PietraI walked angrily toward Anton, who was leaning against the car with his phone in hand and a look that clearly indicated he’d been drinking. The situation irritated me deeply. “Are you insane? What are you doing here?” I asked, trying to keep my voice low to avoid drawing attention. “I needed to see you, Pietra. I had to know how you’re doing,” he said, stepping toward me, his movements slow and slightly uncoordinated.I glanced around, worried about curious eyes that might appear at any moment.
AaronI woke with a surprisingly good sense of relaxation. Opening my eyes, I saw Rebecca sleeping soundly in my arms. Her breathing was calm, serene. Not wanting to wake her, I stayed still for a few minutes, simply admiring her beauty. She felt like my girl—that’s how I thought of her. Mine. Only mine.But my rational side quickly scolded me. What am I still doing here? I had spent the night at Rebecca’s apartment, something entirely against my better judgment. I had one goal for being there, and I fulfilled that purpose with great effort. Too much effort, a betraying voice in my head reminded me.Again, reason intervened. None of that matters anymore. I did what needed to be done, and now it was time to get up and return to my normal routine.Carefully, I tried to remove
PaollaI woke up feeling a little disoriented that morning. I reached for my phone under my pillow and realized it was already past noon. Worrying about what Aaron might be doing alone on a Saturday started to gnaw at me, especially since I’d overslept. However, when I checked my phone, I saw a text message from Aaron saying he had gone to visit his grandparents. I sighed in relief.I remembered the night before with Eric. We had been taking full advantage of Aaron’s nightly absences to execute our plan at Rebecca’s apartment, and every night, Eric and I would relax at my house—specifically in the bed I shared with Aaron. However, last night, Eric suggested we do something different, maybe go out and enjoy a night together at a discreet club. It was an idea I appreciated and immediately agreed to.
RebeccaI woke up, and as I expected, Aaron was no longer in bed. I lay there for a while, letting the events of the previous night run through my mind. Sleeping together wasn't part of the agreement. But even knowing that, I couldn't avoid the feeling of emptiness that lingered.Finally, I decided to get up and get on with the day. I needed something to occupy my mind. I decided to go to my painting room, a refuge where I could lose myself in colors and shapes. I picked up a blank canvas and started working, not even realizing what I was drawing until the image began to take shape. It was Aaron. His features emerged with ease that frightened me as if my hands knew what my heart wanted to express.The painting progressed quickly, and I focused only on that, trying to forget the great emotional confusio
AntonI was impatient and stressed. My visit to Pietra’s house kept replaying in my mind. I tortured myself over the mistake of going there unannounced, forcing a situation she had already made clear she didn’t want. I was trying to be better, to be responsible, to show Pietra I could be the man she expected. But nothing seemed to work. Going to the company every day, making decisions, learning to manage one of the most important sectors of Baumann Industries—all of it felt pointless if Pietra didn’t give me the chance to show her these changes.I tried to hold back, waiting for her to reach out, to miss me, but nothing happened. Each day without a sign from her left me more frustrated. I couldn’t control myself anymore. The idea of going to Pietra’s house and surprising her was becoming an obsession.
PietraI was finishing up cleaning the kitchen when the doorbell rang. I placed the dish towel on the hook by the sink and wondered who it could be. Without realizing I should go answer the door—or that one of my brothers could do it—I stood there, staring at my outfit: a lycra workout set I had bought in hopes of starting an exercise routine but had never actually used for that purpose. Time constraints and financial struggles didn’t help.I figured it might be Mirella, though that would be odd since she had mentioned having an important client that Saturday night. When the doorbell didn’t ring again, something stirred inside me. That wasn’t normal. Frowning, I headed toward the living room, already suspecting it was just a neighborhood kid playing a prank.To my surprise, the door was open, and I heard voi
PietraHearing my rejection, the disappointment on Andressa’s face was immediate, and it hit me hard. “Why can’t we go, Pietra?” Andressa asked, her sad eyes fixed on me.Her expression, and the question that followed, made it clear she felt I was taking away a rare opportunity from her. And in a way, I was. It wasn’t just about Anton’s invitation; it was about something much bigger. I knew opportunities like this—a morning at a wealthy family’s house, with a pool and no worries—were rare. And with Andressa’s surgery approaching, who knew when she’d get another chance to experience something like this? Recovery would be long, and even simple activities like swim
AntonI heard Pietra’s resigned sigh but didn’t let that small detail dampen the moment. The happiness I felt was too overwhelming to be overshadowed. Finally, Pietra was by my side—at least for the day—and that was all I needed right now.As I helped her out of the car and observed her siblings, Isaque and Andressa, with excitement radiating from their faces, it felt like a long-cherished dream was coming true. I had envisioned a Sunday like this so many times: Pietra and her family enjoying a peaceful, fun day together. Now that it was happening, I could barely believe it."Come on, I want to show you the pool area," I said, trying to contain my own excitement.Pietra nodded, still looking slightly uneasy, but she didn’t resi
AntonI arrived at Pietra’s house on Sunday afternoon, as we had planned, to finish watching the series we had started a few days earlier. Despite the simplicity of the plan, being with her in moments like these made everything feel easier, more complete. But I quickly noticed that Pietra was restless, uneasy, so unlike herself. Her eyes kept darting to the clock, her phone, anywhere but me. "Is everything okay?" I asked, trying to keep my tone casual. She glanced at me quickly, offering a brief smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Of course, everything’s fine," she replied, but the hesitation in her voice made it clear that wasn’t entirely true. I tried to figure out what might be bothering her. The first thing that came to mind was her sister. But Andressa was growing stronger every day, which was a relief to me, but even more so to Pietra. Three weeks had passed since the surgery, and her recovery was on track. Andressa still spent most of her time resting, and under strict medi
