Everything was a blur. Flashbacks flashed through his mind where he was running, constantly looking back. He tripped and the next thing that took a bit of force in his memories was the sting in his head from a hard blow. As he fell, he remembered saying goodbye to those he loved.
When he began to become aware of the events, the first thing he noticed was that his body was immobilized. His arms and legs were tied and dead to his will. Someone immediately removed the cloth bag that covered his head. It took him a few minutes to adjust his vision to the light; it seemed like he had a lighthouse right in front of him.
-Good morning. –He heard a voice. He had spent a lot of time investigating and meddling in the Tonali's life to know that it was Brahim.
He was standing very close to Michael while Ciro was a little further back, glaring at him. And around him were five men dressed in black. The detective noticed that they were in the house he had bought
After leaving Michael's house, Ciro, with disgust making his blood boil, was about to arrive home, however, he was not ready to face his wife. What would he say to her? How would she react? This last question was what scared him the most. He had never reacted violently to her, not even the first time of her infidelity, but he was not sure he could handle it as well now. This time he felt like his soul was being squeezed and all he wanted was to destroy something with his fists, until he saw them bleeding and raw, and his anger flowing out through his wounds, they had to be huge openings. He stopped at a pole dance without being completely aware of what he was doing. His mind was only focused on revenge, as it could not be otherwise considering what he did. He sat at one of the tables to watch the women dressed in lingerie dance on the pole. He ordered a bottle of rum that he intended to drink
Bethany's bare feet touched the green grass, damp from the sprinklers the gardener had put up earlier.The iron gate was right in front of her, and it looked farther away than usual. Only by crossing those bars would she achieve freedom, or at least the beginning of it. She began to walk slowly, almost on tiptoe, being as stealthy as she could. It was early in the morning so Ciro was sleeping, if she didn't escape now, then there wouldn't be another one. She quickened her pace, feeling very slow, but the bars were getting further and further away.-Bethany! - She heard her captor's fierce scream from inside the house. Ciro had woken up. It didn't matter anymore to be stealthy. Her fast walk changed into a run for her life.She ran as fast as she could, but she still couldn't close the distance to the iron gate. And if her suffering wasn't enough, the dogs came out of their den straight towards her. She understood that they weren't there to keep her company but t
Ciro was tying his tie with great effort, making mistakes over and over again until he lost his patience. He was not used to tying it himself, usually Bethany helped him, who did it in a flash. But this time he couldn't go to her or he would ruin what he had in mind. Surrendered to frustration, he left the knot badly tied and the tie crooked, thinking that it looked better than he thought, and even if it didn't, he wouldn't waste any more time on it. That ridiculous accessory had taken up a lot of his time, more than he spent on any other piece of his suit. Suddenly, a ringing sounded that wasn't his cell phone. It took him a while to realize that it was the small android he had confiscated from the detective. He walked over to the nightstand next to his bed and pulled the noisy device out of the top drawer where he had kept it. "Unknown" was written on the identifier, it was a number that wasn't regi
Sand Wedge club hit the small white ball which rolled into the hole. The firstborn strutted about his achievement and shouted claims as he got ready for the next shot. Brahim was absorbed in his reality, not even realizing that Ciro was about to steal his turn. He watched intently towards the balcony of the main room. Bethany was standing there, returning his stalking gaze. With the cool breeze of the wind ethereally stirring her reddish hair. In the last few days, Ciro had become a kind of guardian angel who watched over Bethany day and night from the temptations of “Lucifer.” That distant glance was the first contact that reunited the well-matched lovers after several weeks of ignorance. Brahim had wished to have the opportunity to talk to her, although he didn’t know very well what he would say to her. That last conversation they had had left him with a lot to th
The relationship between Ciro and Brahim was clearly fractured. They rarely spoke to each other and the few moments they shared were filled with tension. There was a thin streak of hostility between them, just waiting to explode. Brahim tapped his golf club against his SDR sneakers , glancing at his brother, who until now had been acting rationally, if a little distant.-How are things going with Bethany? - She asked, throwing Ciro off balance. He preferred to concentrate on his shot so as to stop himself from giving her a murderous look."You mean how they walk after having rolled around with you?" he said hostilely, lamenting his bad shot that left the victory on a silver platter for Brahim.-No. I mean about the private detective. -Ciro ignored him. He didn't want to tell him anything about his wife. Brahim stood in front of his brother and continued: -I've looked at the inform
