Xavier took longer than he should have to arrive, or Giovana’s lack of time awareness was making her anxious, causing time to stand still. When he finally arrived, he was faced with a scene of war. Giovana's house was a complete mess. Someone had ransacked it. The man stood in complete silence for long and agonizing minutes.“Oh, this is too much for me to bear,” he whimpered in a corner of the house, away from Xavier.“Do you have any idea who did this?” he asked, analyzing every corner in search of a clue.“I don’t know,” she said with a choked voice, “But I suspect who it might have been.”“Antony wouldn’t have the capability for this.” Xavier could read her thoughts. “Besides, the main door was forced open. Antony still has the spare key.”“Aren’t you being too nice to him? Wiping her tears, she tried to think of a solution. “they’re trying to intimidate me. Look at the message they left in my room and tell me what else I should do?”Xavier walked to the room where Giovana slept a
Antony averted his anxious gaze to look around. Giovana must be baffling, he thought. The sharp look he gave her, before grabbing her arm and pulling her inside the building, left her bewildered.“What’s your baffling plan this time, Giovana?” she felt his fingers tightening around her arm. She furrowed her brow in fear as she tried to free herself.“Don’t play dumb, Antony,” she shook herself again, but he didn’t let go, “I know you were at my house, and it was you who left that message written on the wall of my room.”Antony immediately burst into laughter. He didn’t know this uncontrollable side of Giovana. When they were married, she always behaved well in his presence, quiet and completely submissive. But after the divorce, Giovana’s behavior had changed so dramatically that it scared Antony most of the time.“I haven’t forgotten that you reported me for threats,” he tightened his grip on her arm “do you really think I would go to your house to threaten you again?”“I know it was
Antony was placed in the police car, silently. When he understood what was actually happening, all he could muster was his indifference. Before being put in the car, he cast one last glance at Giovana, and she felt fear in what she saw.At the foot of the stairs, Ricardo picked up his phone and called the lawyer, then walked over to the police car and told Antony that he would resolve the whole situation. Shocked and horrified by the scene, Giovana couldn’t move, while everyone exchanged suspicious glances.At that moment, Ricardo emerged silently from the crowd and walked towards Giovana. His face was pale, lifeless, and her expression was one of guilt.“I shouldn’t have come here.” it became clear to her that those people weren’t interested in helping her, only condemning her because Antony had been arrested.“It wasn’t me who called the police,” she whispered, realizing that fear and guilt were turning into anger. “When did you ask me why I was here?Upon hearing this comment, Rica
His ex-wife’s statement completely surprised Antony. What was even stranger was that Giovana’s determination to get him out of there caused strange feelings within him that Antony couldn’t distinguish.Immediately, surprise turned into mockery. In response, Giovana couldn’t help but release an emotionless sigh as she saw him disdain her intentions.“You came to get me out of this place?” He looked at her disdainfully, still smiling. “I didn’t know you had become a lawyer.”“Don’t be sarcastic, Antony.” she crossed her arms over her chest and averted her gaze from his. “I’m saying that I will drop the charges I made against you.”A silence lingered between them to the point that Giovana lifted her head to look at Antony and was surprised by the expression of confusion on his face. It was as if he didn’t believe that she could save him.“Not that you deserve my considerations,” he said, while his words shattered the enchantment of that moment, “but it wouldn’t be fair to leave you here,
“The judge’s decision may take days.” Xavier sat next to Giovana and tried to convince her to go back home. “unfortunately, Antony will stay here.”She was disappointed, and guilt wouldn’t let her rest.“Isn’t there anything else that can be done?” she asked impatiently.“We’ve done everything we could,” Xavier stood up, ready to leave. “I advise you to go back home and wait.”Giovana didn’t say anything for a while as Xavier anxiously waited for her to decide whether she would return home or not. Giovana felt her feet aching, and her stomach was growling with hunger. Sometimes she forgot she was pregnant and didn’t worry too much about going for hours without eating, but Xavier was always ready to remind her of her true situation.“Let me remind you that you’re pregnant and need to rest,” she stood up impatiently, trying to prevent him from continuing that conversation.“I appreciate your concern,” she whispered, “but let’s not talk about it here. I don’t want Antony to find out.”Xa
After insisting a lot for Xavier to come down and spend a few minutes with her, Giovana got out of the car and headed home alone. It was different for her to know that Xavier was the only close friend she had. He was always willing to help her, even if she didn’t pay him his fees, and even if Nicolau was alive to order him to do those things.Xavier promised to take care of Giovana without any reward. And he was keeping his promise well. He took care of Giovana as if she were his own daughter.Did Xavier have children? A wife, a family to take care of and protect? Giovana realized that she knew nothing about him, which was a lack of sensitivity that she wasn’t used to.She was thinking about this as she approached the door and only noticed a box, wrapped like a gift, when she reached the porch.Giovana found it very strange. She observed the surroundings. There was no one nearby. First, they broke into her house, destroyed almost everything, spray-painted threatening messages on her b
“What are you doing here, Roberta?” The woman still had her arms wrapped around his neck, squeezing so tightly that Oliver felt short of breath.“I missed you so much, my love,” she kissed him passionately.But Antony wasn’t pleased with the situation. He held onto Roberta’s arms, preventing her from continuing with the entire scene. Finally, managing to push her away and look into her eyes, Roberta was crying uncontrollably. He seemed lost for words, his mouth hanging open for seconds.“I know I left suddenly, without saying goodbye,” she rushed her words while wiping her tears, “and you haven’t heard from me in years. But I couldn’t bear to see you married to that woman.”“And why did you come back?” Antony’s expression showed that he wasn’t happy to see her return.“Aren’t you happy to see me, Antony?” she stepped back, disappointment in her eyes.But Antony couldn’t respond. He had spent the entire day in that prison. He felt too tired and stressed for new emotions. Likewise, he l
