More responsible

Bruno felt like the weight of the world had fallen on him. He had to know who the father of that baby was. Could it be Amadeus? Impossible, he had just met him, or so he thought. Maybe they were just pretending in front of him.

Meanwhile, Sophie ran down the street with Nicole chasing after her, trying to catch up.

"Sophie, please stop," Nicole shouted as she stopped and bent over, placing both hands on her knees, sweat dripping down her forehead.

The blonde stopped her wild run, turned to look at Nicole, and felt guilty seeing her friend in that state. After a few moments, she returned to where her friend was.

"I'm sorry, friend. It's not your fault what I'm going through. I apologize for disturbing your peace. I know you already have enough problems," she said, tears streaming down her face.

Nicole approached and hugged her friend. They headed to a nearby café close to their workplace.

Bruno called Dante. He needed to vent, and his brother immediately came to his aid. They decided to go out for coffee, and Dante realized that something serious was happening with his brother. Bruno couldn't just be acting crazy for no reason; he had almost completely destroyed the office.

Upon entering the café, they noticed the girls were also there. Dante signaled Bruno to remain silent, and they sat on the other side, hidden behind a column.

“Peque, pregnancy is a huge responsibility," Sophie felt like she couldn't handle it.

"That's true, friend, but it's also not something out of this world. It's the natural course of life. This could happen if you didn't take precautions. You're old enough to know that," Nicole replied, trying to help her relax.

"I don't know how he'll react when he finds out. What if he doesn't want it? What if he rejects me?"

"That will be his problem. You should take responsibility for your own feelings, not his."

"I can't understand. I can barely hear anything," Bruno said quietly.

"Me neither. I'm sorry, but I'll get closer to see what's happening," Nicole said as she stood up.

"No, Dante, come back, damn it!" Bruno got up to follow him.

"Hello, girls," Dante greeted with a smile.

"Hi," they both replied simultaneously.

Sophie's nervousness increased when she saw the father of her child in front of her. She started crying uncontrollably, afraid that Dante would leave her when he found out. Either that or she was just overly sensitive due to hormonal imbalance.

"Sophie, are you okay?" Dante asked, alarmed.

At that moment, Bruno arrived, and the blonde tried to calm down.

"Hello, girls," he greeted, trying not to show his displeasure. Nicole noticed that he was looking at her strangely.

"Can we join you?" Dante asked.

"Of course," Nicole replied.

The waitress asked what they would like to order.

"A cold coffee, please," Sophie replied.

"The same for me, please," Nicole said.

"No, for her, a juice, please," Bruno requested.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? Bring me the coffee, please."

"No, bring the juice."

The waitress looked back and forth, unsure of what to do.

"I'll be back in a moment when you two have decided," the waitress turned around and hurried away. What was wrong with those two?

"You should be more responsible, Nicole. In your condition, you shouldn't be drinking coffee," Bruno said firmly.

"In my condition?" She looked at him, astonished. What on earth was he talking about?

"Yes, in your condition. It's better for you to have natural juice," he insisted.

Nicole looked puzzled, not understanding what condition he was referring to. Did he think that caffeine would hinder her work performance?

"Dante, have you ever thought about being a father?" Nicole asked curiously, trying to probe how he would react to that news. Sophie glared at her.

"I never used to question those things, but lately, I have. I would love to be a father, but in the future. Now wouldn't be the right time. I have so many plans I want to pursue, and having a child isn't among them for now."

Sophie started crying heavily, got up, and ran out. Dante and Bruno didn't understand what was happening. The blonde ran after her and caught up with her in the parking lot.

"Sophie, wait! What's going on?" he asked, holding her arm to stop her.

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out, catching him completely off guard.

"What are you saying?" His face turned pale from the shock of the news.

"What you heard. Or are you deaf?"

"No, I just wasn't expecting this," Dante replied.

"Believe me, neither was I. Don't worry, I'll take care of my child on my own. You go and fulfill your goals, pursue your plans," Sophie assured him.

"I didn't say I won't take responsibility for my child. It's just that the shock has thrown me off balance." He didn't know how to react. It was completely unexpected.

Sophie sighed, looked at him, and then walked away from his side. She didn't want to force him into anything, nor did she want to be the reason he couldn't pursue his dreams. She took a few steps and then stopped again.

"I'll leave New York for a while. I want my child to be born in the countryside, so when my pregnancy progresses, I'll leave the city."

"And where does that leave me? You'll distance yourself from me just like that?"

"You shouldn't feel obligated. I'm giving you your freedom." She quickly walked away, leaving him stunned and unsure of what to do. It was all just too much for him.

Dante returned to the interior of the café completely defeated. He loved that woman, but a child now was something he didn't know if he could handle. He was afraid of not being a good father, and he was genuinely scared.

Bruno and Nicole had remained silent all this time. Bruno knew that if he spoke, he would only make things worse. He felt deeply disappointed in her. Nicole grew worried when she saw Dante return alone.

