David I give my full attention to the only two members of my family and I listen carefully to Dona Hordéllis' speech, my father hugs her from the side and kisses her cheek, then she plays a video and images of us on some trips begin to appear on the huge screen. Pictures of me when I was little and even pictures of me with pregnant Lígia and later with our son, my eyes instantly fill with tears, my mother takes the floor again and clears her throat, looking for me with her eyes. My stomach twists with the farewell atmosphere, memories of when I couldn't get over the death of my wife and son, I left Brazil for Europe invading me. It was a few months of loneliness until I decided to react, but looking at my parents I also feel a tinge of jealousy for their relationship. They have been together for a long time, but they still love each other. ''I love you.'' I read it from her lips and then my heart freezes, sensing something bad is coming, she opens her mouth and the sound comes out a
NELLY Having an anxiety attack right after being kissed by the guy of your dreams is not nice, far from it, but throughout my twenty-five years I have gotten used to having these little moments of panic, although the cause this time is completely different from the previous ones. The great truth is that fear is part of my life, part of who I am. For this reason, I always safeguarded my psychology, kept myself in constant alert, prepared myself for unexpected occasions, because experiencing several humiliating situations led me to be like an iron pillar. But I was not prepared for this... I rest my two hands on the side wall of the Braganza mansion and make my way out of the garden, the small lights wrapped around the trees guide me to the exit and I thank the heavens that I can stand up while the air is missing in my lungs. David has no idea what he has just done, but he has done it. I haven't had a crisis like this since Edward... No! Thinking about him will only make me wors
DAVIDThere comes a time in every man's life when the simplest things become the most important. We stop fighting against gravity and all we want is to keep our feet firmly on the ground, but with me the opposite happens, the older I get and the days go by, the need for intensity increases and the idea of having a routine is suffocating. I adhere to solitude as a lifestyle and live without anyone's interference, I go wherever I want and fuck whoever I want. Without any commitment. Therefore, the idea of relating to anyone borders on the absurd. No one can take the place of my Ligia, she is unique, the most special and incredible woman I have ever met, fuck if everyone thinks I am living in an eternal mourning and neglecting the opportunity for a new beginning, I don't want a new story. I want the old one. And if for a second I questioned my feelings for Nelly, today I can say that I acted out of anger. I was impulsive. Nobody will replace my wife. Nobody. Nelly is...Fuck, she is
DAVID I gently pull Carlota Maldonado's thin arms away and watch her smile widen in disbelief as she shifts her weight from one foot to the other while playing with a lock of her hair between her fingers and staring at me as if I were a close friend. "What are you doing here?" I reprized the question calmly, pulling both of us out of the front of the elevator, guiding her by the arm to a more secluded part. She lets out a soft laugh and brings her hand to my shoulder as soon as we stop, facing each other, sliding up and down as if she were petting a dog. What the hell! "Charlotte, what are you doing here?’’ I repeated the question and hold her hand, preventing her from continuing the caress without explanation. She blinks and changes her gaze, lowering her eyes as a submissive usually does. Intrigued by the gesture, without realizing it, I release her grip on my hand. "Shall we go for coffee?’’ She asks, changing her posture once again in less than five minutes. I remain quiet,
DAVIDMy head is exploding in a headache for a change and I am sure I will be dead after the clash with Herdéllis Bragança, but it is necessary if I want to keep the only family I have around. I will not deny the reality, I am emotionally dependent on my parents since I lost my son and wife, maybe I am more dependent now than I was when I was just a baby and needed help for everything. I get out of the elevator and check the clock on my wrist, 4:45 pm, perfect.I walk in slow and determined steps to my last model Chevrolet S10, unlock and get in, hidden by the tinted glass I wait five minutes until sh
NELLY Kitten. I didn't understand the meaning of that word until I was old enough to understand that the tightness in my chest wasn't a physical illness, but an anxiety attack. I had to talk to a psychologist to understand that there were traumas embedded in me, I read books seeking self"knowledge and acceptance, I tried to deal with these traumas head on and I almost underwent cosmetic surgery to get into the standards, almost… I release the air that was trapped in my lungs and rest my forehead on the mirrored glass of the bathroom. There are many "almosts" in my life and few certainties. I turn on the simple faucet in the bathroom and wash my face, mixing the water with my tears until I can no longer define which drops came from my eyes. I arrange my hair in a bun on top of my head, pull up the sleeves of the light blue dress shirt I'm wearing to my elbows and remove any dirt from the knees of the pants I'm wearing, open my toiletry bag and remove the paste with the hairbrush. ins
