Catarina
It was Monday, and we were flying back to Rio by helicopter. Bernardo and I had postponed that moment as much as possible, especially after confirming that Heitor had arrived safely at his home. I confirmed this information with Mr. Vicente yesterday afternoon.
In addition to everything that awaited us at home, we had also faced another problem: It was complicated to explain to Heloísa why Heitor had suddenly left Angra without revealing the real reason, but she ended up accepting the excuse of a couple's argument. Even though everything indicated that Heitor would expose the true reason for our fight to everyone, after all, nothing was left to his imagination, I still hope to use our old friendship as an argument to prevent him from doing that.
"I'm exhauste
HeitorAs always on board meeting days, my grandfather left the large conference room to go to the offices of some closer collaborators, people he admires and has personal affection for. Among them are Bernardo and Catarina.I wasn't bothered by that, quite the opposite. He would talk to Catarina, and I sincerely hope that Catarina listens to what Grandpa has to say first and doesn't expose what happened yesterday at the Mendonça's house. I know it's cowardly of me to expect others to do what should be done to me, but I'm just reciprocating cowardice with cowardice. Catarina didn't dare to tell the truth to me, her boyfriend for two years? I also didn't intend to expose the truth to anyone. We're even.I know my grandfather well enough to bet that he will even apologize on my behal
LizandraEven before opening the door, I knew it was Heitor. It was intuitive. It always happens when he's around, an alarming palpitation and a strange anxiety. So, I wasn't surprised to see him when I opened the door. But my heart seems to be in my throat."Can I come in?"I looked around the room and hesitated."What about talking in the living room?" I suggested uncertainly. "I'm tired of staying in the room."That excuse must have sounded very foolish to Heitor, but I didn't think it was a good idea to be alone with him, especially in a room. At least not now, when we are still starting something. I don't consider myself strong enough to resist that charming and charming Heitor that he has become now that he has decided to stay with me. Last night was a good indication of this fact."It won't be necessary," he said, but now he seemed suspicious. "I thought we could go out for dinner.""A dinner?" I repeated somewhat foolishly."Just you and me.""A date?" I realized that my voice
HeitorAfter a few minutes of debating which of the currently showing films we should watch and much insistence from Lizandra for me to decide for both of us, I ended up choosing a horror movie about witches that I had heard some employees discussing in the company cafeteria a few days ago. I had made a big mistake in my choice."Are you not enjoying it?" I asked in the lowest yet audible tone I could manage. Lizandra was quiet, and in the first few minutes, I even believed she was just focused on the movie. However, her many shifts in posture in the chair made me think otherwise now."I am," she said with a forced smile."You can tell the truth...""Shhh!" someone next to us said. It was inevitable not to look angrily at the annoying kid beside us. I received the same angry look in response. I returned my gaze to the cinema screen exactly at the moment in the movie when the two witches appeared suddenly, the first genuinely impactful scene so far. But it wasn't that which scared me;
LizandraThe hot and dizzying moments between Heitor and me inside the movie theater made me smile in embarrassment. How could I spend almost the entire movie indulging in Heitor's kisses and affection? But I quickly answered my question. The movie had been terrible. I could never have imagined that watching a horror movie could be such an unpleasant experience. But I couldn't blame Heitor for that, as he insisted so much that I make the choice, and yet I left it in his hands.It's hard for someone who doesn't have the habit of going to cinemas or even watching movies at home to know what they like to watch. In the little free time I had, I always opted for reading. Reading made me completely forget about my reality and how empty my life was. Despite the close friendship I thought I had with Juliana, we never really spent much time together.As children, yes, we were glued to each other. After I started working at Aunt Lucrécia's inn and she went to study in the capital, our routines
CatarinaHeloísa had invited me to go to the mall, and even though I didn't want to meet my friend out of fear of all the questions I was sure she would ask, I ended up agreeing to accompany her. Wisely, I insisted that I wanted to see a movie that had been released a few days ago, and I convinced her to watch it with me.The cinema didn't allow for conversations, and I had chosen a movie where the protagonist was precisely Heloísa's favorite actor. Thus, she was completely enthralled by the movie screen and forgot about me. When we left, Heloísa couldn't stop talking about how handsome the actor was and everything else about the movie. She thus forgot to pry into my life."Shall we grab a pizza?" she suggested excitedly, "That way we can talk."