“What are you doing here?” when she noticed Antony’s different gaze towards her. She hurried behind the door, intending to protect herself from him.Even Antony didn’t understand why he was there. He should have gone home to rest after the hard day he had because of Giovana. She didn’t deserve his consideration, let alone his respect. However, he found himself standing at the door of her house, not knowing what to say, just admiring how beautiful his ex-wife still was.“I think you’ve gained some weight,” he commented, leaving Giovana dumbfounded.“I can’t believe you came here just to tell me that,” she assessed her own body, but she believed Antony was exaggerating. “Since when do you pay attention to me?”“I didn’t pay attention,” he looked back into her eyes, “but I remember this nightgown perfectly and your body inside it. There’s something different about you.”Giovana looked into his eyes, finding the conversation strange and dangerous, considering the direction it was taking.
Nicolau got discharged a few weeks later. When Antony saw Giovana holding their son for the first time, he felt so many things that he couldn’t decipher the feeling that pulsed the strongest in his heart.As Giovana approached with a genuine smile on her face, she asked him if he wanted to hold their son for the first time. Nicolau was so small that Antony was afraid of hurting him. He looked at the baby, who was sleeping peacefully in his mother’s arms, and with an affectionate look, he replied yes.Holding his son for the first time made Antony understand the true meaning of love. Ricardo himself, took without him noticing, a photo who imagined that photograph hanging on their wall.On the other side of the room, Tania was packing things for Giovana’s departure, her eyes filled with tears.“I think I haven’t forgotten anything,” she quickly scanned the room, looking for anything that might have been left behind, but there was nothing.Tania soon realized it was time to tell Giovana
Antony got into the car next to Xavier and was driven to the company. When he found the memories of that place almost paralyzed him. He barely remembered the last time he had been there. He had aspired to own that empire even when Nicolau was alive. His eyes would sparkle at the thought of owning it all. Now, standing in front of everything he had achieved, none of it made sense anymore. In the end, the greatest wealth he had received was marrying Giovana.He entered the elevator alone. Xavier had left with the mission of buying the shares and returning them to Antony. And to think it was because of those shares that he married Giovana for the second time. Now his life revolved around her. A smile tugged at his lips as Antony came to this realization. At that moment, he found himself completely in love with his wife, despite his promise never to fall in love with another woman besides Roberta.When he stepped out of the elevator, the first face he saw was Valeria’s. The woman looked a
Antony had a fixed idea in his head and thought about it every time he looked at Giovana. He had spent that night by her side, holding her hand while she slept. She was eager to see Nicolau, but the doctors recommended that she wait for the anesthesia to wear off before getting up. The next day, when Antony woke up, she was sitting up, which startled him and made him rush to help her.“What are you doing?” He looked at her, scared that she might do something reckless.“I want to see our son,” she said, already putting on her sandals, indicating that no one would stop her.Antony threw his head back, closing his eyes tightly and sighing in disagreement, but when he looked at her and saw a deep sadness for not having met their son yet, he relented.“All right,” he said, taking her hands and helping her to walk, “let’s go meet Nicolau, and on the way, we’ll talk about something very important.”“What do you want to talk about?” She looked at him, furrowing her brow with concern.“I need
Antony stopped to think about what Andreas was saying. Things in his life were starting to calm down, and he needed to recognize that Andreas had made a considerable effort to help him. On the other hand, Andreas fell silent, embarrassed, as if he had made significant mistakes and was convinced that Antony would never forgive him. Only after a long period of silence, in an attempt to clear up the misunderstanding, did Andreas apologize.“I should have told you that I didn’t find Giovana when I arrived at the farm,” Andreas’ regretful tone was more than enough for Antony to understand that the boy was not at all happy with what had happened. “I promised you that I would take care of Giovana, and I didn’t want to fail again.”Antony laughed with disdain, as if he had heard a very tasteless joke.“Yes, you should have told me,” he replied calmly, looking away at the nursery in front of him, “but you need to stop always trying to please me. Why is my approval so important to you?”Andreas
Antony stared at Xavier with an apprehensive look. The lawyer was terrified until the call was ended. When he finally hung up the phone, he looked at Antony with a lump in his throat.“What happened?” Antony sweated, anxious to hear good news from Giovana.It was all he could think of. It was about Giovana’s safety, as if nothing else mattered. Before Xavier could think of opening his lips to tell him what was happening, his cell phone rang again. He looked confused at the phone number, realizing it was Andreas.He answered the call, hearing the boy asking to speak to Antony on the other end of the line.Xavier left, leaving Antony apprehensive behind. It took him a long time to make that decision. Would it be more appropriate to inform Antony about his freedom first than to let Andreas take up his time?He came back with the phone in his hands and handed it to Antony. He saw the man’s face slowly transform, and minutes later, he felt drawn to the most important news of his existence.
