Dad

Nicole felt happy to see that her son was quickly adapting to her family. He went from one set of arms to another, and everyone was delighted with him. They ate amidst laughter and jokes, and for the first time in a long time, Nicole felt truly free.

After a while, she heard the doorbell ring. Nicole stood up and headed towards the door to see who it was. When she opened it, she was surprised to find Bruno standing in front of her. He had his arms crossed over his chest, wearing a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves and jeans. Nicole looked him up and down, realizing that he still stirred up the same emotions in her. She cleared her mind to be able to speak.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I came to meet my son," Bruno replied.

"I don't think it's the right time. I need to talk to Santi to explain things."

"Santi! You chose a beautiful name for our son. We'll talk to him right away. I'm not willing to wait even a single day longer. Are you doing this with me, or do I do it alone?" Bruno was determined. He wanted to meet his son once and for all. He had already waited for too long.

"Alright, wait in the living room. I'll go get him."

Nicole went to get her son, knowing he would feel confused since she had never spoken to him about Bruno. Deep down, she knew she had made a mistake, and Santi deserved to meet his father.

"Santi, come with me. I want you to meet someone," she said, picking him up in her arms and heading towards the living room.

"Is it another uncle, Mommy?" he asked curiously.

"No, honey, he's someone very special. You'll find out now," Nicole sighed; the day she had dreaded had come.

Bruno was left speechless when he saw Nicole return with their son. He was a beautiful child, and he looked at Bruno with his big blue eyes, immediately wrapping his small arms around his mother's neck.

"Who is this man, Mommy?" Santi didn't like the way Bruno was staring at him so intensely.

"Santi, he's your dad."

"My dad? My dad is Uncle Leandro."

"Leandro was the father figure he had, even if he couldn't call him that," Nicole explained.

"No, son, I've told you that Leandro is just your uncle, not your dad."

Nicole felt a rush of heat on her face.

"I don't like this man; I want Uncle Leandro," Santi pouted, on the verge of tears.

Bruno felt like a bucket of ice-cold water had been thrown on him when he heard his son say that. He approached Santi, trying to hug him, but the child turned away and buried his face in Nicole's neck. She didn't know what to do; to her son, Bruno was a complete stranger.

"Hello, Santi. I'm your dad," Bruno said. He didn't know what else to say; he had never felt so nervous in his life. His hands trembled, and his anger towards Nicole grew. She was the one responsible for their son rejecting him.

"Give him some time. This is new to him. It used to be just the two of us, and suddenly he has a big family and a father," Nicole pleaded.

Bruno grimaced, remembering when it was just the three of them and Leandro. He approached his son again and attempted to hug him, but the little one started crying. Nicole asked him to wait for a moment and took Santi to his grandparents to help calm him down and explain the situation. After a while, Nicole returned with Bruno.

"It will take him some time to accept you," she said.

"Great! My son accepts everyone except me. He's such a beautiful boy. I hope I can earn his affection soon," Bruno said, feeling both angry and sad. A mix of emotions swirled in his chest.

"He's very intelligent. He gets top grades at school and learns quickly," Nicole proudly commented about their son.

"I've missed out on so much of his life," Bruno lowered his head, feeling a lump in his throat. It truly pained him. As he saw Santi in that state, the guilt Nicole felt only grew.

"I'm so sorry. You know I had my reasons for doing what I did," Nicole said.

"I know, and I want to apologize to you as well. I'm sorry for not giving you the benefit of the doubt, for blindly believing everything your sister told me. What really happened that night?" Bruno asked.

Nicole looked at him in surprise. Bruno Leone apologizing? Was she in an alternate universe?

"I don't think it's worth talking about the past. If you weren't interested back then, what's the point now?" Nicole replied, feeling hurt by the fact that she hadn't given him a chance to explain.

"Please, Nicole, I need to hear the truth," Bruno pleaded. For the first time, he genuinely needed to hear it.

"Alright, I'll tell you. That night, a waiter spilled a drink on me. My sister told me that Brando had arranged a room for us and that our things were already there. She accompanied me, but when we arrived, she pushed me inside the room and locked the door. The rest, you already know," Nicole explained.

"The drink the bartender gave me was spiked. They put some kind of aphrodisiac in it. I asked Brando for a room, a room to rest and avoid anyone seeing what was happening to me. When you entered, I was feeling desperate. I thought you had drugged my drink, which is why I acted that way," Bruno revealed.

"It's clear that Sondra was the one behind all of that, planning to take over our father's inheritance," Nicole lowered her head, feeling the pain of her sister's hatred towards her.

