A GOOD DOCTOR“You will have to go to Doctor Zaquim.” said Tulio to Cloe as they got out in front of Layla's house. Cloe was worried about his silence in the van during the trip.She could feel the throbbing on her forehead and the burning, but she didn't want to complain, since she wasn't the only one wounded at the end of the insane fight and didn't want to show weakness, but when she heard him say so, she put an index finger, also sore from the burn from earlier, on her temple and saw that besides a deep cut, a bump was beginning to grow. She nodded in agreement with him and entered the house of the old lady who came quickly to help them with concern.“My God, yarn what have you done? It's not enough for you to get involved in fights, you also have to drag the girl into it?!” Layla pulled Cloe into the backyard, where there were pots of potions with strong smells, pastes of dubious appearances, Cloe noticed that Tulio had been upset by her grandmother's comment. “Sit down there, y
RULES ARE RULESThe quiet days soon gave way to darker ones. One minute things were going well, and the next they were going badly. That's what Cloe thought about what it was like to live life in the mafia. Like what Milla was telling her:“It was Shay who poisoned me against you the first time I saw you, you know?” “No, I didn't know," answered Cloe, with full attention on her friend now. They were at Milla's house and were planting some seedlings that Layla had given to the girl. Cloe had promised to help her create a garden in her house, and was helping her with this, since she had returned from her hometown and had not yet decided whether she would stay there for good.“ Didn't you see at the farewell party for Gringo and me the way she looked at you while learning the dance steps?”“ No, I greeted her, but I didn't see her again during the party. I thought she was harsh with me, but I couldn't figure out why.”She hates you, Cloe, she envies you!”“ You can't be serious!” Cloe
WICKEDNESSDoctor Zaquim was already treating Tulio, but Clara as she entered the office and saw him lying unconscious on the stretcher, the crimson of his blood soaking the paper where he was lying, fainted.Gringo and Milla accompanied her there and were her support, one on each side so she wouldn't fall.“ Tulio…” " she moaned, her legs weakened and her friends supported her, making her sit up.She was so close to him, just a few steps away, but she couldn't reach him. Gringo was holding her tight.“ Let them take care of him," Gringo asked softly.”Flora, the nurse and wife of Dr. Zaquim, was taking care of Tulio. Cloe looked at him lying there unconscious without believing that the strong and imposing man was so fragile and at the mercy of two pairs of hands that were poking him, turning him on his side, helping him, and trying to help him.Flora spoke to the doctor in their language, and few things could be understood. The nurse followed what the doctor told her to do, and with
FIRE! Gringo arrived at the cottage with the tires of the pickup truck they had used to get there lifting gravel on the ground and didn't even turn it off as he ran down. He went back to the truck and gave an order to the three guys he had taken. - I want you to get away from here, go into the woods, walk around, but don't stay around for at least an hour! - And when one of them made mention of saying something, the three of them couldn't understand how he could want to be alone with Calo, he made a hateful face that scared them. - Go! Pulling the thirty-eight from his waistband, he didn't even hit the door, with a kick to the middle of the wood, he yanked it off the jamb, one more kick and the door was on the floor. I was going to go upstairs, but Ruben came naked down the stairs, startled by being found and the noise. A sheet tied around his waist and the shot to the knee made him scream and fall. Gringo came to her with blood in his eyes, his teeth grinding, his jaw clenched. The
FRIGIDITY, NIGHTMARES AND FEAR!Tulio left the care center two days later and to the relief of Cloe, his grandmother and her partners, he was fine.Layla didn't leave her grandson's side, bringing him yummy food twice a day, plus affection and a good dash of drama.“ Your parents must be turning in their graves, yarn, they must hate me for not taking good care of you!” She started the drama as soon as she saw him. And as always, Tulio hugged her and kissed her.“ They must be very proud of you, and there is no one who could hate you, Grandma, is there, Cloe?”Cloe joined in the hug and agreed, saying that everyone loved her.The days that Tulio stayed in treatment were tense for the girl. She had nightmares that woke her up in the middle of the night and she began to sleep with the lights on, because when she was attacked by nightmares she was absolutely sure that Cloe, or Ruben, was in her room watching her sleep and smiling in the dark. She would wake up soaked with sweat and tears
THE BANDITCloe looked nothing like the girl four years ago, nothing like the girl who joined Tulio's gang years ago. The change had been radical, and not only in her hair - at the moment it was blue, but she had changed colors so much that those who had known her for the last four years did not even know what her original color had been - but her clothes had also changed. She was no longer the insipid and timid girl who jumped at every crack of gunfire she heard, no longer the shy girl who thought before she spoke.She was addicted to exercise and ran every morning for miles to maintain her physique, she felt safer about being attacked, she acquired much more confidence now, and it wasn't only because she had more companions now, she had her own retinue of helpers, but her self-esteem had improved a lot after the mishaps she had gone through to get there.Her change obviously brought a burden to her relationship with Tulio, and it couldn't be otherwise. She loved him and felt loved b
A DIFFERENT WOMANTulio and Cloe tried not to distance themselves, each of them now had their own business, the mafia was not for those who wanted to have a quiet life. Leading so many people, taking care of so many others, obviously took its toll on their relationship. The love was the same and even seemed to increase more and more, but as he himself had once said, love alone was not enough, and it was true.She saw him looking at her when she thought she didn't notice, and the same was true for her. She liked to watch him sleep, during insomnia, her most cruel friend since Ruben's attack; sometimes she didn't even try to sleep, for fear of the nightmares that haunted her in the dream world.“ Who is Calo?” One night when she tried to sleep, she woke up with Tulio looking into her eyes very closely. She had shouted the name of the scoundrel who had raped her, and in the nightmare she called him by the name he had introduced himself to her. The nightmares were almost always the same.
