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24-MARK
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2024-10-29 19:42:56The number you dialed cannot be reached.
I cursed for the third time and told the operator to fuck off as I got into the elevator.
Olivia hadn't answered any of my calls in three days, so they went straight to the answering machine.
I had called Elizabeth asking about her friend, and she sound surprised. She told me she hadn’t heard from her since Monday morning, so she believed that we were together since I spoke with her that same day.
The stress consumed me. I hadn't been able to close my eyes for over an hour in the time I'd been in Las Vegas.
A suicide attempt.
I ran my hand over my face trying to wake up from my drowsiness as I thought about what had happened in the last seventy-two hours.
The Sous Chef at the main restaurant had tried to kill himself in my kitchen when he thought there was no one around because of how late it was.&
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MARK 25-OLIVIA
You know that moment when you studied an infinite number of hours to approve thatimportant test, andwhen you’re done you feel you've eaten the world because of how amazing your answers were, but when the teacher is revising it, you start to think that everything is wrong and all your effort went down the trash bind?It was a very long question, I know,but thisis howI feel.Mark was watching me drink the coffee he had preparedwhen we gotto his house and,although it was already cold and the drunkenness had long since passed, I continued to delay the conversation that awaited us.I felt that at the moment I opened mymouth and told him all the details of my life, my miserable life, I would see that look I hated.I knew he would walk away.That he would never touch me again.He would nevertell me again that he loved me.I knew he’d look atme with pity an
MARK 26-OLIVIA
“So,is he in the same condition?” Iasked asmy indexdid slow circles on his leg.“That's right.” His breath hit my temple and then left a soft kiss there.Wewoke up aboutfifteenminutesagowhen Mark's phone rang.It was Alex informing him that his cook was still in the same state as yesterday.Ihad delighted myselfwatching himmovefrom one side to the otheracross the room without caring that hewas completely naked while talking to his head of security.I was hypnotized seeing his body.The fricking man had obliques that could turn an intelligent girl into a very idiot one.For example, me.And his ass?Better not touch that subject.After finishing the call, he had gone back to bed, this time dragging me into his arms and that is how we were right now.Me being swallowed by his body.My head was re
MARK 27-MARK
“So, you’llhave itthe twenty-third?” Iasked her writing down in my personal diary.“Yes,Mr. Sanders.By Wednesday twenty-thirdin the morning, you can come and get it.”I was thrilled to imagine Olivia's face when she discovered my Christmas present.“Great.” I looked up when the door suddenly opened “Well,Andrea, I'll see you that day.”I hung up without taking my eyes off from a very angry Alex.“Can you tell what the fuck are you playing?!” Heyelled, surprising me by his condition.“And is it possible to know what’s happening with you?” I said somewhat amazed.“Don´t act like a stupid Mark. Not with me!”I looked at him dumbfounded from my seat, still not believing the state in which my head of security was.“Well...” I got up slowly, closing the butto
MARK 28-MARK
“I know you're awake, love.” I sat next to her, putting her coffee cup on the table,and kissed her temple “Good morning...”“Shh.” She said turning around “I'm super tired... Let me sleep more.”I saw her amused for a few seconds and then I lay down next to her, hugging her from behind.“Are you sure you're just tired?” I asked pulling her closer to me “Or is it something else?”“You fucked mu brain out last night, Mark.” She said turning to look at me seriously “Of course I'm tired.You looked like a fucking rabbit in the middle of mating season.”I did my best not to laugh.“I didn't hear you complain...”“Well, you do now.”She tried to roll over again, but I pinned her down with my body.“No.” shebegan to push me “I refuse to do it again, everything hurts.”