DAVIDThe familiar perfume serves me as an alarm clock, intrigued by the feminine fragrance, I open one eye at a time and let the light guide me, still sleepy, I inhale the tempting scent with a certain hunger. It's been more than twenty days since she's dared come near me, so what is she doing in my house, in my room, so early?When my newly awakened brain begins to rationally process what is happening, I search the room from corner to corner looking for the person responsible for my anxiety and find her at the bathroom door, looking at me with her typical innocent air, biting her lips as if knew exactly what I plan to do with her."How did you get in?" I question, listening to my own heartbeat.What the fuck, she's just a girl. Stop hitting like that, dammit!“You brought me." He says, removing his body support from the bathroom door and walking towards me. I open my mouth to question her assertion, because I have no idea what she's talking about, but I'm distracted by the fabric of
NELLY NARRATING... The eagle is an animal with a very interesting characteristic: it has the ability to see a certain target even if it's miles away, but Kaciana Álvares, my mother-in-law, goes further and sees any human being with just a quick glance. She's an expert at detecting someone's weaknesses with just a few minutes of conversation and can tell in a few seconds whether I'm lying or not, although the fact that I'm a terrible actress helps her a lot. I hid all the candy wrappers in a plastic bag and put them under my desk, but knowing my mother well, I know she'll find a way to find out. "Where are they? " he says, as soon as he walks through the door and meets me. Ignoring my silence and the fact that we're not alone, she holds out her hand, palm up and open. "Who?" I try to disguise it, but my attitude only makes her more uncontrollable and harsh. "Not who, but what. Where are the sweets you were devouring seconds ago?" I stiffen my posture and pretend nothing is wrong, bu
NELLY 5 years later... I don't think I'm an eclectic music person, I mean I can tolerate some styles of music, but hard rock is definitely not one of them. Well, well, maybe I'm just irritated that I woke up and didn't find David in bed. So where is he? The sound of the music tells me he's close, but how close? My legs and feet are hurting, but nothing compares to the constant throbbing in my back, and I need the message he promised. Not to mention the discomfort between my legs, but that part is good. Last night was crazy. I leave the room and go down the hallway in silence, taking the opportunity to stop by the five-year-old twins' room, they both hate following rules and follow their father everywhere. They are a faithful copy of my husband, despite having different personalities. Luca and Xavier are complete matches, which I'm grateful for, because they are extremely similar physically. At first, I had some difficulty identifying who was who. To be honest, my husband was the
DAVIDWe stayed at the party for an hour, chatting a little with most of the guests, unfortunately, I lost Nelly for a long twenty minutes to Cassandra. The two women were having an excited conversation about motherhood and I didn't want to interrupt, however, when Eduardo appeared with a bouquet of orchids for my wife, I had to intervene.He gave me a single look and snorted.Bastard.Apparently, Alice went into labor the night before and couldn't come to the party. Nelly hugged the idiot and cried a little in her arms, promising that she would soon visit her goddaughter and friend.I pulled my wife back and kept my arm around her waist until it was time to get into the car, which happened right after our dance.She complained about needing to throw the bouquet, and I threw it towards Kiara.Nelly laughed when my friend cursed me.I shrugged and moved on. She will overcome.It takes me thirty minutes to get to the house and the beach, and I watch it with silence and expectation.I fo
DAVID347.Three hundred and forty-seven people are on my mother's wedding list, but that's the list she created months ago, when even I didn't know where my romance with Nelly was going.This is Hordellis Bragança, the party itself.Anyway, I left the organization of the ceremony to her and Nelly, focusing on the honeymoon. My girl will be almost nine months into our marriage in two days, and I have to think about a possible fluke, like two babies arriving in the middle of the honeymoon. Therefore, I bought a beach house a few meters from the hospital and had it renovated according to its parameters of a perfect house.She wanted to wait to perform the ceremony after the lights went out, but I was so eager to call her my wife that I couldn't wait. After all, what's the point of all the money if I can't plan a wedding in two weeks?Well, I'm starting to think this was a bad idea. My mother kidnapped Nelly and said I would only see her again on her wedding day.''Please? '' I beg for w