LizandraI didn't like the way Heitor behaved during the meeting with Catarina and Heloísa. I didn't like it, and it annoyed me terribly. Nevertheless, I waited until we got to the car to tell Heitor about it, and I did it even before he started the vehicle."It's very clear from your face that you didn't like it," Heitor had the decency to appear embarrassed, "I hope this doesn't make you give up on us.""Should I take that as an apology?" I said incredulously."Alright, Lizandra... I apologize if I acted like a jerk in front of my ex. I didn't mean to."Despite the apology, there was no sincerity in Heitor's words, and I stayed silent longer than I intended, analyzing the situation.
HeitorI thought about going after Lizandra, but my grandfather stopped me, holding my arm and staring at me sternly."Let her go. Lizandra doesn't feel well about how you two started a relationship, but soon all of this will be forgotten.""I hope so."I hoped Lizandra would forget all this because what we did was not even close to what Catarina and Bernardo did to me, those two traitors. But I wouldn't tell her, or anyone else, that. It was enough that they knew they had fooled me."I understand that you and Lilly fell in love with each other, and it was something uncontrollable," my grandfather pointed out, "But it doesn't matter how it started. What matters is that you tried
LizandraAfter leaving Mr. Vicente and Heitor in the breakfast room, I intended to go straight to my room and stay there for as long as possible. But before I could even reach for the doorknob, Heloísa was already by my side, her eyes filled with sadness as she looked at me with a request."I want to apologize, Lilly," she said. Before I could say anything, she stopped me with a gesture of her hand and continued, "Let me speak, please."I nodded, and she went on with what she intended to say."Once again, I caused an uncomfortable moment for you, even without intending to. I need to confess that it's very difficult for me to adapt to this sudden change that happened with my brother. He seems like a different person, and I feel that something is wrong."
LizandraI looked at the woman lying on the hospital bed, not knowing what to do or say when they left us alone. Despite appearing quite debilitated among the white sheets, she remained extremely beautiful, and her smile added a different sparkle to her face."My dear daughter," Lourdes said, breaking the silence. "I'm so happy you came to see me.""I... I'm sorry," was the most I could say.Despite my awkwardness, Lourdes continued to smile and extended her arms in a silent request for a hug, which I accepted, even though I wasn't prepared for it. However, as I felt my mother's arms around me for the first time in so many years, emotion took over my entire being, and I felt that it would overflow through my eyes, as tears were about to roll down my face.
HeitorThe distance between São Miguel do Gostoso and Natal is only a hundred and fifteen kilometers, but the time we spent getting to the state capital was extremely distressing for Lizandra, and it was noticeable to all of us in the car with her.We left Gostoso at seven in the morning because Lizandra wanted to get to where her mother was as quickly as possible. If it were up to her, she would have done it the night before, as soon as she received the news from Bernardo. However, Dann Heeren informed her that the hospital did not allow visits outside normal hours and that it would be pointless to hit the road at night just to be in Natal.Despite my grandfather's insistence, Heloísa managed to convince him to stay at the hotel with Cristina and Leonardo, while my sister and Berna
LizandraFaced with the veiled threat made by Heitor, Juliana widened her eyes with genuine horror, and at that moment, she broke into compulsive sobbing, pleading with me repeatedly to forgive her. Meanwhile, Samuel hugged her protectively, his gaze also seeming to plead the same from me. It became clear to me at that moment that he truly cared for Juliana, but it didn't bother me, and I concluded that I didn't feel anything for Samuel anymore."Please don't send me to prison, please... please..." Juliana repeated in tears, hands clasped together. "I'm pregnant!"I had no intention of filing any kind of lawsuit against my aunt and Juliana. However, I didn't try to calm her down because she needed to feel at least a little fear to understand how serious what she did was. Now, however, upon hearing her revelation, I felt obligated to soften things."Calm down, Juliana," I said empathetically. "I don't intend to send anyone to prison."Juliana visibly sighed in relief, but her crying to
