CHAPTER 4

When Crystal was finally in the room, she was unable to concentrate on anything other than what had happened that night. With the white robe wrapped around her body and with a towel on her head, Crystal took a seat on the bed. With so many things in her head, with so many memories that were repeated there as if it were a movie, on the bureau, exactly where she had her gaze almost fixed, she managed to see one more photo. The same photo that had been in the room they had left behind was now a smaller size of the same photo. The same smile on the faces of both of them, Brandon had not been as happy as that day or at least, at least it was that one night ago that same smile had been seen on his face.

Carefully and in her hands, she took the photo from the bureau. She didn't know how or why but she had gotten involved with Brandon while he surely had Tábata on his mind.

"Why? Why did you make me fall for your charms?" Crystal asked with two tears coming out of her eyes.        

Without further encouragement and with a broken heart, Crystal took her cell phone ready to dial the only person who had always helped her and who was willing to listen to her as always.

"This is Sebastian Bennett,” he said.

"Hello, cousin, it's me, Crystal, can you come for me?”

"Is something wrong?" Her cousin asked.

"I think we can talk about that later, as soon as we see each other, I'll tell you everything, I promise.”

"Well, then I'm going there.”

And without further ado, she hung up the call. By that moment she realized that there was no need to continue crying for a man who had nothing left. Now Brandon was just another man, she had made a mistake in the worst way, she had simply felt loved for a moment to the point of doing what she simply wanted to do with a man who truly loved her in the best way. 

In less than fifteen minutes, Crystal was ready, now she was just waiting because at any moment her cousin would be downstairs waiting for her.

And that was how time finally passed, a message arrived on her cell phone. Her cousin had to be there for her now.

“I'm downstairs, please come out.” He said in the message.

Crystal took her handbag along with her cell phone and went down to see her cousin. She really needed to have someone to talk to, she really needed to tell someone what was happening to her.

Like a lady, being a woman that few can live up to, Crystal went down the stairs of her house and continued through the main entrance so that she could see her cousin who must surely have been waiting for her in his car.

As soon as her cousin saw her leaving the house, a smile appeared on Sebastian's face. There was his cousin, the same one he hadn't seen in a long time, the same one who had left him with a thousand things to say and in the end, she was the one who didn't say more.

Carefully, Sebastian got out of the truck going to his cousin who immediately ran into his arms as if she had really needed a rest in his arms. And for her there seemed to be no one else in life. For her, all that could exist was Sebastian after all the damage that her own blood, her own husband, her first love, had caused her.

"Sebastian, you don't know how much I missed you," Crystal said on her friend's shoulder.

Sebastian smiled more, she was his cousin, his little cousin, the woman he would always be there for.

"Here I am, here I am, little crybaby," said Sebastian, caressing his little girl's back.

What can we say about everything she was feeling and was letting it be known to the only person who could understand each of her feelings? What could be said about all that that could not be talked about more?

Everything else became history, Sebastian would have given everything at that moment to know what was happening in the heart of his little cousin, the sister he never had but with her, he could understand what brotherly love was.

Finally, they arrived at a restaurant, there had been a long time between them since they had not spoken, so many problems, the few things that Sebastian knew, he knew from other people. Crystal was the same one who wanted to tell him every one of her movements, but it was also true that she felt that her mouth was completely closed, she couldn't produce a single word, she couldn't say more when she already had the plan in her mind perfectly put together. She had to continue.

"Do you want something else, Crystal?" Sebastian asked when he saw that his cousin had already finished eating the dish he had ordered for her.

"No, no, thank you, thank you Sebastian, I'm fine." Crystal said, shaking her hands.

"Well, I think it's time to talk about what you haven't wanted to tell me since we got into the car.”

Crystal looked down. Of course she was going to tell him everything he wanted but all in time.

"Well, I don't even know where to start.”

"Why were you like this when I picked you up? Why that call?”

Crystal smiled slowly. The time to say everything had arrived.

It was in that way that she began to talk about everything that had happened in that time, that pregnancy that never took place, those discussions with him, that plan that began the moment she realized that she could be pregnant and everything until they got to the night before. Crystal still didn't know if it was time to say everything, she didn't know what she was going to face because it was enough to see her cousin's gesture to realize that if it hadn't been for Crystal herself, he would have already left, running against Brandon.

"I just can't believe it, Crystal!" He raised his voice, making some people at the surrounding tables turn to see what was happening.    

"Calm down, please, don't make any more drama, I beg you, look at the people the way they are looking at us.”

"And you think I care about people? I can't believe that asshole did what he did to you! Is there anything else? Tell me right now! Is there anything else?!”

"No, I can't tell you now. There is so much to tell, there is so much to tell you but I think this is not the time.”

"So when? I'm tired of you telling me things that are important until the danger has passed!”

"Please, Sebastian, I just need you to calm down and I promise I will tell you everything. But saying it now would destroy all my plans. For now I can only tell you that I need your help.”

"One more time? And how can the person who knows nothing about you or where all this is going help you?" Sebastian asked, feeling really annoyed and at the same time scared because she didn't dare say anything else.

"Please, Sebastian, don't do this to me, just don't do it, I promise you that you will know everything in due time, I can't allow myself to fail because right now is when I don't have the right to do it, I'm about to regain my freedom, and all I can ask for is your help,” she said almost desperately.

Her cousin turned to see her. She was begging for him to help her. He couldn't leave her alone when she had just told him that she was about to get her life back. The life that he himself wanted her to have back.

"And what do I have to do?” Sebastian asked.

With tears in her eyes, she smiled immediately. Once again, he wasn't going to leave her alone. It was time to continue with her plan, nothing could stop her, not even the night before that she had spent with the love from her past, he wasn't thinking about her, he was thinking about Tábata and for a moment, it was okay. The damage to her heart was better than the love Brandon felt could give her.