Nathan sits next to us, bringing one hand to his head. "Why won't my head stop hurting?" he lets out a small grunt. "Are you even asking?" Gregory furrows his brow and laughs. "You drank so much that you got tired of drinking." "But I didn't even drink that much. Not as much as you two," he pointed to Hannah and Gregory. "So why am I the only one whose head feels like it's going to explode?" he complained. "That's called alcohol tolerance, my friend. Something your body doesn't recognize," Gregory mocks. "That's unfair!" he complains and falls back, lying on the grass. I looked around, seeing all the people who came to the island outside the cabin. Except for one. "Did any of you see Samantha?" I asked intrigued. I hadn't seen her since last night. "She was still lying down when I left the room," Hannah replied. "Maybe she's feeling so guilty for what she did that she decided not to show her face," Gregory said ironically. "No, of course not! My sister isn't like that," Hann
I looked through the car window at the chubby clouds drifting aimlessly across the sky. Around a small sense of admiration, I allowed my thoughts to expand. The look Samantha gave me before my departure still bothered me. I understand her position in saying that I was putting obstacles where I shouldn't have, because I admit, I often avoided Joshua, just so I wouldn't have to face him for real, but that's because, to me, Joshua could easily be a synonym for confusion. Not because he causes arguments, intrigues, or the various things that can destroy relationships between friends, lovers, and so on, but because he inexplicably manages to be the perfect blend of good feelings and hesitations. I left conflicted. On one hand, a small fury commanded part of my body, on the other, the uninterrupted affirmation that I shouldn't be angry with Samantha. Because, despite saying words that I didn't want to hear, she tried to do a good deed, even if it had been unexpected, but as she herself ha
A few days ago... "You got it? I want you to watch them in every possible way," Emeraude says on the phone. "And to get your reward... You have to follow all my orders and make my plan come true, okay?" She briefly bites her lower lip. "Joshua Scott will be mine! And he will regret the day he chose someone else over me..." "You are unbelievable," Madelyn spits out the words as she enters her mother's house, overhearing Emeraude's conversation on the phone. "The fake sister has arrived. I need to hang up. Don't forget our deal," Emeraude ends the call. "Oh. Hi, Madelyn. Back so soon?" She gives a bitter smile. "Why didn't you think about jumping from the top floor of the hotel where Jack is staying, huh? That way, you would spare me from seeing your face... Rejected bitch." "I don't know what impresses me more. Your great talent for sarcasm or... The fact that you don't have an ounce of conscience about what you cause to other people," Madelyn sighs. "Don't you ever get tired of ac
He can't die. He can't die. I repeated the same sentence over and over in my head as I paced in circles around the hospital reception. My hands were covered in dried blood; I couldn't even wash them. I was so anxious and afraid of the worst happening that I only wished for good news about Joshua. "Alice!" Betty hurried towards me and hugged me. "I came as soon as I got your call. Joshua's parents are on their way," she said, breaking the embrace. "What happened?" I tried to calm myself to explain what had happened. "Joshua received a call from Madelyn's sister. She said she was going to take her own life. But it was just a way to lure us to her. And when we got there..." I felt a lump in my throat. "She wanted to kill me. But Joshua took the bullet for me." I broke down in tears again. "It's my fault." Betty hugged me again. "It's not your fault." "Of course it is. If I had stayed in the apartment, like he asked... He wouldn't have taken a bullet. So, it is my fault." Betty
Joshua wouldn't leave my mind. Was I doing the right thing? I zip up my suitcase. Agatha and Alex were also packing their bags. I hear the doorbell ring. I walk to the door and open it. Gregory and Nathan stare at me incredulously. "Can I know what's the story of miss leaving?" Gregory furrows his brows and walks past me into my apartment. "And had the courage to tell me by message?" He raises his phone, showing the screen with my message. "I thought I wouldn't have time to tell you in person." "Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" Gregory seems even more incredulous. I moisten my lips and feel my throat burn. "Susanna, Joshua's sister, told me to come back to Brazil." I explain. "And just because she told you to come back, you will?" He raises his eyebrows, stupefied. "It's my fault Joshua got shot. And the least I can do is let him live his own life. I just want the best for him." "Alice! You're underestimating yourself! What makes you think you're not the best for him?"