Later that day, Bethany would try for the umpteenth time to leave the house. Inside the Tonali mansion everything was rigorously guarded. Privacy was limited, almost non-existent, so she had to go to a place that was far from the control of her husband, who luckily was not at home at that moment. Her main problem was the guard who practically welcomed her to the mansion. The corpulent man did not leave the small room next to the huge iron gate for anything, not even to eat. He only left his post when he needed to use the bathroom, which was a small room inside his guardhouse.Bethany was playing with the dogs on the large green porch, pretending to be unaware of the security guard who didn't even suspect her intentions, which gave her peace of mind to look at her cell phone. The anxiety that dominated her at that moment manipulated her perception of time in a cruel way, making her believe that sixty minutes would pass as dozens of hours, and the security guard remained firm i
answering machine. He had listened to the message three times already, still unable to believe it. He walked over and played the audio for the fourth time:-I'm recording this message for anyone who might be interested: I'm Bethany Carter, or so I think. I'm stuck in Italy and I need help getting back to the United States.He slammed his fist against the small wooden table. He had no doubts, it was Anne's voice. It had been a long time since he last heard it, but he would never forget it. Even in his dreams he could make it out so clearly that it was as if she were right in front of him. That melodic tone that had been the ringing tone of his life for years.A sea of feelings came to him. Anger, emotion and nostalgia surged through his turbulent soul. In the end, he didn't know why he was crying. Maybe it was because of helplessness, since no one believed him even when he was right. His beloved Anne was still alive.She forced herself to compose
A little over four months later, Bethany Carter woke up from a coma in a dull, cold hospital bed in the glamorous city of Florence, Italy. With no memory of who she was, retrograde amnesia was her diagnosis. Dr. Vitto, a man who, despite his advanced age, did not succumb to the deterioration of old age, passed a soft light through her eyes, finishing the routine examination.-Very well, Miss Carter. Everything seems to be in order, but that is something that only you could confirm for me. Tell me, have you noticed anything wrong recently? - Asked the doctor."No, not at all," Bethany replied, sitting on the bed, wearing a hospital gown. She was a pale-skinned woman with reddish hair that fell just below her shoulders.-Perfect. - Vitto exclaimed sympathetically, standing in a corner. -Mr. Tonali is waiting to see you. Would you like me to allow him to enter? - He asked. Bethany twisted the sheet nervously. In the last week the only contact she had had was with her doctor and some nurse
answering machine. He had listened to the message three times already, still unable to believe it. He walked over and played the audio for the fourth time:-I'm recording this message for anyone who might be interested: I'm Bethany Carter, or so I think. I'm stuck in Italy and I need help getting back to the United States.He slammed his fist against the small wooden table. He had no doubts, it was Anne's voice. It had been a long time since he last heard it, but he would never forget it. Even in his dreams he could make it out so clearly that it was as if she were right in front of him. That melodic tone that had been the ringing tone of his life for years.A sea of feelings came to him. Anger, emotion and nostalgia surged through his turbulent soul. In the end, he didn't know why he was crying. Maybe it was because of helplessness, since no one believed him even when he was right. His beloved Anne was still alive.She forced herself to compose
Later that day, Bethany would try for the umpteenth time to leave the house. Inside the Tonali mansion everything was rigorously guarded. Privacy was limited, almost non-existent, so she had to go to a place that was far from the control of her husband, who luckily was not at home at that moment. Her main problem was the guard who practically welcomed her to the mansion. The corpulent man did not leave the small room next to the huge iron gate for anything, not even to eat. He only left his post when he needed to use the bathroom, which was a small room inside his guardhouse.Bethany was playing with the dogs on the large green porch, pretending to be unaware of the security guard who didn't even suspect her intentions, which gave her peace of mind to look at her cell phone. The anxiety that dominated her at that moment manipulated her perception of time in a cruel way, making her believe that sixty minutes would pass as dozens of hours, and the security guard remained firm i
The relationship between Ciro and Brahim was clearly fractured. They rarely spoke to each other and the few moments they shared were filled with tension. There was a thin streak of hostility between them, just waiting to explode. Brahim tapped his golf club against his SDR sneakers , glancing at his brother, who until now had been acting rationally, if a little distant.-How are things going with Bethany? - She asked, throwing Ciro off balance. He preferred to concentrate on his shot so as to stop himself from giving her a murderous look."You mean how they walk after having rolled around with you?" he said hostilely, lamenting his bad shot that left the victory on a silver platter for Brahim.-No. I mean about the private detective. -Ciro ignored him. He didn't want to tell him anything about his wife. Brahim stood in front of his brother and continued: -I've looked at the inform
