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 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
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 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 felt as if a huge crack had opened in the floor, dragging her down to the depths, when she opened the door to her husband's office.The girl with expressive green eyes, shoulder-length black hair, and moon-pale skin didn't know what to do or say, or believe what her eyes were showing.On the wooden table in the man's living room, there was more than a small yellow plaque with the name "Maximilian Phillips". In fact, there was a beautiful girl, tall, with red hair tied up in a tight bun. She was wearing, or at least partly wearing, a black social outfit.Holding the redhead, eager with desire, was Maximilian. The two kissed as if the rest of the world did not exist. They were so engrossed in each other that they didn't even hear the door being opened.Mariana's lips trembled as the girl tried to contain her crying, screaming, panic and hatred; all the feelings that took over her blood, causing the fingers of her hands to spasm."Maximilian."Immediately, both the businessman's
Everything happens quickly and slowly at the same time.First Mariana sees that the car is almost touching her body, and she accepts that she will be thrown by the impact of the hit. Her reflex is to close her eyes and in vain try to protect herself by raising her arms.Strong and fast, but very fast, arms pull her back instantly, knocking her out of the path of the vehicle.A sudden braking sound is heard. Startled, Mariana looks at the car. The driver has managed to stop it, but much further away than he should have. That is, if it weren't for the strange rescuer.A muscular man with curly hair caught in a loose ponytail and blue eyes holds her shoulders, helping her up."Miss, you need to be careful. Are you okay?"He notices her olive green eyes filled with sadness, as well as her face wet with tears and her swollen nose."Come on, let's get off the street."He leads her to the sidewalk. Passersby and onlookers watch the girl, who puts both hands on her face as she starts to cry a
A few people present were quietly observing the little scandal. Maximilian's veins are bulging out of his neck and forehead. James stands up."What's going on here?""What's going on?!" Max is upset. "I'm here to fix my marriage and get back the woman who loves me! Or at least, who I believed loved me!""What did you say?!" Mariana gets to her feet as well, feeling the tremors returning once again."I came after you, Mariana. I came after you because I love you, and because I want us to be okay. But the first instant you find yourself free, you're already on a date with a complete stranger!""How dare-""I should have known. All those years of leaving you inside, keeping you from working, from having to sweat or leave those hands.... Oh, those beautiful hands intact.... It was all for nothing, wasn't it? Because that's your nature.""You can't be serious!"James watches everything in silence, shocked. Maximilian is red with anger."Of course I'm serious! I am speaking what my eyes are
Mariana is sitting on the huge double bed, where two huge suitcases, clothes, make-up items and some books rest. Drying another of her insistent tears, she puts a few more items in the suitcase on the right.How embarrassing she had been in that coffee shop! A few seconds after James and Maximiliano started punching each other, three employees of the place had to separate them, and the real fight only ended after they threatened to call the police.Max left the place, kicking a few tables and chairs. James escorted Mariana out of the place, and then hugged her and offered her his shoulder to cry until she couldn't take it anymore.He still hadn't given any sign of life. After talking some more, apologizing, and thanking James for the invitation, Mariana returned home feeling defeated.This episode was what she needed to make a decision. She had no more time to lose. The girl would never again be humiliated like that.No, Mariana would not allow anyone to treat her in such a cruel and