"If it was her, she will pay dearly for deceiving me," Bruno clenched his fists. Sondra must have been laughing at him all that time.

Nicole watched him closely, realizing that despite everything, she still loved him. However, she wasn't sure if she could ever forgive him for all the suffering and humiliations he had put her through. For now, she needed to maintain peace for the sake of Santi.

"I imagine my parents have already informed you of the condition I have set to avoid fighting for custody of my son," Nicole said.

"Yes, I can't deny that I was initially upset. I've been thinking about it, and it's fine. I'll return to your company. But I also have a condition," Bruno replied.

"What is it?" Nicole asked.

"I want you to give me a divorce. You know I'm not guilty as you believed. Give me back my freedom," he said, feeling a sharp pain in his chest.

Although he didn't like it, Bruno knew that Nicole was right. She was not guilty, and he should give her the freedom she deserved. But he wasn't willing to lose her again. He would find a way to keep her by his side and win her back.

"I'm sorry for what happened with Leandro," he said, trying to avoid the topic.

"Don't evade the issue, Bruno. I want a divorce," Nicole insisted.

"I ask you to give me some time. Our son finally has a complete family with his father and mother together. I don't want him to be involved in our divorce," Bruno requested.

"It's just a child; it's better to do it now than later when he can understand," Nicole insisted.

She was determined.

"I don't know, for now, let's wait a bit. Now that you've agreed to return to the company, what have you been thinking about it?" Bruno asked.

"To be honest, I haven't had time to think about it. So much has happened, and my mind is exhausted from dealing with it all," Nicole replied.

"I think it will be great for your career. You're an excellent landscape designer. You left all your sketches at home, and they're really good. Besides, Santi will be close to you at the daycare. If you prefer, we can arrange a room behind your office for my son to rest," Bruno suggested.

"Right now, all I can think about is getting divorced as soon as possible," Nicole said.

"I propose a deal. After working at the company for six months, I will give you the divorce," Bruno tried to buy himself more time to win her back.

"Six months is a long time, but fine, I accept. During that time, you won't interfere in my personal life. It's strictly a business deal," Nicole agreed.

"I have already ordered them to start the adaptation of the daycare. It will be ready in a week, and you can start your new job," Bruno informed her.

Bruno didn't like it when Nicole said it was just a business deal and that he shouldn't interfere in her personal life. What he didn't know was that he wouldn't allow any man to get close to her.

Nicole decided to accept Bruno's proposal. She didn't want to start a war in which she would probably lose, nor did she want to expose her son to that environment. If that was the only way to get him to agree to a divorce, she would do it.

A week later, Nicole was getting ready for her first day of work at Bruno's company. She felt nervous. She would be seeing Bruno more than she wanted, and that wouldn't be good for her sanity. She hadn't been able to contact Leandro; he wasn't answering her calls. She needed to know that he was okay.

Lost in her thoughts, she finished getting ready. She dressed in a gray pencil skirt, a pearl-colored silk blouse, and tied her hair up in a high ponytail. She hurriedly left. Sara and Rina kindly offered to take Santi to school. She arrived at Bruno's corporate office. The receptionist was already waiting for her. Nicole knew the way, but the receptionist insisted on accompanying her. Bertha was glad to see her again.

"Hello, Nicole. It's good to see you," Bertha greeted her.

"Hello, the pleasure is mine," Nicole replied with a smile.

She approached and hugged Bertha. She was one of the few people who treated her well while she was there.

"Wait here. I'll let the boss know that you're here," Bertha said.

"Thank you."

Bertha called Bruno through the intercom, and he answered right away.

"She says you can go to his office."

She entered his office, and Bruno was sitting behind his desk. When he saw her, he greeted her, but his gaze immediately fixated on her chest. Nicole couldn't help but blush.

"Could you stop looking at me like that?" she said, feeling her face burning.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. You should cover yourself up if you don't want to make everyone nervous," he replied.

She turned to look at her blouse, trying to understand what Bruno meant. The fabric of the blouse was very thin, and in her haste, she had put on a transparent lace bra that left little to the imagination. 

She felt embarrassed instantly, wondering if Bruno thought she did it on purpose. He noticed her blush, approached her, took off his jacket, and placed it over her shoulders.

"I'm so sorry, it wasn't intentional. I rushed out and I'll ask the nanny to send me some clothes," she apologized.

"Don't worry, it was quite pleasant to see," he replied with a playful tone, while staring at her.

Bruno smiled like a fool, and Nicole blushed like a teenager. She crossed her arms over her chest to cover herself. These months with him would definitely be very, very long.