Benjamin stopped in the middle of the street, with the sun already setting between the mountains, and could hardly believe that Antonella had so much power to leave him so stunned. Surrounded by the tumult of journalists who had unbelievably waited for him to come out, they surrounded him with questions. He was neither willing nor patient enough to answer any of them, and, after a lot of thought and finally managing to get rid of the journalistic pressure, he decided to go home.
To hell with what they would say afterward.
Although it wasn’t a wise decision, all Benjamin wanted was to take a long bath and rest. As soon as he entered the house and found Carlota crying, his plans were thwarted.
“The newspapers said you’d been arrested.” She grabbed him tightly. “ What’s happening to you, Benjamin? First, you cancel the engagement party, and then you’re arrested.”
“Nothing’s happening, Mom,” he
“Where are we going, Daddy?” Adam asked as Benjamim fastened his seatbelt, with him sitting in the back seat.“To a place you love very much,” he said, then looked into the boy’s eyes and smiled. “Mommy is very eager to see you.”But that didn’t satisfy Adam’s boundless curiosity, and he spent the entire ride asking questions. Benjamim held back as much as he could to keep from spoiling the surprise, but as soon as the car turned onto the dirt road, Adam’s eyes widened, and with a smile, he said he knew where they were headed.They were going to Aunt Carmella’s house.It was enchanting to see how Adam behaved on the farm. He even seemed happier when he was there. It had been a long time since Benjamim had seen such a genuine smile on the boy’s face.He remembered the previous night and the emptiness he felt without Antonella by his side. It took him a long time to fall asleep. It was like a gray and silent night without her company. They texted, and he talked to her for a while. Somet
A sharp look made Benjamim pull Helen away so quickly that she almost stumbled out of the house. Benjamim’s heart pounded uncontrollably in his chest. What could he say to Antonella? Or worse, what could Antonella be thinking at that very moment?When Helen turned her head, she finally understood the sudden reason for Benjamim’s rejection. She immediately moved closer to Antonella to apologize for the giant misunderstanding.“This was all my fault.” Her voice was shaky, and her tear-filled eyes didn’t sway Antonella. There was something about this woman that Antonella detested, though she couldn’t say exactly what it was. “I showed up unannounced and hugged him. Forgive me, Antonella.”The look grew even sharper, this time directed at Helen.Antonella swallowed her anger as she walked past the woman, who, despite appearing fragile, remained impeccably beautiful. She tried not to notice, so as not to feel like a complete failure herself. All she wanted was to go upstairs, grab some bel
Enrico refused to return to Benjamim’s house. He preferred to remain there, with the TV tuned to the news channel, to see if Alessia would get arrested and tarnish the family’s reputation.“I need to stop Carlota from running too,” Benjamim said to Antonella, while she shared her intention to stay there with her father.“I’m so sorry for everything that’s happening.” Antonella wrapped him in her embrace, resting her head on his chest.Benjamim breathed in the sweet scent of her hair and, closing his eyes, said softly, “It wasn’t your fault.”Then they said goodbye. She sat on the couch next to Enrico and kept watching the news, waiting for any mention of Alessia’s arrest. After a few minutes, Inspector Vladir returned to Enrico’s house and questioned him again.Soon, everyone would know it was the father who turned his daughter in to the police. Now, Alessia was a fugitive from justice, accused of murder.Benjamim’s eyes turned dull when he arrived home and saw that Carlota was gone.
Benjamim and Antonella were climbing the stairs. Gently, he held her hand, and Antonella stopped and looked deeply into his eyes. She needed to tell him how special his presence was to her and how much his support and the love he showed were meaning to her.“I couldn’t do this without you,” she said as he turned to look at her. “You don’t know how important it is to have your support right now. Alessia killed Fred, and I know how special he was to you.”Benjamim silenced her with a kiss. He loved kissing that woman. The taste of her lips was sweet, and he could do it all day until his tongue was tired.“I’m the lucky one to have you as my woman,” he whispered. Antonella, I adore you. I never tire of saying it, and you don’t know how happy I am now.”“I…” She was ready to say she loved him too, but Enrico’s presence suddenly interrupted them.Antonella felt she wouldn’t be able to look her father in the eyes now that she knew the whole truth. Perhaps it would be better to prepare a cha
They arrived at the house with Vladir still intrigued by Benjamim’s silence. He should have been excited about the fact that the inspector finally decided to do what he had wanted for so long, but Benjamim seemed distant. His mind was anywhere but there with him.They got out of the vehicle with a flood of questions trapped in Vladir’s throat, ready to be unleashed, but Benjamim was quicker.“I ask that you don’t execute the search warrant until I tell Carmella.” Vladir looked at him, considering that Benjamim was asking for more than he should. “You won’t mind, will you, inspector?”“Of course, I don’t mind,” Vladir said, walking around the vehicle and stopping in front of Benjamim. “As long as you tell me what you’re hiding from me?”Benjamim had known Vladir for so long that he knew he would notice his odd behavior. His intention wasn’t to hide the truth, but to buy time and be prepared to reveal it.“Why do you think I’m hiding something?” Benjamim asked.“You should be thanking m
Benjamim could feel Alessia’s body trembling, her face overtaken by fear. She teared up and struggled, in vain, to free herself from his grip.“You’re bluffing,” she finally realized, realizing it was useless to fight him. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”“You know I’ll find out the truth,” he said, releasing her so suddenly that Alessia stumbled, losing her balance. “I can hire the best investigators and discover everything you and Carlota did.”Alessia knew he could. Her expression changed. She took a few seconds to catch her breath, trying to gather her thoughts, but the anguish in her chest exploded.“You’d do anything for Antonella, wouldn’t you?” It was painful for her to reach that conclusion, and she almost couldn’t continue. “You’d pay any price to clear her name, as if she deserved any consideration.”Benjamim could feel Alessia’s hatred radiating from her. He looked at her, trying to understand her motives, but there were none. Alessia had always been treated as