At 10 p.m. New York time,Thomas sat on the blue couch in the living room, examining documents just delivered by his trusted aide, Louis, who was now sitting across from him. He took a deep breath as he looked at photos of Erland with another woman, scrutinizing each one."Oh my God," he whispered, observing Erland standing next to a car with a woman who appeared to be pregnant, then proceeding to photos on an airplane staircase where they exchanged glances, hugged, and entered the plane.It all seemed romantic until he recognized the woman with his son also at the party a few days ago."Isn't this the woman who made the cake for his anniversary with Tiffany?" He stared at Louis in disbelief."Yes, Sir," Louis nodded firmly. "Her name is Maelie Luisa, from Sacramento. She's been married to your son for about 3 years, but they've been living fairly modestly. However, recently they've been living quite lavishly... It seems Erland has revealed his true wealth to her, showering her with w

Hawaii, 9 p.m.Erland and Maelie had entered a villa they rented, close to the beach. The man escorted his wife to rest in the room and then ordered food from the housekeepers."My shoulders ache so much," murmured Maelie, sitting on the edge of the bed wearing only pants and a bra, then tying her hair."I'll massage you," Erland replied, quickly sitting behind Maelie and massaging her shoulders and back gently.Maelie fell silent, closing her eyes while bowing her head, feeling so tired and wanting to sleep."I want to sleep," she said. "Can you massage me while I lie on my stomach?" she asked weakly."No... You can't lie on your stomach," Erland replied, furrowing his brow. "That's bad... Don't you remember that you're pregnant with twins?""Ah... Yes." Maelie smiled shyly.Erland embraced Maelie's stomach from behind, then caressed it while occasionally kissing her shoulders."I'm sorry," he whispered."Why apologize?" Maelie asked, leaning her head on Erland's shoulder, slowly str

Maelie fell silent, gazing deeply at Erland, realizing that his anger was part of his greed and selfishness, his cruelty towards Tiffany, His parents, and even towards herself."Are you aware of how wicked you are?" she asked softly, pressing her fingers against Erland's chest. "You deceived me, lied to your wife, lied to your family, and now you want to kick your wife out of your life and not care about the problems your parents will face because of you... That's very wicked, Erland... You're selfish... You prioritize your happiness without considering how much we suffer!" she continued firmly."So, now you blame me?" Erland murmured."You are indeed to blame.""Is trying to be happy is wrong?" Erland asked, his eyes slowly welling up, as if deeply hurt by Maelie's words. "I've told you from the beginning, I got everything I wanted, yet I wasn't happy. And you were my only hope... But now you want me to prioritize them... Did they ever think about my feelings? Do you want me to sacri

At 6 in the evening...Erland took Maelie back to the beach after staying in the villa since noon. The man wearing a white suit demanded his graceful wife, who was wearing a long white dress with open sleeves, letting her hair loose and not wearing any footwear."Anyway, I like walking barefoot on the sand," murmured Maelie as she walked. "I love the cold texture of the sand."Erland smiled."I'm glad to make you happy. Maybe we'll buy a new house near the beach," he said.Maelie immediately frowned."You always do this, giving me things I like without thinking that they're expensive!" she said irritably.Erland just chuckled."Don't do that!" exclaimed Maelie."No, I won't... I'll run out of money, besides, I'm just a marketing manager," Erland replied, looking back to find Maelie smiling. "Sometimes I wish I were just a marketing manager, so we'd stay together... You don't demand me to be with Tiffany... I think that's the profession that brings me luck.""You never really worked li

"Enough, my dear..." Erland gently released Maelie from his embrace, then kissed her forehead and wiped away her tears. "Don't cry anymore. It makes it hard for me to leave."Maelie tried to stop her tears."I'll be back as soon as possible, you have to be careful here, okay?""You have to be careful too... Don't get into new trouble... I'll always wait for you."Erland smiled, kissed Maelie's forehead again, and quickly helped wipe away her tears. Then he invited her to leave the room and continue walking towards the terrace where Tommy was waiting with Amanda and Leo."Boss," Tommy greeted."Let's go," Erland replied, quickly heading towards the car while his wife stopped on the terrace with Amanda and Leo.Maelie watched Tommy's car drive towards the gate, haunted by Erland's face sitting inside. Suddenly, a longing so painful emerged that she couldn't hold back her tears any longer."Sis?"Amanda turned and noticed Maelie crying, then immediately hugged her."I used to be sad ever