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CHARLOTTEI wasn’t feeling any better the next day, and I knew I had to get medication, but I neither had the energy to move from one place to another, nor could I bring myself to pick up my phone to call for help. I lay in bed for over twenty minutes, wondering why my body had chosen this moment to give in to illness.“I guess we can’t have it all,” I muttered, trying to sit up, but my limbs ached as I tried to move them. I sighed and looked around the room. Sonia would be over soon, and I knew she’d want to get a nurse, but for some reason, I didn’t want her to.I couldn’t quite wrap my head around why, but somewhere at the back of my mind, I felt I had neglected something regarding my health. I wanted to be the first to find out what it was before anyone else. I forced myself to sit up despite the pain in my joints, exhaling slowly. The room began to spin as I rested my back against the wall and tried to relax.I heard my phone ringing and started looking around for it, only to rea
CHARLOTTEWhen I opened my eyes, the sun cast a warm glow on the windowsill, and the curtains were closed. I sighed and placed a palm against my forehead to check my temperature. It felt considerably better than the last time I checked; the headache had also stopped. As I looked around the room, I realized that someone had tidied up the place. It wasn’t particularly messy the previous day, but it was easy to tell that someone had picked up items that had been in odd places and put them where they belonged.Another sign of this was my phone, which had been placed on the bedside table. I tried to sit up, panicking at the thought of my body aching if I moved, but I managed it anyway. When I realized the pain wasn’t as bad as I’d anticipated, I sighed in relief and leaned back to rest. As I sat in the quiet room, the silence allowed the thoughts I had buried deep down to rise to the surface, and I realized that, in the midst of everything that had been happening, I was lucky to have Sonia
CHARLOTTE“You should rest a bit; you’ll need…” she started, reaching for the bowl. I readily handed it to her and shifted my weight, trying to find a more comfortable spot.“I think I’ve had enough time to rest,” I interrupted. “I’m tired of lying in bed. I need to…” I continued, but she held up a finger.“The only thing you need to do is stay in bed; you’re not strong enough for any other activity,” she interjected, and I shrugged.“Well, we had a deal. I do what I want today, and afterward, you can call the doctor,” I reminded her. She started to say something, then stopped.“All right,” she said instead. “What would you like to do?”“I need to get to the supermarket,” I started and smiled weakly as she stared at me with a confused expression. “Then a walk around the city would be nice,” I finished, and she chuckled.“Going to the supermarket, yes. No walks. You can barely sit up; I’m not letting you drag your weak body from one corner of Los Angeles to the other,” she replied in a
ROGERIOIt would be easier to categorize whatever I was feeling at this point under having “cold feet” regarding the wedding, but that wouldn’t be entirely true. Since my conversation with Maria and other interactions with Elena, I have been subconsciously comparing my experience with both women.Being with Charlotte was undoubtedly a marriage of convenience; there was a spark somewhere in the beginning of the relationship. At least she liked to think it was something tangible at the time, but as much as I didn’t want to admit it, being with Elena was different. It felt unreal. Every time we spoke, every time she complained about the marriage preparations, I wondered if there was an angle to it.Since the divorce, my life had become a cycle of asking questions I didn’t have the answers to. Marrying Elena had always been the plan, if she hadn’t left when she did. Our relationship would’ve blossomed or withered; either way, I wouldn’t be at this crossroads, wondering if it was better to
CHARLOTTEConvinced and slightly relieved that I had nothing to hide from Sonia, I let her call the doctor the next day. He ran a few tests, sent some samples to the lab, and assured me that he could tell I was doing better than the last time we had seen each other. He concluded that what I was feeling was probably linked to mental stress. Sonia and I passed a knowing look between us when he mentioned that.I toyed with the idea of telling him that two people had died because they tried to help me, and I still wasn’t sure how to process that. Instead, I asked what I could do to alleviate the stress. He suggested relaxing or doing things that made me feel happy. Sonia started to say something, but I spoke before she did. “Does that include dates? I have someone I need to see this weekend,” I said slowly and heaved a sigh as my throat felt sore.“Yes, you should feel a lot better then. If you don’t, we’ll have to get you to the hospital, maybe see a therapist?” he answered and turned to