"I can't believe you're really going," Gregory commented, trying to hold back tears. I let out a small chuckle and hug him. "I'll send you messages every day," he confesses, squeezing me in his arms. "I promise to respond to all of them." I pull away from Gregory and go to hug Nathan. "As soon as I can, I'll visit you there," he comments and hugs me tightly too. "Behave yourself, okay?" I joke. "Both of you." I glance over at Gregory. "We'll be rooting for you, Ali," Gregory says with a cheerful smile. I see some tears streaming down his face, but he quickly wipes them away with the back of his hand. "Don't miss us too much!" I say playfully. I head towards the apartment's exit with my sisters, followed by Nathan and Gregory. "It feels like yesterday that we met. And today... She's leaving. I feel like a mother watching her child grow up and leave. Although... 'Grow up' is a strong word for Alice," I hear Gregory whisper behind me. "Hey! I'm listening!" I glance back at him and ma
I lean my head against the external wall of the hospital that connected to the parking lot. I gaze at the sun for a few moments, then close my eyes and take a deep breath. I couldn't digest my mother's new behavior at all. She seemed like a completely different person. It was impossible not to feel frustrated with the situation."Have you been waiting long?" Benjamin's voice sounded in my ears. "I was stuck with my father who was spewing beautiful words about integrity. But I don't think he even knows what it means," he said ironically.Benjamin had made giving me rides to the hospital almost a daily routine. He didn't mind accompanying me on all the morning visits I made to my mother. In fact, he seemed to love doing it, even though I told him not to waste his time with me."Is everything okay?" he asked, seeing that I hadn't responded to his arrival."To be honest?" I sigh. "I don't know." I open my eyes and look lost in the parking lot."What happened?" he approached, leaning again
There were three things in my life that I never imagined would happen when I returned home. First of all, taking care of my mother because of a terrifying illness that could easily take her life, when I always imagined needing to take care of her when she was no longer able to care for herself, that is, in old age, the phase that every child hopes their parents will reach, and which should be a decisive moment for the onset of some diseases, not during the peak of her youth.Second, discovering that my mother had a new type of behavior and thoughts and principles totally different from those she preached years ago.And third... dealing with a possible "stepfather," who, ironically, was my friend's father.And this last one seemed to be the most frustrating thing I could face.I sigh and stare at the ceiling of my room. My sisters were arguing about something that I had no idea about. My phone vibrates on the bed. I see a message from Joshua.Love, things r a little hectic lately.I'm
Some years before...Emeraude was still in love with Joshua, still nurturing the obsession she had felt since the first time she saw him, where she promised herself he would be hers, even though Joshua had gotten involved with another woman after some time. But that was no obstacle for Emeraude. The girl began to create plans to separate them. She set up situations for them to fight, created lies and rumors, and even tried to kill his girlfriend. She was determined to get what she wanted.However, the girl was arrested, where she would pay the price for her obsession. However, thanks to her sister, she only spent a few months in jail, as Madelyn believed there could be a better option for her to heal from her obsession. However, this did not happen, as Emeraude, even in prison, planned how to resume her mission to separate them as soon as she got out.And that was exactly what she did when she got out of prison. She began working on an even more elaborate plan than before. She did her
[...] Years later..."You are the most important thing to me."I smiled automatically as I remembered his words. I could keep them in my memory as if they had been spoken the day before. But it had been so long ago...“Grandma. Tell us more about you and Grandpa Scott. We love hearing your story!”“What's interesting about it?” The little boy, standing a little apart from us, interjected. He kept his arms crossed and leaned against the entrance of the room. His expression showed little interest in the subject. “It's just another cliché romance.” He said, shrugging his shoulders and snickering.“Joshua!” The youngest protested. “Grandma Ali and Grandpa Scott's story is not boring!” The short-haired little girl exclaimed. “But you are! Please, Grandma. Continue.” She smiled sweetly.The three little girls snuggled up a little closer in the three armchairs next to me.“The little Joshua is right.” I smiled. “It's a long story of... A cliché romance.” I chuckled softly. “But when it's hea
Some months later, after the wedding...After an eternity of hours, we finally arrived at the Seychelles Islands, where we would spend our honeymoon. We decided not to have a religious wedding and to have a simple celebration, just for our closest family and friends. Joshua and I agreed to make the most of our honeymoon, so we went straight to a house a few kilometers from the beach. And honestly, I couldn't feel my legs. It took Joshua's help for me to get off the jet and into the car. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to move.When we arrived at the house, I collapsed onto the enormous wooden sofa on the balcony. I was completely out of it. The trip hadn't lasted long, but for me, it had been an eternity. Joshua had given me some lectures during the car ride, telling me that I should have eaten something before flying, but I wasn't hungry.I unlocked my phone and saw the unread messages I had received during the morning while I still had internet, because the region we were in di
