Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 71 - Chapitre 80

Chapter 71In the days that followed, everything seemed to fall back into place. Routine returned to normal, classes went on without new incidents, and on the farm life flowed with its usual calm. But not every silence was a sign of peace.On a night of heavy drinking and partying, Henrique was surrounded by a few classmates, loud music playing and the strong smell of alcohol mixing with the resentment he carried in his chest.“I’m sick and tired of Thomas,” he said, tossing back another drink.One of the boys laughed mockingly.“Isn’t that just jealousy?”Henrique slowly turned his face, his gaze cold.“I don’t need to be jealous of anyone. He’s the one who needs to get out of the way… so I can be with Penélope.”The others exchanged uneasy looks until one of them spoke without really thinking.“My dad works on that farm. He mentioned a white mare… Snowflake, I think. Looks like it belongs to Thomas.”Henrique slowly raised his head. The alcohol did not erase the twisted glint that a

Chapter 73Thomas Carter was now thirty-five years old. He ran the farm in his father’s place, since his father no longer worked due to age. His mother and father traveled frequently.Many times, Thomas spent entire days alone on the farm. Perhaps because of that, when he saw a serval being kept at a man’s house—someone with no experience whatsoever in caring for that kind of animal—he felt a tightness in his chest. Without thinking twice, he offered a generous sum of money to take it away from there.Thomas knew that animal did not belong there. The serval paced back and forth inside the improvised enclosure, restless. The man spoke excitedly about the animal’s “exclusivity,” but it took Thomas only a few minutes of observation to understand: there was no proper handling, no respect, only vanity.“He’s not a domestic cat,” Thomas said firmly. “He’s going to end up hurting someone… or getting hurt.”The man shrugged, laughing, until Thomas mentioned the amount he was willing to pay. A

Chapter 75She woke to the soft morning light flooding the room, filtered through the pale curtains of the cabin. For a moment, she didn’t move. She just breathed deeply, trying to understand where she was.Then she turned her face.There, beside her, slept the most handsome man she had ever seen in her life.Thomas looked different in the daylight. Less somber, less closed off. His face was relaxed, dark hair slightly tousled over his forehead, lashes casting faint shadows on his tanned skin. Juliana smiled without realizing it.This is crazy… A good kind of crazy.She didn’t know what would happen when he woke up. She didn’t know if this would continue or if it would remain one of those intense stories that begin at the end and finish before the beginning. But, in that moment, she wanted to go on. She wanted to discover who he was when he was awake.Careful not to wake him, she stretched out her arm and grabbed her phone from the small table beside the bed.The screen lit up, and he

Chapter 77While they had coffee with the cake Cláudio had made, the conversation flowed easily. At one point, Zacky set his cup down on the saucer and asked bluntly,“Did you come back to stay?”Maurício exchanged a quick glance with Andréia before answering,“May we?”Zacky broke into a sincere smile.“Of course. Your house is just the way you left it. I had it painted; it’s clean and airy. I always believed that one day you would return.”Maurício nodded, visibly moved.“Thank you, brother.”As soon as they finished their coffee, they got into the cars and drove up to the house on the hill. The place seemed frozen in time, yet it was welcoming. The scent of recent cleaning mixed with that of old wood.While they were putting clothes away in the wardrobe, Andréia noticed her daughter sit down on the edge of the bed, bringing a hand to her stomach and closing her eyes for a moment.“What is it, my dear?” she asked, moving closer.Juliana took a deep breath before answering,“I think

Chapter 79Thomas took a step forward, his heart pounding far too hard inside his chest.His throat tightened and his eyes began to burn.“Penelope…”Juliana felt as if the ground had given way beneath her feet. That name was not hers. It never had been.She blinked a few times, trying to absorb the impact.It wasn’t her he was seeing.It was a ghost.Juliana swallowed hard. The knot in her throat threatened to turn into tears, but she refused.Orion let out a deeper growl, sensing the sudden shift in his owner’s energy. Thomas finally seemed to come back to himself.It wasn’t Penelope.“I…” his voice faltered. “No… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…”Juliana lifted her chin, even though she was hurt.“It’s okay,” she said, her voice surprisingly steady, though her eyes shimmered with unshed tears. “I’m used to it.”Thomas felt his world collapse the instant he realized his mistake.“No… no… Juliana, I swear I didn’t do it on purpose…”She took a step back, trying to keep her distance.“I k