CHARLOTTEThe weekend arrived faster than I’d envisioned, but for the first time, I didn’t feel anxious about meeting Thiago. If anything, I was happy to be out of the house, and the activity we had planned seemed like a great distraction from everything that had been happening. Sonia had spent most of the week in the apartment, making sure I had something to eat and that I was well-rested.When the nurse arrived, she was impressed by how much had changed compared to the reports she’d read. My headaches were gone, and while I still felt a dull pain in my joints, I knew it would be gone soon. Today we were going shopping for a new dress since Thiago and I were going to an exhibition tomorrow, and he was already on his way to Los Angeles.“Can’t I just stay home and wear something from my wardrobe?” I asked as Sonia stood behind me, debating what to do with my hair.She shook her head. “I’m sure the clothes you have in your closet are great, but no… You’ll want something new for this, a
CHARLOTTEI stared at the clock on the wall as a smile danced at the corner of my lips. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel anxious about meeting Thiago. The urge to crawl into a hole and disappear didn’t envelop me. I wasn’t sure how to feel about this new development, but I knew I would have a great evening. I supported my body on the bed with my elbows and glanced around the room until my eyes settled on the dress sealed in a cloth bag.Sonia had hung the bag in a way that would keep the dress crease-free and ready for when I wanted to use it. I sighed as the aroma of freshly baked pastries filled the room and closed my eyes for a moment. She had also turned herself into my designated chef, occasionally coming into the apartment to make breakfast, bring lunch she ordered, or give the housekeeper orders. During this time, she had also found a way to keep me from drinking. To be fair, I hadn’t considered drinking in a while, which should be a sign of the progress I’ve ma
ROGERIO The plan was to wait outside her apartment and watch from a vantage point to study her movements. I wasn't sure what I'd be able to decipher from whatever I saw, but I still needed to satisfy the curiosity lodged at the back of my mind, propelling me to act on impulse. I didn't know what to expect, but even if she didn’t leave the house all day, I’d still be able to see if anyone came to visit. Maybe I’d do a better job identifying what exactly was going on. Half an hour later, I had parked the car a few meters away from her apartment block and turned off the ignition. I watched quietly to see what would transpire, and in all fairness, I was ready to stay there all day if I had to. My phone rang. I reached into my pocket for it and glanced at the screen. It was a call from the office, and I knew who would be on the other end. "Hello, Signor, you…" my assistant began as soon as I hit the dial button. I clicked my tongue against the roof of my mouth. "No meetings
ROGERIOI spent the next few days trying to weigh my options and decide the next step to take. "I have to watch her every move, but how?" I said to myself one morning as I prepared for work. Her assistant had called to reschedule the dinner we were supposed to have later that day, and instead of feeling relieved, my suspicion grew in leaps and bounds.I picked up my suitcase and stepped out of the apartment, deep in thought. She hadn't been here since the last time we spent time together. I was delighted to have my space all to myself the way I'd always wanted, but this new information stirred something in me, and I knew I would be restless until I found a way to sate it.I walked down the hallway, ignoring the guards that greeted me, and stepped into the elevator, trying to put the thought out of my mind and focus on the day ahead. But every step I took seemed to renew the desire to get to the bottom of this. As the elevator moved to the ground floor, I decided what I wanted to
ROGERIO“Hello, Signor. Sorry to bother you in the middle of the day,” he said as soon as I put the phone to my ear.“I hope it’s for a good cause. Do you have news about Charlotte?” I asked and cleared my throat. I tried to stop myself from feeling enthusiastic about any forthcoming news. I had grown weary of hearing the same thing over and over again. If I raised my hopes this time, only to have them tossed in the wind, it would be more heartbreaking than all the previous occurrences.“It’s certainly for a good cause, much better than the other times I’ve reached out, but sadly, I don’t have any news about Signora Charlotte right now. But I assure you, we’re working on it,” came the response, and I rolled my eyes.That’s all I’ve heard since the inception of this project: assurance that he and his team were working on finding her. I was tempted to call it quits on the project, but that would mean doing nothing about it.The mere thought of leaving things in the hands of fate would k
ROGERIOTime seemed to crawl by since I picked a date for the wedding, and I found myself both grateful for it and subconsciously resenting it. A part of me wanted the ordeal to be over as quickly as possible, while another part longed for something - anything - that would change the course of events.I would give anything at this point to back out of the wedding, but it had to be for a plausible reason. I wasn’t about to tell my mother that my reluctance to marry stemmed from speculation Maria refused to confirm. Nor could I continue stalling without justification. It was now or never, and I had to find a way to ease my mind and go through with the decision I had made.I tried to immerse myself in work, but the meetings felt endless and monotonous. Even the reports from my secretary and personal assistant seemed like too much trouble; I knew I could do without them.“I don’t want to hear about this anymore,” I said curtly as my assistant debriefed me about a meeting scheduled for lat
