Antony felt like he was living in hell on earth. They took his fingerprints and recorded a photo before he walked down those corridors and they threw him into an individual cell. The place stank, but it wasn’t as gloomy as the cell at the police station. The worn, unlined mattress revealed the hard days he would spend there. Now dressed like a prisoner, Antony looked at the yellowed, dirty walls and wondered at what point he would go mad for good. Time was slow to pass. When he went out to have his first meal with the other inmates, he realized how difficult his life would be from then on. He sat isolated from the others and tried not to make eye contact with any of them. Antony had no intention of making new friends in prison, and it was only when he arrived that he realized how quickly he needed to be cleared. Just as it was getting dark, the guards came for him and took him to the visiting room. Antony never imagined that he would be so happy to see Xavier and Ricardo. He gave
Two days had already passed, and it felt like an eternity for Antony. He spent most of his time in the cell, even avoiding outdoor activities. There was time to reflect on everything that had happened in his life, even to mourn Nicolau’s death.If he were alive, Antony would be his disappointment. Nicolau wouldn’t bear the idea of seeing his son in prison. Antony missed his father, and guilt almost consumed him. Nicolau died carrying the feeling that Antony hated him. In the last months of his life, their fights intensified. Antony couldn’t handle the idea of Nicolau controlling his life, even his relationships. He forced him to marry a woman he didn’t love, just to secure the inheritance Antony had coveted his whole life.Only now did he understand that Giovana had been the best gift Nicolau had given him. He wished he had realized it earlier. Antony felt it was too late to try to fix things between them, and even if he got out of prison the next day, he needed to stay away from her.
Giovana had her fingers intertwined as she walked back and forth in the room, waiting for Ricardo to give her news about Antony. She uncrossed her fingers, realizing that her hands were sweaty. She had to wipe them on her skirt and then grab her cellphone.There was nothing. No sign.Since the day Antony had been arrested, Giovana had been avoiding checking her social media, but curiosity got the better of her. A bombardment of messages flooded her notifications. When she scrolled through the feed, Antony’s face appeared, and the caption revealed what she so desperately wanted to know. Antony was free.She called him. Giovana remembered the promise she had made to herself not to talk to him anymore, but she ignored all her instincts and called Antony, feeling her hands getting sweatier with each passing moment.On the other side of town, Antony was still trying to understand why Andreas did those strange things. As soon as he stepped into the old house, his phone vibrated. His heart s
Giovana walked through the vast field, already several kilometers away from the house. Tania had a frightened look on her face, and as she looked back, noticing the house growing smaller, her face twisted with concern.“Don’t you think it’s better if we go back, ma’am?”However, Giovana completely ignored the woman’s words and kept walking.“This could even harm the baby,” she continued in vain, “and what if Mr. Antony calls? You’ll miss the chance to talk to him.”Giovana stopped immediately to look at Tania in disbelief that she would use such an argument to convince her.“Walking isn’t harmful to anyone, Tania,” she said with difficulty, as she tried to fill her lungs with air, “and Antony won’t call me. He abandoned me here and won’t come back for me.”“Ma’am,” Tania stopped when she realized Giovana would continue walking until she realized she had nowhere to go, “it’s risky to walk in an unfamiliar place like this. I think we should go back.”It was only then that Giovana stoppe
Antony was driving at high speed towards the company. He had almost caused an accident a few minutes ago, and risked being arrested again due to sheer negligence. He could hardly believe that it was happening.In no time, he was parking in front of the company. He knew Ricardo was coming right behind him to try to stop him from doing something reckless, but Antony was furious, though not out of control. He knew exactly what he was doing.When he reached the main floor, he encountered Valeria, who came running towards him with shining eyes. She had to restrain herself from hugging him, such was her joy at seeing him free.“Sir Antony,” she grinned, but Antony didn’t look at her.When the secretary noticed him walking towards his office, she positioned herself in front of him, clearly intending to stop him.“You can’t go in, sir.” Valeria’s lips trembled as Antony gave her a cold look. “Your office is a mess, and with your absence, Matteo didn’t even bother to straighten things up.”“Ar
Andreas’ muscles stiffened, and his breathing increased a thousand degrees. Although he had made the proposal, he hadn’t imagined that Antony would accept it so easily. He had to absorb the information before going any further.“Are you really serious?” The boy’s eyes flashed in his direction, and he smiled for the next second.“Yes. I’ve just created a position for you,” the serious tone in his voice made Andreas realize that Antony wouldn’t joke about something so serious, “I’ll pass on my shares to you for a fixed period.”A few minutes passed in silence as Andreas tried to absorb what was happening. After that, he rephrased the next step in the agreement with his brother.“You’ve made the right decision, brother,” he said, but Antony’s countenance turned sour every time Matteo reminded him that they were brothers, “I’m going to call my lawyer so that he can draw up the document for our agreement.”“I don’t trust your lawyer,” he paused, “or you, even though I’m putting my life in
Giovana had to sit down because she could no longer feel her legs reacting to Antony’s voice. Her heart was beating so uncontrollably that she felt like the air was escaping from her lungs. A genuine smile appeared on her face, and her eyes sparkled.“How are you?” He asked after long seconds of silence.“I’m fine,” she replied with a smile on the other end of the line, then remembered what had happened to her stocks, and the smile immediately left her beautiful face. “Antony, I’m sorry about the stocks. I didn’t mean to.”“It’s okay, Giovana,” Antony looked up at Andreas, who was looking at him with great expectations, but his words were sincere. Antony was no longer angry with Giovana. “Andreas and I have already sorted that out.”“Sorted it out?” The revelation startled her. Antony and Andreas had teamed up to resolve something?“You should only worry about the pregnancy,” the words came out of his throat like a dagger, “that’s all that matters now.”He closed his eyes as he spoke
There was no more time for regrets. Antony was getting dressed in Giovana’s old room, while looking at the graffiti or what was left of her marks on the wall, remembering that it was for that reason that his whole life had crumbled.If he hadn’t asked for a divorce on the same day, Gina was in the hospital fighting for her life. If he had listened to Giovana instead of projecting his frustrations onto her, Gina would have survived, and none of this would have happened.Irma wouldn’t be chasing her, he wouldn’t have married Giovana a second time.He wouldn’t have discovered how much he loved her. Life would lose its charm, and he wouldn’t be the man he had become at that moment.Perhaps things happened that Antony couldn’t understand. He put on his suit and ran his hands lightly through his hair as he concluded his thoughts. He needed to focus on the major goals and forget the rest so that he could live in peace.To live alongside the woman he now loved. Giovana was fixed in his though