MARK 29-OLIVIA
When Mark saidhome was a safe house.I thought he meant his apartment in Manhattan.I thought we would go to the hotel where we were staying, we would take the helicopter and infivehours we would be inhome.But apparently when he said home, he meant his old home, here inBurbankwhere we had met.“I can't believe it, Mark.” I said looking around the living room from his old apartment “What are we doing here?”“Alex suggested that we had to have a standby place and leave it unknown.”Iturnedtolookathim,but he looked away quickly.“Shall we?” Hestarted to pull me towards his oldroom,but I stopped us.“I'm not going in there.” I stubbornly crossing my arms.“Honey.” hesighed heavily “I'm tired, I want to take off these clothes
MARK 30-OLIVIA
Amazing.It all looked like that:Amazing.I went from being in a room with my boyfriend, kissingmeand trying to make me forget my worst nightmare, to living it directly and with even worse scenarios than I had ever imagined.Theworstthingwas that, although the danger had passed and Tom was no longer a threat to me,thanks to my rapist's father, mynerves were still on edge.At the time, we were in the hospitalwaitingthat Mark’s surgery ended, which had started three hours ago.We didn’t know anything abouthim.Apparently,the bullet had grazed his left clavicle, but that wasn’t the dangerous thing, the dangerous thing was that the bullet hadn’t come out and that it had passed very close to a main artery that led directly to the heart, therefore, they had to see if it hadn't been touched, otherwise he might bleed to death.&ldquo
MARK 31-OLIVIA
“What are you doing?” I asked as I leaned against the door frame of our room.“Getting dressed.” He answered while struggling with the dress shirt he wastrying toputon.“I understand that.” I saw how he tried to insert the button through the buttonhole of the shirt, while his bad arm was still inside of it,in the sling he had to wear until he was approved “What I don´t understand is why.”“Because I have to go to work, Olivia.That’s why.”“Youcould at least look at me when you talk to me, Mark.Your eyes are not on the back of your neck.”“I'm not in the mood for this.” He gave up with the shirt and went to the dressing room to see what worked for him.“I've been dealing with your mood for 3 days, or in this case, the lack of it.”“Well, that's your problem...”I looked
MARK 32-MARK
“Whowere you talking to?” I asked to Alex when he hung up.“Man, you realized I’m here...”“Knowing and ignoring are two different things...Who were you talking to?”“With Pierre.” Heanswered sighing “He’s with Olivia.”“Is she okay?” Iquestioned moving uncomfortably in my chair.God, how had I screwed everything up.I still didn't believe the absurdityof that fight.I had no right to feel the way I did, when she was the one who got the worst of everything and even that way, she always had a smile ready to show and was happy all the time.And now I was terrified at the idea that she would leave me for mystupidity.God… Ihad beenso invested in my own pity that I hadn't stopped for a second to ask her about her bruised face.“Hetold me she was fine.” Alex sa
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MARK EPILOGUE-MARK
“Olivia!”“What?!”“Haveyou seen Faith?”“I told you towatch her, Richard Marcus Sanders!I'm changing Joy!”“Iwas busy!Okay?”“Yes!” She said knowing I wasn’t “Candy Crush surely occupiedallof your time!”I couldn't help the annoyed gesture my mouth made.I had a new addiction and it was this stupid game,and ofcourse, Olivia haddiscovered it,and now whenever I got distracted with it and lost any of the girls, or both, she always said the same thing:Drop the phone and find the girls!I went room by room, avoiding the twins’ because my wife was there, until a noise from ours caught my attention.I silently peeked out to see what I was encountering, but incredibly,there was no one.I turned
MARK 38-MARK
“I still don't understand the reason for your insistence to bring your assistant with me, Mark."“Because your assistant is sick and mine doesn't know Mexico, Kristos.That’s why”“You know I can defend myself alone in these matters, the only thing your assistant can do is delay Be productive's relations with that travel agency.”I looked at him annoyedfor afew seconds.My assistant might be the most complex woman in America, but she was also the most competent and professional at her job, and I let him know that.“She barely sees me and stutters!” Heexclaimed furiously, hitting the desk with the palms of his hands “Don't tell me you haven't noticed that...”“Maybe.” Iobserved interrupting him “You should know her a little more so you realize why she acts like this...”We stared at each other for a moment before my head of
MARK 37-OLIVIA
“We are leaving the meeting, everything went perfect,do youwant to come with us to celebrate?” "Maybe next time, I'm a little busy""Are you still mad at me?""Enjoy"I couldn't help the grimace that formed on my face at his answer.Apparently, he was still upset with me, and with good reason.“Are we waiting for him or is he not coming?”I turned to see Eli,sitting on my right side.Wewere on our way to one of the most exclusive sushi restaurants in the city.We would celebratethatAdidasexecutiveshad loved the presentation.“Not coming.” I answered putting the phone in my bag.“Is he still upset with you?” Alex asked from the car’s front seat.“Not that I want totalk toyou.” Eli told Mark’
MARK 36-OLIVIA
“And you’re feeling okay?”“Ialready told you I’m fine, Mark...”“I know yourolledyour eyes.” He stated annoyed “Don't do it, I just want to know how you are.”I covered the phone with my hand and that's when I was able to laugh the way I wanted.“My love.” I said trying to sound serious “I'm fine, the babies are fine, all we want is for you to come back soon.”“I don't like being away from you.” Hemurmured in a muffled voice.My heart clenched in my chest at the thought of him alone.“Hopefully you can return soon.” I said in the same tone of voice.On Monday while we were having breakfast, he had received a call.His cook, the one who a few months ago had attempted suicide by inhaling gas directly from the stove, had died with a respiratory arrest.