Irma slowly opened her eyes and heard voices coming from afar, as if in a dream. The trees seemed to be in constant motion, making her head spin faster. The same man she had seen in front of the farm was the one who came to her aid. Although dizzy and disoriented, Irma tried to get up and escape. Her efforts were in vain, as she was weak and injured. The man held her and called the police.When the police cars arrived, she mocked the officers. She laughed uncontrollably.“Do you not know that I am Giovana’s mother?” Her disoriented look frightened some. “I came to visit her. Don’t I have that right?”“She ran away when I called her,” the man accused. “She ran through the woods and fell, hitting her head. Forgive me, but Mr. Andreas asked me to watch over the farm and forbid this woman from approaching.”The police seemed confused by the situation. One of them approached Irma, touching her arm, which greatly irritated her.“You need to come with us.”The order did not sit well with her
Giovana could no longer stand the car shaking all the time. She closed her eyes tightly and believed that the pain in her abdomen was because of the long hours of travel. Tania remained by her side, never letting go of Giovana’s hand for a moment, and although she told the maid that she was okay, Tania could see from Giovana’s face how much she was suffering from the long delay.“We need to stop,” Tania said, noticing Giovana’s face changing color. “Giovana won’t be able to endure this much longer.”“We can’t stop now, Tania, it’s only a few more hours,” Maria declared.“You’ve been saying that for two days now,” she snapped, though she had no reason to.“Please, Tania, don’t argue with Maria because of me. I’ve already said that I’m fine.”Giovana held back from grimacing as the car went over a pothole, throwing her body forward. The pain was increasing as the minutes passed. Giovana remembered the moment when Antony was taken by the police and his words, begging Giovana to leave the
Antony was in a room, being watched by police officers. In front of him, Xavier kept talking only about subjects that wouldn’t raise any suspicion. The lawyer already knew about the evidence against Irma and was preparing to put his plan into action.“Ask Andreas to go to Giovana,” he said, looking at the mirrored wall, imagining the figure of the delegate looking at him behind the glass. “Keep her safe.”“Andreas has already gone to the farm,” he said, wiping the sweat from his face. “I’ll get him out of jail today, Antony. I propose we put an end to this injustice once and for all.”Xavier was in a hurry, although Antony insisted on knowing who had been responsible for discovering his location. Xavier had no idea who it had been. He left the interrogation room, demanding to speak to the delegate.The man was arrogant, thinking he deserved a prize for arresting a fugitive from the police, which Xavier certainly disagreed with. He placed the paid bail on his desk, which made the man j
Someone called Irma that morning and informed her that Antony had been found. The voice on the other end of the line asked her to turn on the TV as Giovana’s location would be revealed.She paced anxiously around the house, waiting for the moment to put her plan into action. Her soul would only find peace once Giovana was dead. When she entered the living room, the TV was broadcasting Antony’s arrest live. She stopped and looked at the small screen, seeing Giovana’s face. Her eyes sparkled with emotion. She had finally found her daughter Gina’s killer.A sudden sense of unease surged in her heart as she hurried to pack her bags and leave. She saw Gina pass by the hallway, sending a shiver down her spine. Gina's constant visions and appearances tormented Irma. Surely her mind’s delusions, but she believed Gina’s spirit would only find peace when Giovana finally paid with her life for the crime she had committed.“I will draw her blood and bring it to you,” she said to the empty walls,