate approaching, along with the windows with clo
Mariana runs toward the window, driven by the desperate need to escape the situation. Her heart beats fast, and fear mixed with determination drives her forward. However, before she can reach it, Maxwell moves quickly, blocking her way.He holds her by the arms firmly, his gaze now filled with anger. The tone of debauchery is completely gone, giving way to an expression of restrained fury."You shouldn't have done that, Mariana," he says between his teeth, his voice full of menace. "I gave you a chance to follow the rules, to be safe. But you chose to disobey."Mariana struggles to free herself from Maxwell's grip, but her efforts are in vain. He is much stronger than she is, and his determination to keep her under control is relentless."Let me go!" she screams, fighting back the tears of frustration and fear that threaten to escape. "I will not stay here as a prisoner!"Maxwell stares at her with an icy stare, his eyes filled with contempt."You don't understand, Mariana. There is n
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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."
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