"Suzy, if you want to take some of these trinkets that every teenager has in the room, you can put them in one of the boxes I brought," said Gabby, opening a travel bag on my bed. “Do you have a lot of clothes? Your father said we should take everything at once. No second trips. Vegas is amazing, but he hates this place with all his strength.”"It must be because of my mother," I said, shaking my hand against my throat. It was the only way to speak without feeling that a knife was cutting my vocal cords. I wasn't fully recovered yet. "I don't need boxes.”"You're the one who knows.”Gabby removed each of the drawers from my dresser and turned all the contents on the bed. She separated clothes and accessories while throwing my belongings inside the bag. When he opened my closet, he made a face, but didn't joke about my terrible taste of fashion and didn't even scold me. My stepmother and newest friend was the one who was most strictly following all the medical recommendation I received
Gabby got up and combed my hair with her fingers. The sound was like sliding your nails against a smooth surface. Uncomfortable, unpleasant and sharp. I held her hand so that she would stop and closed my eyes.Sometimes I didn't necessarily need to be sleeping to have a nightmare. Right there, with the sun entering through the window and crawling on the floor as the world outside turned, and with the hands of someone else within reach of mine, I felt a strong smell of blood and heard a soft whisper that came from inside my mind.They said it was just a defense mechanism of my brain. A way to stifle repressed memories. But that voice has never been like the one we heard when reading a book in silence. It was something real, a request for help, a cry for help... Something real and disturbing."You don't need makeup, Suzy. You’re a survivor "she said, pulling my hand out of yours. He touched my hair again, but decided to make a braid with messy strands. "I know it's not cool that your fa
"Do you promise to visit me? "Asked Mikaela, with sparkling blue eyes and reddish by crying. She was a ten-year-old child with curly hair and a luminous face. I already knew she would be beautiful when she grew up.I used to take her in my lap to talk, but I still couldn't find the right way to bend down with the cervical collar limiting my movements, so I just made a small gesture with my head and smiled."I promise," I said, and she stretched her little finger, attaching it to mine. "Be good to mom.”Mikaela nodded and hugged my belly "it was the tallest she could get. I stroked her hair while Gabby wrapped an arm around my shoulders, sending positive energy so that I could endure the farewell. We were standing at the foot of the stairs, almost facing the entrance of the room, and my father came up with the intention of picking up my suitcase."You don't have to go there," he warned, putting the strap of the backpack on his shoulders. "Your mother brought those alcoholic uncles of y
The flashes of a dozen cameras blinded me as soon as I jumped from the car to the illuminated sidewalk. Dad slid one arm around my waist and another over Gabby's waist, attracting us closer while we posed for the photographers.According to my calculations, that should be the third party in a single weekend. And I was already tired with the lessons of good manners, the hours lost in a beauty salon, and the countless dresses that fit so perfectly into my limited curves, which showed in detail the severe level of my thinness. But I couldn't complain.Events of high society were the way of the rich and powerful to present their spouses and children "future successful professionals" to the world. A hierarchy needs to be maintained from good contacts. And Dad knew a lot of them.The truth is that it didn't cost me any sacrifice to adapt to that. I would like to know that the older men of each of the parties attended knew me by my name, although I was still not the daughter of a judge. Beca
While my low-heeled shoes screamed at every step through the polished floor, I noticed that I was attracting glances for each little one "and I need to say: very talkative "group of men. It was not easy to find someone who was not almost old or with gray hair lurking on their heads. Dad was one of the only ones who did not suffer from the exhausting effect of time, and the dark hair resisted like coal in a newly lit fire.The men tilted their heads lightly in a gesture of greeting and smiled, but those smiles were never genuine. Gabby instructed me about that kind of inconvenience. The more money a man has, the more he believes he can have the woman he wants, regardless of his age.It reminded me of someone else instantly.However, almost reaching the exit, in a passage with pilasters facing the horizon, a man with an appearance of just over thirty years stopped me.“Suzane Johnson? “He asked.I wasn't afraid. Right out there were security men walking from side to side, and my father
I had no idea what I was asking, but I just let the words form."Are you referring to a ghost company? “He questioned.“No. A company that may be being used for the sale of illegal things.”Anthony retreated from the balustrade, arching his thick eyebrows."Use the name of a company to have free import and export access. Is that what you mean? "I shrugged, but Anthony must have seen that I was more interested than I let it show. He made a gesture with his head. “Well... This would not only lead a company to bankruptcy, but would also lead its president and investors to provide clarification before the courts. If the veracity of the complaint were proven, the actions would fall absurdly, and anyone could buy them.”Without being invited, some nightmares ran through my mind like a breath from my unconscious. Jonathan's face. The sound of disconnected voices. A vaguely familiar face. The name of the company that Jonathan would inherit, Maxwell Enterprises, being repeated through a multit
