The ambiance’s aroma was still the same. The music playing in the background brought nostalgia with its musical notes, almost knocking Giovana out. Her body was tense, and her heart raced with each step she took towards the table. The blue veins on Giovana’s forehead throbbed. At that moment, she realized she still loved Antony, and worst of all, she missed him.With a bitter smile on her face, Giovana looked at Matteo, who pulled out a chair for her to sit. Soon, the restaurant manager appeared, smiling and happy to see Giovana again.“I’m very happy to see you again, ma’am,” he tried to be discreet, but failed miserably. “I thought I would never see you again after the divorce.”With that, she involuntarily glanced at Matteo’s bright eyes, knowing he could see the terror on her face. Matteo could read every subtle movement she made. Giovana just smiled and looked up in the manager’s direction.“I’m happy to see you too.” she couldn’t remember the man’s name because her mind was a bl
How had Antony found her?Giovana felt this question tormenting her in the few seconds where silence was all that remained between them.“What are you doing here?” With her teeth showing, Giovana felt her blood boil as she looked at Antony again.“As far as I remember, this house has always belonged to my family,” Antony said. “But I realize that Nicolaus betrayed me again when he decided to offer it to you.”“How did you find me?” A tear formed in her eyes, but Giovana managed to hold them back.“I’m the one asking the questions here, Giovana,” he took a step towards her, observing Giovana shrink. “Why don’t you answer my phone calls?”“I am no longer your wife, Antony,” she shouted, feeling ruined. “There’s no reason for me to have friendly conversations with you.”“We have business to take care of,” suddenly his gaze shifted to the male figure standing just behind his ex-wife. “Matteo was more proactive than me, finding her first.”Matteo stared at Antony, wide-eyed. Giovana quickl
Antony hadn’t realized that he was still in the car, looking at her until their gazes met, enveloping him in a great embarrassment. Only then did he start the car engine and drove away.On the way, he called Ricardo and asked him to meet him at the company as quickly as possible. Ricardo was not only his best friend but had also been the CEO of the company during the period when Nicolaus had been seriously ill. He was responsible for turning that business into a genuine success.Antony remembered this fact as if a knife were stuck in his heart. Remembering that his own father preferred to entrust the family business to someone other than him filled him with great resentment towards Nicolaus. It wasn’t Ricardo’s ability that was at stake, but as the sole heir, it should have been Antony who assumed the presidency in his father’s absence.Nicolaus had his reasons for this, and somehow Giovana was always involved in his decisions.He parked the car in the building’s garage, still lost in
Giovana watched the day pass as uncertainties consumed her. Antony’s visit almost caused her to miscarry. She called Xavier as soon as she entered her house, but the lawyer said he couldn’t come to see her that day.The next day, when the sun was already high in the sky, someone knocked on the door. Giovana was still lying down, in a deep sleep, and it took her longer than it should have to go check who it was. Still sleepy, she walked with semi-opened eyes, hoping it wasn’t Matteo, much less Antony, disturbing her early in the morning.She was relieved when she saw Xavier waiting at the door.She served coffee to the lawyer before pouring herself a cup. In the next moment, after the first sip, Giovana revealed her secret, causing Xavier to choke on the hot liquid.“I’m pregnant,” as soon as she realized the man was stunned, she concluded, “The child I’m expecting is Antony’s.”Giovana planned to tell someone soon, but Antony's arrival made her need to tell someone who could help her.
Antony sat in the office armchair, thinking of his childhood. Nothing worried him back then, not even the constant fights between Nicolaus and Amelia because she refused to have another child. Nicolaus wanted a house full of children, but Amelia refused. Antony never understood how a woman like her had conceived him. But Amelia loved him , and he never doubted that love.But the world crumbled when Amelia became pregnant again and died during childbirth. It was a guilt that Nicolaus couldn’t bear for many years. Losing his wife and the baby she carried tormented him and drove him away from the only family he had left: Antony. When Antony turned eighteen, he left home to live in another country, far from Nicolaus’s brutality and the ghosts that haunted him. Nicolaus was no longer the father he loved; he became an obsessive and manipulative man. When Nicolaus decided to take care of Giovana, he saw in her an opportunity for redemption. He offered her what life had taken from him: a fres
When Giovana was married to Antony, her life was monotonous and insignificant. In the sense that nobody cared about her existence or the fact that she was his wife. But things changed after the divorce. Becoming the heiress of Nicolaus’s fortune made her an easy target. The world started to care about her, and everyone seemed to want her attention.On that same afternoon, as the sun was setting behind the mountains, someone knocked on the door. Her heart raced because she thought Antony had come after her to demand explanations. She looked through the side window of the house, which gave a small view of the main entrance. Giovana recognized that face, and it didn’t resemble Antony.When she finally felt safe, she walked to the door and greeted the visitor with a wide smile and a tight hug.“I thought you wouldn’t receive me because I’m Antony’s friend,” he whispered in her ear. “Surprised by the visit?”“Happy that you finally remembered me,” she replied with a smile on her face, step
A few days had passed, and Giovana felt that life was lighter without Antony disturbing her or Matteo pressuring her for another chance. Despite this, she found this calmness very suspicious. Antony seemed to have gotten the message, or at least that’s what she wanted to believe. But deep down, Giovana knew he was planning something diabolical against her.She left home that morning, feeling more determined than in previous days. The market was two blocks away from her house, and she decided to walk there. It was cold that day, despite the cloudless sky and the sun shining.She was attentive to the shopping list she held in one hand. She passed by the hygiene aisle and paused when she saw several packages of diapers. A smile emerged on her lips, but her heart raced when she thought that in a few months, she would have a baby, and no one would be there to help her. It was a frightening vision of her own future. The smile faded, replaced by an immense tightness in her chest. She put the
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
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,