HeitorWhen Bernardo and Heloísa returned to Grandpa's suite, we all decided to go down for breakfast. It was already past nine in the morning, and there was no point in continuing to talk about Luciano's deceit, now that Lizandra seemed to be calmer."How about a dune buggy ride?" I suggested with enthusiasm. "Since we're here, we might as well enjoy the beauty of the place.""I love the idea!" Heloísa exclaimed."I'm not young enough for these adventures," Grandpa remarked. "I'll wait for my old friends right here at the hotel. But you should enjoy our little vacation.""I have a commitment, so I can't join you either," Bernardo explained. He didn't need to specify who the commitment was with; we all knew it was related to the formalities of the contract with the Heerens. I was pleased that he didn't mention the couple's name, as it's still a delicate topic for Lizandra, precisely when I'm trying to help her forget these issues for a few hours."And you, Lily?" I asked, noticing she
HeloísaWhen Bernardo looked up from his phone and stared at me with an expression of disbelief, I concluded that he still knew nothing about my crush. Catarina didn't tell him, and he found out at this exact moment, precisely when we were together in Grandpa's suite. I was even more surprised when he called me for a conversation, something I have no desire to do at the moment."Can we go to the suite?" Bernardo asked already in the hallway.I didn't want to talk to Bernardo right now, but as I couldn't avoid it, nothing more sensible than doing it in the privacy of my hotel suite, which is right next to Grandpa's room."I had no idea, Heloísa," was the first thing Bernardo said when we entered my suite. "We've always been
LizandraI was trying to explain to Heitor why I didn't involve him in that problem after Luciano's call. However, it is quite clear to everyone in that room how upset Heitor is with me for doing that. And it's going to get worse when he finds out what happened."When Lizandra told me about that coward's threat, I quickly contacted some acquaintances, and they solved the problem," Vicente explained."How so?" Heitor asked an expression of disbelief on his face."A hacker wiped out all of Luciano's files. Everything he had saved," Vicente spoke in a way that would have been funny because it was as if it were something simple to solve, "I didn't know, however, that there were more things for him to use against us."
HeitorI woke up the next morning to the phone ringing, still groggy with sleep. I answered without even checking who was calling me so early and had a big surprise when Grandpa summoned me to his suite as quickly as possible. Since Grandpa would never do something like that unless it was really serious, I put on the first clothes I found and hurried out to the hallway.The first thing I saw upon opening my room door was my sister coming out of the room next door, which didn't cause any immediate reaction from me as I was still not fully awake at that moment."Grandpa called you too?" I asked, rubbing my face.However, noticing the genuine horror on Heloísa's face left me curious and unable to understand the reason for her reaction, until Bernardo also came out of the room. Without realizing I was standing next to Heloísa—his attention was focused on closing the door—he commented to my sister."We need to hurry, Helô. Grandpa seemed worr..."Bernardo didn't finish his sentence because
LizandraI couldn't handle the whirlwind of emotions that engulfed me upon discovering that my mother had never truly abandoned me. I simply ran, and sprinted, until I was sure I was alone once again. The thought that my mother was taken away from me by people I trusted, Juliana and her mother, is too painful. So, my aunt, the woman who raised me and whom I had always been grateful to, never did anything out of pure kindness. She must have benefited from everything I could have enjoyed all those years. Most importantly, she kept me from receiving the love of my mother all that time.How many nights did I go to sleep crying because I didn't have a mother? How many nights did I lament the absence of someone who loved me, feeling extremely lonely? Lonely was the right word.I remembered the moment when Heitor called us to sit and talk. I even had difficulty walking to the chair reserved for me next to Heitor and Mr. Vicente, so nervous I was at that moment. But I knew I couldn't postpone
HeitorWhen I told Juliana's boyfriend to hold her and her mother, I believed he would do that. From what I could understand from his behavior at the table and based on what I read in his messages to Lizandra, I suspected that he was not at all pleased with the situation. Why he chose to remain by that girl's side is something I couldn't comprehend, and I didn't care at the moment."I think it's best if we all sit down," I pointed out, seeing that we had attracted the attention of everyone dining in the restaurant. "We have some things to clarify."The waiters had already cleared the used dishes, and there were only a few wine glasses on the table. I seriously considered downing the contents of one of them but restrained myself."Can someone explain w