“Is this the end you expected? "Questioned Jonathan in a tired voice and devoid of heat. “Are you satisfied, Suzy?”Between us there was a distance of approximately ten steps, whose vacuum was filled by the flow of salt air that came from the waters below us. We were over the bridge of a winding river, in which its turbid and treacherous waters formed small invisible whirls on its serene surface, swirls that met the water of a distant sea.A deadly beauty, by the way, since the waters of a deep cyan were so coldly calm that one could look for as long as it was without feeling any vertigo or sign that a fall would hardly end well."It's a beginning," I said, casting the shortest of glances at him.I never imagined that extreme suffering could change even the most basic physiognomy of a person until I see the sequelae with my own eyes.The dark and deep iris eyes that one day induced me to immerse myself in Jonathan's problems were no longer the same. I didn't have to wait for him to re
"Shouldn't you be inside? "I asked, subtly moving away from the concrete balustrade of the bridge. Jonathan had approached without me noticing. "As far as I know, there is still time for the end of your father's trial.”"There's nothing I can do for him now. It is obvious that he will lose the cause. The less involve the other family members, the better.”The cold morning wind sighed between us, and an unpleasant acrid smell of pus hit me. I looked at Jonathan's gloved hand, and noticed that he was massaging the wrinkled skin underneath. Frowning my nose, I moved away a little further, the smell seemed to chase me."It's a shame that all this is happening this way.”Jonathan raised his head and did his best to keep his eyes at the same height as mine. A thin yellowish crust surrounded the sides of the swelling, a constant alert of eye inflammation. In addition to the physical brand, I wondered if he was feeling as emotionally broken as I felt.“What is your real plan, Suzane?”"I don'
I listen to her steps before she appears on the door frame, balancing herself in high heels that highlight the entire length of her naked thighs.Leaning with one hand on the wall, she watches me for a long time, from where I am kneeling waiting for her, venerating her.She's in no hurry. You know that I am, more than ever, willing to drown in any delight that your newly discovered sexual hunger is inclined to offer me.Therefore, I take this as an invitation to record every inch of her body in underwear made of leather and latex. She is wearing a black bodice with braided buckles that settles around her breasts as the perfect design of a heart, leaving her lap raised and more inviting than she has ever been. Black hair is hidden for some reason under a blonde wig that barely reaches your jaw, but that matches perfectly with your idea of innovation.I'm pretty sure I have my eyes shining when I notice the garter belt that connects in her tiny panties, considering that she worries about
“Listen, Mika. I want you to calm down. This is nothing but drama and emotional blackmail, it's soon over. And Grandma hit you for believing she's not strong. Have you ever thought how many times she and our mother fought and kept talking?”"This is not about mom," she sighs, calming down. "Our grandmother is dying, Suzy. She doesn't have any more time. She can't worry anymore. You can no longer have to stay away from your grandchildren because they are contrary to what her daughter wanted. She always wanted us to have someone to take care of us, but she also believes that this someone has to be a man, and all I want is to offer her some comfort before it's too late and that this guilt tear me apart inside.”That's what it is.Guilt made me make hasty decisions, but if I had had another choice... If I could have prevented the worst things in my life from happening... I understand what my sister means, but I can't help but shudder.My family is too conservative for a woman who succeeds
TWO MONTHS LATER“Something tells me that there are two very hungry people, Suzy... "sing Gabby when she appears through the door with two dormant packets in her arms.Gabby invades the office of my apartment without worrying about the cardboard boxes that guard my future move, and that lined up in the four corners of the walls, smiling openly even with the uncomfortable crying of two children at the same time. They are wrapped in wraps of the same color, because I didn't want to prematurely define the color my children should use "like blue for Adam and pink for Eylem; both are in red.I ask Gabby about Hunter's whereabouts, in which she gestures with her shoulders, going around the table so I can carry the babies. She says that my husband may be in the bath, or in the room he has been using as a studio for his photos, or simply resting. She cheerfully nods to Colton and Penelope sitting in front of me, both with expressions of pure charm when seeing the babies.Penelope sighs passio