"Where is Sophie?" Nicole asked.

"She's gone."

"Gone? Where?"

"I don't know, she just left," Dante replied.

"It can't be. You men only think about yourselves," Nicole said, getting up to go after her friend.

"How could she dare to let her go in that condition?"

"What happened to Sophie?" Nicole asked, concerned.

"Now I'm screwed," the blonde said as he sat down in front of his brother.

"I don't understand."

"The pregnancy test was Sophie's. She's pregnant."

"Isn't Nicole the one who's pregnant?"

Bruno felt a wave of relief wash over him.

"No."

"Phew, and here I was, making a whole drama out of it."

"I feel like I'm not ready to be a father, at least not right now."

"But you've told me that you want to marry Sophie and have children with her. What's going on now?"

"I didn't think it would happen so soon. I want to marry her, but I wanted to wait to have children, enjoy our relationship, maybe travel the world, do things just the two of us."

"What can I say, brother? Look at my relationship with Nicole. Ironically, our only connection is our child."

They left the café and headed to a bar. They needed to vent, to momentarily forget about all those problems.

Once they were given a table, they started drinking excessively. Some girls who had been observing them approached.

"Hey handsome, can we join you?"

"Of course, beauties," Dante replied. Bruno frowned, but he chose to remain silent.

"Thanks, handsome," the girl said. She was beautiful, and seeing that he didn't reject her invitation, she sat on his lap. The girl accompanying her tried to do the same with Bruno, but he pushed her away forcefully. He wasn't in the mood to put up with that.

"Hey, there's no need for violence," she said, annoyed, as she got up and walked away.

They continued drinking, and Dante responded to the girl's flirtation without going any further. Later, the blonde was completely dizzy, and the girl took a few photos and posted them on her social media.

Nicole was with Sophie, who was lying with her head on Nicole's lap. She had managed to calm her down, asking her to give Dante some time to process the fact that he was going to be a father. Nicole was checking her phone when a notification caught her attention. In that moment, Sophie started crying again. 

Nicole took the phone to see what was happening, and in the posted photograph, Dante was smiling with a girl sitting on his lap. Based on the timestamp, she could see that it was happening at that very moment. She recognized the location upon closer inspection.

"Oh no, I won't allow that. I told Dante, I won't let him hurt you. We're going to that place right now to set things straight."

Sophie immediately got up, wiping away the tears streaming down her face.

They stormed out of there, fueled by anger. Sophie's sadness had vanished, and now she felt a burning desire to confront that girl. She was determined to put anyone in their place.

They arrived at the bar and scanned the room. They quickly spotted Dante and Bruno. The girl was still sitting on Bruno's lap while Bruno, completely drunk, embraced a bottle and attempted to speak to her.

"Do you knoow how much I love you? My li'l Nicole, I love you so much," he slurred.

The girls approached slowly and stood behind them, trying not to be noticed.

"Handsome, how about we go somewhere else?" the girl suggested flirtatiously.

Dante was about to respond when Sophie couldn't hold back any longer and stood in front of them.

"No way is my boyfriend going anywhere with a skank like you," she said before grabbing the girl by her hair and pulling her away from Dante. Caught off guard, the blonde couldn't react and could only scream as she was dragged away. 

Nicole approached her friend, she needed to protect her, in her state she shouldn't fight, not that one It was the idea she had when she got there, she was the one who should put that bitch in her place.

"Friend, calm down. I think she's learned her lesson. Let her go," Nicole said.

"No way, I already came here, now you pay me, you cheap bitch."

Sophie pulled the girl's hair and tore her clothes. The girl tried to defend herself, but it was futile. She couldn't do anything against the fury of a jealous girlfriend.

"I didn't know the guy had a partner. Let me go, I promise I won't go near him again," the girl pleaded.

"Believe me, it's best if you don't," Nicole said. After saying this, she managed to make Sophie release the girl, who ran away in complete fear.

The guys were still sitting there, so drunk that they didn't realize what was happening. Sophie grabbed Dante's arm and tried to lift him, but she couldn't move him even an inch. She called the security guys, who helped her take him to the car. They placed him in the passenger seat, and Sophie would be the one driving.

Nicole stayed with Bruno, who was still hugging the bottle tightly.

"Bruno, we're leaving. Dante has already gone. I'll take you home."

"My little Nicole, can you hear me?" Bruno slurred.

"Bruno, get up, come on."

He stumbled to his feet, and she put her arm around his shoulder to support him. She led him to her car, and after getting him inside, they drove away from there.

"You know I dream about you every night," Bruno said, his words slurred. "I can see your face perfectly when I close my eyes."

"Just be quiet, Bruno. You're going to say things you'll regret later," Nicole replied.

"Now I'll tell you what I haven't dared to," Bruno said as he placed his hand on her leg and squeezed it.