"Oh. My. God!" I couldn't hide the expression of surprise and excitement on my face. Opening the doors to that studio was like stumbling upon paradise. A huge grin was plastered on my face as I surveyed everything around me. That place was amazing!My paintings were harmoniously displayed on every wall of that room under a covering. The panels, the easels, the original paints, the various types of brushes that I never imagined I could touch one day... Everything! Exactly everything that an artist needed was there.If the human ability to feel pleasure fit not only in the sexual sense, but in any scenario of excitement, I would say I was having an orgasm of happiness right there."This is simply incredible, Joshua!" Leaning against the door, with his arms crossed and a satisfied smile on his face, Joshua watched me."Every artist needs their space."I froze as soon as I saw Joshua's smile expand."What?" I asked, dumbfounded."It's yours.""What?!" My eyes automatically widened. "You'r
"Someone might be awake," Joshua whispered between short muffled laughs amidst our lips."Of course not," I assure him, pulling him against my body and into my house. His hands explored my hips even more. "They have a heavy sleep," I smiled mischievously.Joshua nodded in agreement and opened a sly smile, intensifying our kiss. I pushed the living room door open with my foot and wrapped my arms around his neck while his hands continued to slide lost between my waist and hip.Filled with excitement and fervor, I pull Joshua towards the couch, not caring about what was around us. "We're going to fall this way," I said as he almost lost his balance while being led to the three-seater sofa. "Are you in a hurry?" he asked teasingly."I want you," I replied without hesitation. "We have nothing to lose, do we?" I exhaled a playful smile."Is that so?" he bit his lower lip slowly. "If that's the case." He pulled me even closer to his body, where I could feel the bulge in his pants brush again
Slowly, I pulled my lips a few inches away from Joshua's. A silly smile emerged on his face, prompting me to share the same. I leaned our foreheads together and couldn't contain the happiness that flowed through me. That moment had been magical."Um..." My mother clears her throat. "We're going ahead, okay? And... Just don't come home too late, okay? Let's go.""That's the Joshua guy, right? He's so hot!" I hear my aunt say, and I end up chuckling."Let's go, let's go."I hear my mother dragging our family out of the ballroom.Joshua steals a kiss from me and presses his waist, spinning our bodies, reversing our positions. His eyes fix on mine. Slowly, his body moves to the rhythm of the romantic and calm music playing in the background, leading me to also move my body, starting a slow dance."I still can't believe you're really here.""I said I would come, didn't I?""But I didn't imagine it would be today. And... here." I glance around, seeing the ballroom slowly emptying out."I fo
One year later…I took a deep breath, trying to control my anxiety. I was one step away from achieving a successful career."You got this!" My mother said, holding my hand as we looked at my paintings displayed in the huge exhibition hall.It was the last day of college. An artistic exhibition event was taking place, where the biggest investors would attend. They would analyze all the works, and the best ones would be chosen to boost the author's career worldwide. This was my biggest chance to pave my long-awaited path.My entire family was present, including some friends too. I confess that I felt a little pressured by the number of people rooting for me, but at the same time, seeing the number of people who believed in me was very rewarding.Through the crowd, I saw Benjamin approaching, which surprised me."Benjamin?" I smiled.It had been a long time since I had seen or talked to him. Since I decided to focus exclusively on myself, I didn't have much time to keep in touch with him
I stretched in bed. For the first time in a long time, I woke up incredibly refreshed. The sun that invaded my room through the glass window barely covered by the curtain didn't bother me; on the contrary, feeling the warmth of the sun spread over my body was exceptionally pleasant.I got out of bed and lazily crossed the room. My sisters' beds were already empty. I headed to the bathroom in the next room. The smell of coffee was intoxicatingly circulating through the upstairs, contributing to my extraordinary morning good mood.I undressed, ready to take a shower.***I entered the kitchen. All the women in the house were already having breakfast, seated around the round table."Good morning!" I smiled. The tone of my voice sounded harmoniously cheerful."Looks like someone woke up in a good mood," my aunt commented, impressed. "What happened?"I shrugged. "I don't necessarily need a reason to wake up in a good mood." For some reason, the smile on my lips remained plastered on my fac
Benjamin's room was amazing, if I doubted, it would take three of mine. The blue color with white details around allowed the environment to become very harmonious. I sit on his bed."Sorry for what happened," Benjamin's voice sounds low and then he sits next to me. "My father drives me crazy.""It's okay. What would a 'family' dinner be without friction?" I try to make the moment more relaxed.Benjamin lets out a short nasal laugh."Thank you." He looks at me. I stare into his fascinating and friendly blue eyes. "Really. If it weren't for you... I think I would have been kicked out of the house today." He opens a small weak smile.Benjamin and I had spent a good time holding hands. He always made me feel better, so this time, I tried to reciprocate, even though it was a simple gesture.I look away from him."I still can't believe we're going to be siblings." I chuckle and rest my hands on the bed."Yeah... What bad luck." He says in an ambiguous tone, but then lets out a small laugh.