Xavier took longer than he should have to arrive, or Giovana’s lack of time awareness was making her anxious, causing time to stand still. When he finally arrived, he was faced with a scene of war. Giovana's house was a complete mess. Someone had ransacked it. The man stood in complete silence for long and agonizing minutes.“Oh, this is too much for me to bear,” he whimpered in a corner of the house, away from Xavier.“Do you have any idea who did this?” he asked, analyzing every corner in search of a clue.“I don’t know,” she said with a choked voice, “But I suspect who it might have been.”“Antony wouldn’t have the capability for this.” Xavier could read her thoughts. “Besides, the main door was forced open. Antony still has the spare key.”“Aren’t you being too nice to him? Wiping her tears, she tried to think of a solution. “they’re trying to intimidate me. Look at the message they left in my room and tell me what else I should do?”Xavier walked to the room where Giovana slept a
Antony averted his anxious gaze to look around. Giovana must be baffling, he thought. The sharp look he gave her, before grabbing her arm and pulling her inside the building, left her bewildered.“What’s your baffling plan this time, Giovana?” she felt his fingers tightening around her arm. She furrowed her brow in fear as she tried to free herself.“Don’t play dumb, Antony,” she shook herself again, but he didn’t let go, “I know you were at my house, and it was you who left that message written on the wall of my room.”Antony immediately burst into laughter. He didn’t know this uncontrollable side of Giovana. When they were married, she always behaved well in his presence, quiet and completely submissive. But after the divorce, Giovana’s behavior had changed so dramatically that it scared Antony most of the time.“I haven’t forgotten that you reported me for threats,” he tightened his grip on her arm “do you really think I would go to your house to threaten you again?”“I know it was
Antony was placed in the police car, silently. When he understood what was actually happening, all he could muster was his indifference. Before being put in the car, he cast one last glance at Giovana, and she felt fear in what she saw.At the foot of the stairs, Ricardo picked up his phone and called the lawyer, then walked over to the police car and told Antony that he would resolve the whole situation. Shocked and horrified by the scene, Giovana couldn’t move, while everyone exchanged suspicious glances.At that moment, Ricardo emerged silently from the crowd and walked towards Giovana. His face was pale, lifeless, and her expression was one of guilt.“I shouldn’t have come here.” it became clear to her that those people weren’t interested in helping her, only condemning her because Antony had been arrested.“It wasn’t me who called the police,” she whispered, realizing that fear and guilt were turning into anger. “When did you ask me why I was here?Upon hearing this comment, Rica
His ex-wife’s statement completely surprised Antony. What was even stranger was that Giovana’s determination to get him out of there caused strange feelings within him that Antony couldn’t distinguish.Immediately, surprise turned into mockery. In response, Giovana couldn’t help but release an emotionless sigh as she saw him disdain her intentions.“You came to get me out of this place?” He looked at her disdainfully, still smiling. “I didn’t know you had become a lawyer.”“Don’t be sarcastic, Antony.” she crossed her arms over her chest and averted her gaze from his. “I’m saying that I will drop the charges I made against you.”A silence lingered between them to the point that Giovana lifted her head to look at Antony and was surprised by the expression of confusion on his face. It was as if he didn’t believe that she could save him.“Not that you deserve my considerations,” he said, while his words shattered the enchantment of that moment, “but it wouldn’t be fair to leave you here,
“The judge’s decision may take days.” Xavier sat next to Giovana and tried to convince her to go back home. “unfortunately, Antony will stay here.”She was disappointed, and guilt wouldn’t let her rest.“Isn’t there anything else that can be done?” she asked impatiently.“We’ve done everything we could,” Xavier stood up, ready to leave. “I advise you to go back home and wait.”Giovana didn’t say anything for a while as Xavier anxiously waited for her to decide whether she would return home or not. Giovana felt her feet aching, and her stomach was growling with hunger. Sometimes she forgot she was pregnant and didn’t worry too much about going for hours without eating, but Xavier was always ready to remind her of her true situation.“Let me remind you that you’re pregnant and need to rest,” she stood up impatiently, trying to prevent him from continuing that conversation.“I appreciate your concern,” she whispered, “but let’s not talk about it here. I don’t want Antony to find out.”Xa
After insisting a lot for Xavier to come down and spend a few minutes with her, Giovana got out of the car and headed home alone. It was different for her to know that Xavier was the only close friend she had. He was always willing to help her, even if she didn’t pay him his fees, and even if Nicolau was alive to order him to do those things.Xavier promised to take care of Giovana without any reward. And he was keeping his promise well. He took care of Giovana as if she were his own daughter.Did Xavier have children? A wife, a family to take care of and protect? Giovana realized that she knew nothing about him, which was a lack of sensitivity that she wasn’t used to.She was thinking about this as she approached the door and only noticed a box, wrapped like a gift, when she reached the porch.Giovana found it very strange. She observed the surroundings. There was no one nearby. First, they broke into her house, destroyed almost everything, spray-painted threatening messages on her b
“What are you doing here, Roberta?” The woman still had her arms wrapped around his neck, squeezing so tightly that Oliver felt short of breath.“I missed you so much, my love,” she kissed him passionately.But Antony wasn’t pleased with the situation. He held onto Roberta’s arms, preventing her from continuing with the entire scene. Finally, managing to push her away and look into her eyes, Roberta was crying uncontrollably. He seemed lost for words, his mouth hanging open for seconds.“I know I left suddenly, without saying goodbye,” she rushed her words while wiping her tears, “and you haven’t heard from me in years. But I couldn’t bear to see you married to that woman.”“And why did you come back?” Antony’s expression showed that he wasn’t happy to see her return.“Aren’t you happy to see me, Antony?” she stepped back, disappointment in her eyes.But Antony couldn’t respond. He had spent the entire day in that prison. He felt too tired and stressed for new emotions. Likewise, he l
“What are you doing here?” when she noticed Antony’s different gaze towards her. She hurried behind the door, intending to protect herself from him.Even Antony didn’t understand why he was there. He should have gone home to rest after the hard day he had because of Giovana. She didn’t deserve his consideration, let alone his respect. However, he found himself standing at the door of her house, not knowing what to say, just admiring how beautiful his ex-wife still was.“I think you’ve gained some weight,” he commented, leaving Giovana dumbfounded.“I can’t believe you came here just to tell me that,” she assessed her own body, but she believed Antony was exaggerating. “Since when do you pay attention to me?”“I didn’t pay attention,” he looked back into her eyes, “but I remember this nightgown perfectly and your body inside it. There’s something different about you.”Giovana looked into his eyes, finding the conversation strange and dangerous, considering the direction it was taking.