Long before I met Jonathan, I tried to deal with my problems with oblivion, with ignorance. Because I thought that not admitting something could make it less true. So I didn't admit my mistakes, and I didn't see the mistakes in others, because that way it was easier to continue acting naturally even with the chaos in my head.This caused me problems in the future, made me sick and weakened. I filled my head with unnecessary occupations. On the other hand, I learned several languages, traveled the world to graduate as many courses as I could, I got a chance to show everyone who blamed me that I could be better than that. But inside, there has always been the shadow of a child hidden in my tangle of memories. There has always been instability.I open the door that takes me to the leisure area of the roof, where the water in my pool is motionless and apparently very cold. The large window that allows me to see the sky is open, blowing a cold breeze against my loose hair, pushing it to my
No one dares to even give a peep while watching, stunned, the long and intense kiss that Mikaela steals from Penelope.Not even Colton, whose act is limited only to taking a step back, looking away and leaving. He takes the glass of some drink in his hand in a hurry to go out the door, without caring about the looks that move to accompany him. I can't see her face, because he passes through the door with his head down, but the strength with which he hits her says a lot about what Penelope's inertia before the kiss may have meant to him.Penelope, however, is the first to recover from the shock, and what she does next almost allows us all to hear Mikaela's heart breaking.She is reluctant for a second, but ends up pushing Mikaela away, pushing her with a touch of delicacy on her shoulder, just before looking for Colton. When she realizes that he is not, Penelope curses some profanity and passes by Mikaela as if she were just a stone on the way. In a single second of impetus, my friend
"You only live once," rehe rehetes Nicole, another friend of ancient times. "It was always this phrase that Glenda used for us to agree to do something stupid.”“Nothing has changed! "Exclaims Samantha in a muffled scream, putting her shell-shaped hands in her mouth.Only three of my best friends at school could be here right now. I made the invitation to everyone because I remember that they made my wedding one of the best brands of my life. And the best part about this is that they are all already married, or with children, and offered to take care of me in the postpartum period."How are you feeling about waiting for the babies, Hunter? “My father asks.“Nervous”Glenda laughs."If Suzy hadn't been so exaggerated, she would have had one baby at a time," she scolds in a mocking tone."I just need to know the formula to get far away from a twin pregnancy. It's my husband's dream, "laments Samantha."Stay away from the Turks," I warn.Hunter slides an arm around my body, wrapping me e
"It's great to have all of you here tonight," I say when I raise a glass of juice. "It's not a Thanksgiving day, but it's a meeting with the most important people in my life, and the last time I'll see you for a while.”My pregnancy will not reach the thirty-seventh week, like the pregnancy of a single baby, and that is why I had the choice to prepare for hospitalization in the maternity hospital with almost eight months of gestation. Recognizing this left me panicked at first, but I already knew that I could not rule out a cesarean section since my exams became more frequent each new month.The babies are big and heavy, my stress "no matter how small it has been in recent weeks" has increased the chances of a premature birth, and my anxiety has not helped in much to ensure my rest. I'm leaving tonight for the maternity hospital, and I chose to have a dinner with friends and family members "the only family that really matters" so that they can give all the positive vibes I need for th
I observe the funeral silence that seems to observe us as a living form. Nothing but dust and silence, it's all we become after we were dead. How many of these souls will ever find peace?"One day they will cease to exist, dear. They will never be forgotten. We will still be fighting for them. Remember what you told me on our honeymoon?”Hunter gently denies it with his head.“I knew a lot of secrets for you that night.”I give a soothing smile with the memory."And one of them was that if at some point I thought about giving up, I should remember that I still had a world to save. We still have a world to save, Hunt. The world that will be the home of our babies. Don't give it up. Not now.”Hunter retreats slowly, looking at my face as if he were seeing him for the first time. Maybe you are writing down the details and remembering others that may have been forgotten in your period in prison. The anklet deliberately hidden under his jeans shows no sign that he may have problems for bei
We are in front of one of the cemeteries where unidentified people are buried. Hunter's uncle brought us here this morning, with the intention that I thought was a way to get closer to the family ties they lost over thirty years. It is the worst day anyone could have chosen to visit a cemetery without gates or any privacy, in an open field with a lot of dust and dead trees around.Path hand in hand with Hunter, while his uncle makes his way on the ground and talks about having visited each of the nameless tombs over the years so that he could bring peace even to those who have never had a family to cry about in their graves.It's a windy and terribly humid day, like the prelude to a storm.It's autumn, we are about to enter winter, and even the sun is misleading at this time of year. I'm wearing a scarf and above all, my body temperature has dropped faster than usual, and I'm always thinking of a way to protect my babies at all costs; even if the evil to be fought are the strong winds