Sand Wedge club hit the small white ball which rolled into the hole. The firstborn strutted about his achievement and shouted claims as he got ready for the next shot. Brahim was absorbed in his reality, not even realizing that Ciro was about to steal his turn. He watched intently towards the balcony of the main room. Bethany was standing there, returning his stalking gaze. With the cool breeze of the wind ethereally stirring her reddish hair. In the last few days, Ciro had become a kind of guardian angel who watched over Bethany day and night from the temptations of “Lucifer.” That distant glance was the first contact that reunited the well-matched lovers after several weeks of ignorance. Brahim had wished to have the opportunity to talk to her, although he didn’t know very well what he would say to her. That last conversation they had had left him with a lot to th
Ciro was tying his tie with great effort, making mistakes over and over again until he lost his patience. He was not used to tying it himself, usually Bethany helped him, who did it in a flash. But this time he couldn't go to her or he would ruin what he had in mind. Surrendered to frustration, he left the knot badly tied and the tie crooked, thinking that it looked better than he thought, and even if it didn't, he wouldn't waste any more time on it. That ridiculous accessory had taken up a lot of his time, more than he spent on any other piece of his suit. Suddenly, a ringing sounded that wasn't his cell phone. It took him a while to realize that it was the small android he had confiscated from the detective. He walked over to the nightstand next to his bed and pulled the noisy device out of the top drawer where he had kept it. "Unknown" was written on the identifier, it was a number that wasn't regi
Bethany's bare feet touched the green grass, damp from the sprinklers the gardener had put up earlier.The iron gate was right in front of her, and it looked farther away than usual. Only by crossing those bars would she achieve freedom, or at least the beginning of it. She began to walk slowly, almost on tiptoe, being as stealthy as she could. It was early in the morning so Ciro was sleeping, if she didn't escape now, then there wouldn't be another one. She quickened her pace, feeling very slow, but the bars were getting further and further away.-Bethany! - She heard her captor's fierce scream from inside the house. Ciro had woken up. It didn't matter anymore to be stealthy. Her fast walk changed into a run for her life.She ran as fast as she could, but she still couldn't close the distance to the iron gate. And if her suffering wasn't enough, the dogs came out of their den straight towards her. She understood that they weren't there to keep her company but t
After leaving Michael's house, Ciro, with disgust making his blood boil, was about to arrive home, however, he was not ready to face his wife. What would he say to her? How would she react? This last question was what scared him the most. He had never reacted violently to her, not even the first time of her infidelity, but he was not sure he could handle it as well now. This time he felt like his soul was being squeezed and all he wanted was to destroy something with his fists, until he saw them bleeding and raw, and his anger flowing out through his wounds, they had to be huge openings. He stopped at a pole dance without being completely aware of what he was doing. His mind was only focused on revenge, as it could not be otherwise considering what he did. He sat at one of the tables to watch the women dressed in lingerie dance on the pole. He ordered a bottle of rum that he intended to drink
Everything was a blur. Flashbacks flashed through his mind where he was running, constantly looking back. He tripped and the next thing that took a bit of force in his memories was the sting in his head from a hard blow. As he fell, he remembered saying goodbye to those he loved.When he began to become aware of the events, the first thing he noticed was that his body was immobilized. His arms and legs were tied and dead to his will. Someone immediately removed the cloth bag that covered his head. It took him a few minutes to adjust his vision to the light; it seemed like he had a lighthouse right in front of him.-Good morning. –He heard a voice. He had spent a lot of time investigating and meddling in the Tonali's life to know that it was Brahim.He was standing very close to Michael while Ciro was a little further back, glaring at him. And around him were five men dressed in black. The detective noticed that they were in the house he had bought
Bethany had been craving a latte, so she decided to go down from the bedroom to the kitchen. Ciro had left for some time, somewhere she didn't know, and he still hadn't arrived.He entered the kitchen, which was completely empty. The maids had already left for their respective homes when they finished their work shift. He prepared his drink very slowly, not wanting the rush to spoil its good taste. Latte coffee was his favorite. Its flavor brought back family memories that stirred his nostalgic sense. He drank it out of a kind of masochism.She made a face of disgust when she saw Brahim entering, thinking she was alone. The man leaned his right shoulder against the edge of the entrance and prepared to look at her with seductive airs. Seeing that Bethany was not fazed by his eagerness, he took the initiative to approach her and moved one of her locks of hair away from her face."What do you think you're doing?" She asked as if it were the strangest thing anyone had ever done to her."W