MAJOR NEGOTIATIONSCloe felt strange that she was no longer sharing anything with her love. But she preferred it this way, she was no longer the innocent little girl he had known, no longer a fearful and scared little girl, Milla had said she was thick"skinned and it was true, because she, besides not sharing everything with him, not even her feelings she shared with him anymore. They were his alone. Before, she could barely stand to share anything with him, anything that happened, how much she missed her parents and her brother. Peter was now eighteen and to protect him, she didn't even have him on her social networks. Getting involved with dangerous "heavy" people, as her mother used to say, and why would she want her brother by her side, knowing about her life now, since she was no longer his delicate and calm older sister? She had lost count of how many friend requests she had received from her brother, often ignoring names and Nicks that she knew were his. That old life was behin
FINAL ENLACE "Layla, do you think I should wear white?" She asked the lady who was walking through the dress store with her mother, pulling the hem of one dress after another. "I think your mother is right in saying that you can choose whatever color you want, Cloe. It's your wedding, and I believe it's the only one you'll have." "Yes, the only one. Unless one day we marry again, Túlio and I, and renew our vows." "I think vow renewals are so beautiful," Liz said. "Listen to your heart, my dear. How did you imagine marrying Túlio, in white, ivory, or off-white?" "When I met him and fell in love, I imagined marrying him in white, actually." "Well, then get married in white, my dear. Just like you imagined marrying him." "Oh, but I don't know. I'm no longer a young girl, and I have a grown son. Don't you think it's strange? Please tell me the truth!" "Oh, sorry, but I have to interfere!" One of the lovely saleswomen in the store, Sônia, joined the conversation. "Your mother and gr
EVOLUTIONNow there he was. Years later, with Jânio dead, Paco dead. It took him years to eliminate one by one the powerful men he wanted to avenge Paco's death.Eliminating Paco was easier than he had supposed, simpler than eliminating Jânio, but what made it more difficult and complicated was that with the fall of the mob boss, he had to hide and keep constant watch over Cloe and her son and grandmother. And it was a great torture to stay away from his son and Cloe and still have to keep them safe, and it was almost impossible for him to trust their lives and safety to others. But there was nothing he could do about it, since if he appeared, many could die.And it was worth it. Seeing Cloe after so many years, seeing her fall to her knees relieved, crying and saying she loved him, made everything worthwhile. Now he was the leader. He was in Paco's place. And at this very moment his son slept in between him and Cloe and he felt suffocated looking at the two of them there. Túlio Filho
THE FALL OF ONE MORE PAWNBefore he died, the last thing he heard was the voice of his beloved. The voice of the only man she had ever loved."For God's sake, Shayenne, don't do this!" - and that was the only time he called her that, and she let out a choked laugh and replied only in her mind, "I finally touched you, huh?" - that's what she wanted to say to him, but she didn't say it, her mouth didn't open to speak. She was done here. This was where their friendship and complicity ended, and then the explosion almost made his ears bleed, his eardrums hurt with the noise of the blast.And Shay was gone. She sacrificed herself for him. Paco wouldn't know he was alive. He had not been alerted by Jânio thanks to Shay.From where he was, Túlio couldn't see anything, but the crackling of the fire was very audible in his headphones, and he fell to his knees more than a hundred kilometers away from where Shay had lost her life."Oh, God," he exclaimed with a choked voice.So much death, so mu
SHAYHer joy was short-lived. She felt relieved when she saw the car go up in flames and Tulio spoke on her earpiece:"Shay, the first bomb is done. Do you think we should detonate the second one?"Mysteriously, a van was coming down the dirt road where they were and it made her stomach churn. She did not expect Jânio to have left more men on alert, and apparently, they were coming from the farmhouse, alerted by the explosion. The second detonator was in her hands. "Wait!" she said to Tulio.To her complete amazement, she heard Jânio's cough and the guys who got out of the van next to the upside-down smoking car. One of them shouted:"The boss is alive! Help me get him out of the wreckage!"Tulio could also hear through Shay's earphones and became desperate. The driver of the car where Shay was also got out of the car with a fire extinguisher in hand, and screams could be heard from inside the burning car. Shay looked at everything without believing that her and Tulio's well-planned p