Elena“My darling Elena, like I said before, everything isn’t black and white. Nothing is as it seems - there are grey areas, red spots, and even yellow ones. The best thing is to concern yourself with what directly affects you. Charlotte’s location doesn’t, as no one will ever find her unless she decides to come back to Milan. She currently has no reason to - life seems to be progressing really well for her,” he said and exhaled slowly. “Until Rogerio confirms the existence of an heir to the family’s wealth…” I replied, my body shaking at the odds of things falling apart sooner than expected. If I didn’t marry Rogerio, and I had rejected Thiago’s offer, then I had nothing. I didn’t know what to do with that or how to fix whatever this was.“You said you couldn’t confirm the news about her being pregnant, and you’re closer to her… then why does Rogerio think she’s carrying his baby?” I asked, trying to put two and two together. The sky had grown darker outside, and just as I was
ELENA"Why would Rogerio be looking for his ex-wife? He can't stand the sight of her," I said, and Thiago chuckled before shaking his head. "Is that what he told you, or is that what you assumed was the reason for their divorce?" he asked, and I thought about the question for a minute before answering. The conversation had taken a different turn, and if I thought I felt uneasy coming here and having this conversation with Thiago, that emotion had tripled. I could feel my body trembling slightly. "I saw it with my own eyes," I croaked, trying to clear my voice. "When we went on our dinner dates, it was all he could talk about. Why would he suddenly be interested in someone he wanted nothing to do with?" "He…" he began, but I raised my hand to stop him from saying anything else. "Is this some sort of ploy to get me to come with you? Because if you're willing to stoop so low to get what you want, then you’re only strengthening my resolve to stay as far away as possible," I said,
CHARLOTTE"Fair enough," I answered and stood up. "Did you bring a change of clothes, or can we leave now?" "We can leave. The car is outside, and you need to rest a little before you go to the club," she answered and stood up. "Alright, give me a few minutes," I said and went into the kitchen to make sure the appliances I had turned on were off. A few minutes later, we were on our way to the penthouse. ********** The club was in full swing when I arrived later that evening. The staff had been able to coordinate the activities around the club, and everyone seemed to be having a good time.The party we held the previous night had proven to be successful as the regulars waved enthusiastically when I walked through the doors, and the new faces leaned in to ask the bartenders who I was.I could tell that the replies they had gotten were satisfactory, as their eyes seemed to follow me all the way into my office. Once I had settled in, I asked Sonia to help fetch the financial rec
CHARLOTTEI heard the doorbell ring and ran to open the door quickly. I was expecting to see Thiago, but Sonia’s face came into view, and my excitement tripled. "How long have you known about this?" I asked as a huge grin spread across my face. She stepped into the house and chuckled as we locked gazes, then feigned ignorance. "Known about what?" "Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m referring to - this," I replied, pointing to everything in the house as we moved from the front door to the living room. She maintained her expression, looking around in confusion before handing me my bag. "I don’t know what you’re talking about, ‘Signora,’” she answered, and I rolled my eyes before digging into the bag to find my phone. "Drop the act, Sonia. There’s no way you didn’t know that Thiago had gotten the house back for me. Why didn’t you say something?" I replied, glancing at my phone’s screen. I had missed three calls: one from an unknown number and two from Maria. I made a me
ELENA"I don’t love Rogerio," I started, pouting as I carefully picked my words. "I’m not even sure if he still has feelings for me. It would be surprising if he did, considering I left him at the altar, waiting for a bride who never showed. But… what I’m most curious about is, why now?" "Why now?" he repeated, lines forming on his forehead as he tried to understand the question. "Yes. Why are you asking me to leave now? You asked the same thing right before the wedding. And now, you’re asking again. You haven’t called me in what—years? Months? Yet, a few weeks before my wedding, you show up… here," I replied, throwing my hands up. "To convince me to leave again. Why? What’s in it for you?" "Oh…" He shifted his weight to his right foot. I couldn’t tell if he was nervous or just trying to come up with an answer he thought I’d find acceptable, but it was clear he was deep in thought. It amused me to see him struggle for an immediate answer. What had he been thinking? That he cou