Aaron
Driving to Rebecca's apartment, my heart felt heavy, weighed down by a decision that seemed increasingly absurd. The idea of having a child with her—of being part of this insane plan—felt more like a prison than a solution. I wanted control over my family’s empire, but at what cost? More and more, I felt like I was losing control of my own life.
When I parked in front of her building, I seriously considered turning back. But the image of Rebecca, with her green eyes that seemed to see through me, kept me rooted in place. I climbed the stairs hesitantly, each step amplifying my uncertainty. I rang the doorbell and waited, my mind still racing to prepare for what was about to happen.
When Rebecca opened the door, for a moment, all my doubts vanished.
AntonI watched as Pietra walked briskly toward the taxi, her legs moving with the urgency of someone eager to escape an uncomfortable situation. She climbed into the vehicle almost in a single motion, offering only a quick wave before the car drove away.I sighed, still sensing traces of her presence in the air—a blend of perfume and mystery that left me intrigued. Pietra was an enigma I desperately wanted to solve, yet she maintained a barrier that felt impenetrable.Still, the dinner that evening was a small victory for me. I managed to glean a few valuable details about her life, fragments of a puzzle starting to take shape in my mind.I learned why Pietra hadn’t been able to continue her studies in London and about the weight of the respons
PietraI huffed in frustration as I ended the call with Anton. He always acts like the most important person on the planet. Just because he has no responsibilities, he assumes no one else does either. My thoughts were a whirlwind as I tried to focus on my work at the diner, but the anger distracted me every second. "Is everything okay at home, Pietra?" Grandma Maria’s gentle, concerned voice pulled me back to reality. "Is there a problem at home?" She always seemed to sense when something was bothering me. "Everything’s fine, Grandma Maria. My siblings are doing well," I replied, trying to ma
AntonDinner at my grandparents' house was better than I could have imagined. The tension in Pietra was palpable, but she carried herself with a dignity that only increased my admiration for her. My family also surprised me. Even my grandfather behaved courteously, without the usual pressure he often exerted on new acquaintances. That was a good sign. Leonel Baumann rarely had positive opinions about people he had just met.When dinner ended, I found myself in the car with Pietra beside me."Can I drive you home?" I asked, trying to sound casual.Pietra shook her head, her expression firm."No, thank you, Anton. I'd rather take a taxi.""Are you sure? It's late, and
RebeccaIt had been six consecutive nights that Aaron had come to my apartment, and I felt fulfilled and whole. The moments we spent together were precious, and I cherished them to the fullest. But deep down, I was trying to keep both feet on the ground. I knew Aaron had been coming to see me repeatedly for one reason: I was in my fertile period, and he needed to ensure that an heir would be "produced" during our passionate moments.I was young and, until recently, inexperienced when it came to sex, but I wasn't that naive. With easy access to information on the internet, I perfectly understood Eric's intention when he took me for some tests after my encounters with Aaron had not resulted in a pregnancy. Aaron wanted to make sure he wasn't wasting his time with me.Despite this, I had decided to take e
RebeccaAfter finishing dinner, Aaron stood up and, with a gentle gesture, helped me to do the same. "Thank you for dinner, Rebecca," he said with a sincere smile. "It was nothing, just some homemade food," I replied, once again trying to downplay the situation. "It was the best homemade food I’ve ever had," he stated, and before I could protest, he kissed me softly on the lips. Without warning, Aaron scooped me into his arms, making me squeal in surprise. He laughed at my reaction as he carried me toward the bedroom. "What are you doing?" I asked, laughing. "Now that we’re properly fed, I want to watch a movie with you," he said casually. "A movie?" I repeated, surprised.We had never done anything like that together. "What movie?" "I overheard my secretary talking about one with the office boy, and it got me curious," he explained. I felt excited at the idea of sharing a simple, intimate moment with Aaron, something I could treasure when we were no longer together. Once we re
PietraI had spent the entire week accompanying Andressa to specialist appointments and medical exams. I couldn’t work because I was taking care of Andressa, and Grandma Maria had to find someone to replace me at the diner since I was completely consumed by the situation. My sister’s surgery was scheduled for Monday, and the tension of waiting loomed over us like a heavy cloud.Anton hadn’t contacted me again since I declined his invitation to meet on Sunday. It stayed on my mind constantly. I couldn’t understand what was going through his head. Anton had paid a high price for his time with me, but he wasn’t acting the way I expected him to. Not that I was complaining—I wasn’t in any rush to fulfill my part of the deal—but his silence was strange.As the days went by without any news from Anton, a certain sadness and discouragement started to set in. I didn’t want to admit it, but I couldn’t help wondering why he disappeared. Maybe he had found another distraction, something more enjo
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
AaronAxel sat across from me, the envelope containing the test results resting between us like an invisible barrier. Even though he had repeated countless times that the baby wasn’t his, seeing the negative result printed in black and white stirred something strange in my chest.Axel, always confident, studied my expression with a scrutinizing gaze, noticing my restrained reaction.I tried to hide what I was feeling, but it was difficult. Antonella, the girl who claimed to be pregnant with Axel’s child, was someone looking for fame and fortune. She had even admitted as much during the argument at Axel’s apartment on Saturday, as he had told me.But the truth was that, for a moment, while I had been holed up in the old bedroom of our grandparents’ mansion, the possibil
RebeccaI couldn’t stop thinking about Aaron and the intense way he had appeared at the hospital. Still, with all these thoughts swirling inside me, I kept a calm facade. I knew the doctor would only discharge me if I appeared well enough, and being stuck in that place was already making me restless.But my mind kept drifting back to Aaron—and inevitably, to Eric. I was furious with him for the way he treated Aaron, almost as if he was determined to keep him away from me at any cost. At the same time, I knew the two of them were best friends and that, somehow, they had come to an understanding. It was best not to interfere. Deep down, I knew their conflict went far beyond what I could control. Still, it was unsettling to see Eric act that way.When he finally left me alone, promising to return in the morning, I felt a relief
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