NELLYI open my eyes with a sweet smile on my face, David caresses my belly in a delicate, affectionate and a little possessive way as if he was afraid of hurting me or something, but I realized seconds ago that no, he was contemplating, so mesmerized with the kicking show that our children were putting on that he didn't notice that I was watching him. I never thought I would witness this scene after everything we've experienced, but hearing my babies' father singing a lullaby was the best feeling I've ever felt.The throbbing between my legs also increased at the sexy sight, part of me wanted to reveal that I was awake and request that massage he suggested a few times last night, but I also didn't want to ruin the moment, so I rested my head. I went back on the pillow and continued pretending I was sleeping until I couldn't take it anymore. David began to sing a song about a street, a forest, shining stones, and an angel.My eyes filled with tears.Those damn hormones.'' Do you beli
DAVIDWhen I left home this morning, I made it my mission to make our first night together after all this time special. Nelly always wanted to know a little more about my dark side and my perverse fantasies, but I was always afraid and controlled myself with her, but with all the events we've experienced I realized that my girl won't judge me or run away.We both need this.The club is operating normally upstairs, but downstairs I reserved it for just the two of us. Nelly never fully experienced my dominating side, she never knew how she is at my command and mercy, but today that will change. I crave her touch and taste more than air, I need to thrust into her without mercy to satisfy the beast inside me and, if I were any other man, I would treat her with affection and softness at this point in her pregnancy, but I don't. I am. We've been apart so long that I can't, I just can't make soft love. I think that's why I allowed him to sleep last night and didn't try anything even though I
NELLY'' How can you be sure?''He gives me a cocky look and raises his left eyebrow.'' Because I locked it.''I keep my mouth open, looking between him and the door, thinking about when this happened until I remember to close my eyes for a few minutes and black out.'' All good? '' he asks, probably noticing my insecure expression. I lay back on the bed and feel him move. Within a second, David is standing next to me, forcing my face up, so I can look at him.'' Yes, I.. '' I close my eyes and count to five. '' I don't know if we should have sex.He frowns.'' You do not want?''I bite my lip and sigh, remembering that I need to talk to him about Kaciana and ask him to stop looking for her.'' It's not that, I just want you to take it easy.''The corners of his mouth turn up, and he starts twirling a strand of my hair around his ring finger.'' Baby, we're not going to have sex.''I grimace.'' No?''His smile widens.'' You seem disappointed.''I cough, trying to sit up, but carryi
NELLYI run my hand over his face carefully, touching the recent bruises and marks. When Hordellis called to inform me that David had returned, my mind went blank and I didn't know how to act, I mean, first my mother and then him. It was too much. I only knew I was coming here when I got into the taxi and gave the name of the hospital to the driver.'' What happened? '' I whisper, unable to stop touching him. David Bragança is a handsome man even though he's all dressed up, cut that out, he's breathtaking.'' It doesn't matter. '' he says, his eyes dropping to my cleavage and looking away when he realizes I caught him.He clears his throat and runs his fingers through his hair, taking distance. I try not to show it, but it bothers me and brings back the feeling of loneliness.'' All good? You seem nervous. Oh, I need to call the doctor. '' I say, worried about the lack of color on her lips.''No.''he shouts, grabbing my hand at the last minute. '' I'm just nervous about our date. '' h
DAVIDI stared at my apathetic form and the scratches on my face angrily, the man's reflection in the mirror wasn't me, at least, it didn't look like me. My face was thinner, my jaw was more visible, and I would need to see a dermatologist about the spots and burns.When I decided to leave Nelly in the middle of her pregnancy, I was sure that I would return in a few weeks and earn her forgiveness. My mistake. Finding Kaciana proved to be a difficult task from the beginning, but after I hired Arthur and the first clue emerged, my spirits were reinvigorated, and we left for South Africa. The woman was following my order to the letter and covering her tracks, until we bumped into someone who knew someone who saw her.Turns out the lead was false, and we fell into a trap, the man who contacted us was part of a local and unfortunate gang, they called themselves the Pirates of Urr. No idea what it meant, but the captain loved to torture, especially those with clothes on. Guys and gold watch
NELLYMy body was frozen in place and everything felt delayed, from the sinking of his chest with each breath to the narrowing of his eyes.Kaciana walked past me after a long moment of silence and touched my shoulder gently, offering a warm smile that looked wrong on her face. She looked different, but I couldn't identify what it was as I closed the door behind me and followed her to the couch. I watched as she surveyed my living room and turned her nose up at the pictures on the wall. They weren't works of art worth millions, no, I bought them from a lady at the market near the mall the other day. She must have noticed and disapproved.So many questions were being thrown around in my head at this very moment.I stared at her figure for another full minute, hoping and hoping that she would be the first to speak, as I looked and looked for any difference, I was drawn to the golden ring with a small stone on top on her left-hand ring finger. No, she can't... Is she? I looked more close