SHAYShe no longer tried to seduce Tulio. That phase was already over. She joined him for revenge. Yes, both wanted revenge, pure and simple.When she visited him at the cabin, and now that the critical moment of his health had passed, now that he was out of danger, stronger and even exercising to recover the muscles atrophied by months without using them, the old man, Camilo was his name, had already become friends with the two. Camilo was no longer afraid of the strange girl. Shay no longer scared him and she laughed when he told them that he imagined that as soon as Tulio recovered, she would kill him:"Well, you should be afraid of him," she laughed and pointed at Tulio, "He's a thousand times more dangerous than me. Why do you think I asked you to take care of him?"Mr. Camilo widened his eyes at Tulio, who waved his hand, indicating that she was lying."It's true, sir Camilo. He is none other than the famous Incendiary Boy - and seeing that the man did not know who he was talkin
SHAY Shay thought Gringo and Sopapo were going to kill her when they found out she had been involved with Jânio in order to get Túlio. She was waiting only for Cloe's order. She saw in the eyes of the three men, Túlio's closest, best, and most loyal men, the desire they had to kill her. Nothing would stop them from killing her with refined cruelty, and she knew they would take turns inflicting as much pain on her as they could. But that was the first time she felt tenderness for Cloe. All the harm she had wished upon the girl fell apart at that moment. The pain she saw on the girl's face hit her deeply in the heart and soul. The emptiness, the discouragement, and the genuine pain she saw written all over the girl's face whom she tried to imitate tore her apart. And she could apologize, but she didn't deserve forgiveness. How could she have never seen this? Or had she seen it and not cared? Why had she done this to someone who had done nothing to retaliate? What was a broken finger w
REMINDSTulio could not forget, there was no way to forget every step he took away from Cloe. He was completely happy to have her by his side and would soon see their son. He thanked the heavens for her having their son during the years they were apart. For many years, he hid and had only insane thoughts of hatred, death, and revenge. His heart was bitter. The nonconformity of what had happened, there were many bad thoughts that he had and what kept him above the quagmire was thinking of his Cloe, their son, and his grandmother. Many years were unjustly taken from him of being by the side of the people he loved. He remembered when he saw her years later, when he could finally leave his hiding place and see her, even from afar, it soothed his heart and validated the love he felt for her. There was also guilt, of course he had, had and still had.Tulio blamed himself for putting Cloe in his life, a life she did not deserve, and had caused her a lot of pain. He took her away from her hap
THIS LINK WILL NEVER BE BROKENThere was her good friend, and Cloe started crying again as she hugged the woman. Layla was much older now, and as Cloe hugged and kissed her all over her face, she noticed the extra years on the old lady. Her fingers, once so agile, were now twisted with arthritis and she seemed more hunched over than before. Signs of senility peppered her skin and Cloe loved feeling the smell of rue that seemed to be forever ingrained in the old woman.She had so much to tell her, but before anything else, before telling her so many things that had happened to her in those ten years, she opened her phone and showed her pictures of her grandson. Layla cried like a child, her hands trembling as she held the phone and watched video after video of her grandson."He looks so much like his father," she said, repeating it over and over again as she eagerly looked at the photos and videos. "Even his voice reminds me of Túlio at that age.""He's also named Túlio, Layla!" she to
I LOVE YOU SO MUCHShe cried and smiled at the same time. She thought she was going crazy, that she must be going crazy! Sitting on the ground with both hands on her head, her voice lost, and Túlio, her Túlio, the love of her life, was coming towards her. He walked up to her with that walk she knew so well. A movie played in her head as he walked towards her. That same smile that made her fall madly in love with him. He was older, his hair was cut differently, but it was him. She would recognize him anywhere, even in the midst of a crowd she would recognize him.Nothing else existed, only him coming to her, and through the curtain, the veil of tears, she looked at him and all she wanted to scream was that she loved him!Túlio knelt down beside her, took her face in both hands, kissed her lips and pulled away, but she wanted more. She wanted him to never stop kissing her. But he needed to tell her something first:"Love, it's very important that I tell you something. What I'm going to