PaollaRage burned inside me. Eric had just told me about the latest events, and I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Aaron must have lost his mind. He was about to throw away everything we had built, our meticulously crafted plan—all of it because of that dull, insipid girl, Rebecca.I felt a wave of heat rise through my body, exploding into a mixture of frustration and indignation. The image of Rebecca—fragile and plain—dancing in Aaron’s mind was almost unbearable. And now, there was a chance she might lose the baby, the only practical purpose behind this whole mess. Without the baby, everything would fall apart, and I would not allow all our planning to be destroyed just like that. How could Aaron not see the risk of ruining both our futures over some whim?“This is unacceptable!” I shouted, my fury spilling over.“Paolla, I need you to calm down,” he said, his voice low and controlled over the phone. “I just confronted Aaron. He stormed out of the room, furious, but you nee
AaronI left the hospital feeling as if I were in a daze, unable to process what had just happened. Rebecca’s words still echoed in my mind—her cold determination to push me away… and Eric, with that almost satisfied smile, reinforcing everything I wanted to ignore.I got into the car, trying to calm my thoughts, but my hands trembled on the steering wheel. São Paulo’s traffic was slow, as always, but my mind was a storm of emotions. I passed through a series of red lights, barely registering where I was. Suddenly, I felt an impact and realized I had crashed into the back of the car in front of me.The driver quickly got out of his car, his face full of fury. He was already approaching, shouting something I could barely hear. My anger and frustration were so overwhelming that, instead of calming down, ever
AaronAt my words, I saw a subtle change in Rebecca’s face. Her eyes brightened, and she gave a soft smile, a shy but genuine gesture. It was as if a new life appeared in her expression, bringing a lightness that had seemed impossible just minutes before.“I didn’t expect you to show up here, Aaron,” she said, her voice soft and filled with emotion. “But I’m glad you’re here... I was so scared of losing our baby.”Her words hit me like a wave, filling me with a feeling I could barely describe. I took her hand, bringing it to my lips and placing a light kiss on it as if that was the only way to apologize for failing her.“Rebecca... I’m sorry for being such a huge idiot,” I whispered, the weight of everything I had done falling
AaronWhen I arrived at the hospital, I was trying to stay calm, but my heart was racing. I knew Rebecca was there, and I needed to see her. After finding out where she was admitted, I hurried in the direction indicated. But as I approached her room, a nurse intercepted me, blocking the entrance with a professional smile.“I’m sorry, sir, but the patient already has a companion. You’ll need permission to enter.”I took a deep breath, trying to process the information. I knew Eric was with her, but hearing that he was already by her side while I was stuck outside only made my anger grow. I could feel my blood boiling at the thought of him there, next to Rebecca, as if he were in control of everything.But I needed to keep
RebeccaThe nurse came into the room to let me know that my companion had arrived, and after saying goodbye to Anneliese and Pietra, I waited for Eric with a sense of unease. Lying in the hospital bed, trying to stay calm, I heard the door swing open abruptly. Eric walked in, and immediately, I felt a wave of tension. His face was filled with frustration, his eyes locked on me as if he were waiting for an explanation I didn’t know I owed. My heart raced, and my body stiffened automatically at the sight of his harsh expression.He didn’t waste any time.“How do you know Anneliese?” he asked, his voice laced with a harshness I hadn’t expected.I frowned, surprised by the question. The tension in the air was palpable,
AaronI got out of the car feeling a growing sense of gloom that was becoming harder to hide. I walked through the hall without really paying attention to the details around me — the artwork on the walls, the luxurious furniture, the muffled sound of footsteps echoing on the marble. It didn’t matter. Today, like so many other days, my mind was somewhere else.I needed a distraction. My brothers were gathered in the leisure area near the pool, playing pool. Axel and Anton were overly competitive, and it always ended in laughter or heated arguments. I thought watching their game might help me push the chaotic thoughts about Rebecca out of my head — at least for a while.But as I approached the pool table, I sensed something different in the air. The v
PietraAndressa was finally home, recovering remarkably well. That’s how the doctors described her progress every time we went for her appointments. Every time I heard those words, it felt like a massive weight was lifted off my shoulders. I was so happy, so relieved, that it was hard to put into words.However, I couldn’t deny the important role Anton played in this story. He had been by my side through all the turbulence, and now, we were dating—or at least, that’s how Anton insisted on putting it every chance he got. And me? Well, I was simply going with the flow.That’s how I ended up in a hospital, accompanying a stranger. I was with Anneliese after we’d gone to the mall to look for a gift for Paolla, Anneliese’s sister-in-law, because of her pregnancy. Everything seemed normal until we enco
RebeccaWhen I regained consciousness, the white ceiling and cold lights of the mall were the first things I saw. My head throbbed lightly, but I was beginning to piece together what had happened. The two women I’d encountered earlier—Pietra and Anneliese—were by my side, their faces etched with genuine concern. My thoughts were still scrambled, but I could hear them.“She’s waking up,” Anneliese said, relief evident in her voice as she leaned closer to get a better look at me.“I’m already calling an ambulance,” Pietra informed, her phone in hand, her posture steady and commanding. There was something about her presence that radiated control as if she were used to managing crises.I tried to sit up, but my legs felt shaky, so I let myself relax back onto the cold floor. The sensation of weakness was unnerving, and my heart was racing. I wasn’t used to feeling so vulnerable. Anneliese crouched beside me, her expression kind, as she gently placed a hand on my shoulder.“Are you okay? I