MARK 35-MARK
“Stop staring at him.” Olivia murmured hitting me on the shoulder.We were in Olivia's doctor/friend’s office.She was lying on thestretcherandwearing the respective blue gown that was often given to patients, and throwing me daggers with hereyesevery time Ilooked withhatredqt the doctorwhowalkedfrom one side to the other while giving some explanations through his phone.Maybe I wasn't being very subtle about the idea that another man was about to see her private parts.I took her hand and brought it to my mouth, kissing each of her fingersandstopping at the one wearing my plastic ring.One of these days it would be gold, or silver, as shewished, and it would mean only one thing:Marriage.“Mark, I'm talking to you.”I stared at my woman and realized that I had been daydreaming as she spoke.“Sorry,&nbs
MARK 34-OLIVIA
“What?!” Iexclaimed astonished.I stared at Gabriel, my gynecologist since I had arrived from Spain afew years ago, in shock.“That you are pregnant, Olivia.” Heanswered pleased “Congratulations...”“It’s impossible I’mpregnant!” Iexpressed covering my face with my hands “You placed the IUD yourself. How could it be that I got pregnant with that on?”“All contraceptive methods have their risk percentage.” Heexplained “You were the 1% of this.”“You put a fuckingT-shaped device inmy vagina topreventmen's swimmers from entering my ovaries, Gabriel.” I looked at him feeling that panic took over my body “Then explain to me how just happened the opposite.”“Maybe you made a sudden movement that took it from place.” hesaid with a sh
MARK 33-MARK
After our little altercation, in which Olivia in a funny way, for her, told me that she was leaving me, things were excellent.The only outburst we had since then,was when she knew I had an eye surgery afew years ago.She sent me to hell, when she knew I did it to please Jessica at the beginning of our relationship, since she had said that she couldn’t see my eyes through them.“I never would have forced you to do something like that!” She exclaimed that night “She really was a bitch for trying to changewho you are...”That night we had slept with our backs to each other, but atsome point inthe morning, I had felt her arm tightening on my stomach and that was when I was finally able to sleep peacefully.After that episode, we fell into a routinethat,for me, was the best.Thanks to Elizabeth and me,Olivia haddecided to open a new Cra
MARK 32-MARK
“Whowere you talking to?” I asked to Alex when he hung up.“Man, you realized I’m here...”“Knowing and ignoring are two different things...Who were you talking to?”“With Pierre.” Heanswered sighing “He’s with Olivia.”“Is she okay?” Iquestioned moving uncomfortably in my chair.God, how had I screwed everything up.I still didn't believe the absurdityof that fight.I had no right to feel the way I did, when she was the one who got the worst of everything and even that way, she always had a smile ready to show and was happy all the time.And now I was terrified at the idea that she would leave me for mystupidity.God… Ihad beenso invested in my own pity that I hadn't stopped for a second to ask her about her bruised face.“Hetold me she was fine.” Alex sa
MARK 31-OLIVIA
“What are you doing?” I asked as I leaned against the door frame of our room.“Getting dressed.” He answered while struggling with the dress shirt he wastrying toputon.“I understand that.” I saw how he tried to insert the button through the buttonhole of the shirt, while his bad arm was still inside of it,in the sling he had to wear until he was approved “What I don´t understand is why.”“Because I have to go to work, Olivia.That’s why.”“Youcould at least look at me when you talk to me, Mark.Your eyes are not on the back of your neck.”“I'm not in the mood for this.” He gave up with the shirt and went to the dressing room to see what worked for him.“I've been dealing with your mood for 3 days, or in this case, the lack of it.”“Well, that's your problem...”I looked
