55

I woke up the next morning with a lump in my throat and an uneasy feeling hanging in the air. The atmosphere in that house was still tense, with remnants of the heated argument I had with Gael the night before. I tried to hide my apprehension as I prepared breakfast, but the tension was palpable.

As I sipped my coffee, trying to ignore the memories of the brief discussion with Gael and Ravi, an abrupt noise erupted in the room. My heart sank when I realized that Rubens had invaded the house without any prior warning. He looked desperate, his eyes wide and his face pale, but with a smile of victory on his face.

Rubens looked at me and, with a trembling voice, started shouting for Ravi as loud as he could.

- Ravi, you need to listen to me. I discovered something... something you need to know - I was immediately alert, feeling a shiver run down my spine. What could he have discovered?

It doesn't take long for Ravi to appear, as do some armed soldiers and Gael. Everyone was surprised by his presence there.

- What are you doing here? - Ravi questions immediately.

- I have something to say and I would only say it personally - says Rubens with his eyes fixed on me - You wanted proof and I found it - He turns to Ravi, taking something out of his pocket and handing it to him - You know Talita, the girl you killed? It was police. And the woman who says she's pregnant with you is also - Rubens looks at me again, with a look that clearly said I had lost it.

Ravi doesn't look away from the document in his hands.

- How did you find out about this? - he asks quietly.

- I just needed to look in the right places to talk to the right people.

- Ravi... - I say in a low tone, having no idea what should be said at that moment.

Before Rubens, my mind began to spin in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. Everything had been revealed, my deepest secret was exposed for the world to see. As I stared at Rubens, memories of all the evil he had done came flooding back, flooding my mind with a mixture of anger, sadness, and determination.

I remembered how Rubens allied himself with Talita so that she would make me lose the baby we wanted so much. It was a cruel betrayal, a diabolical plot they wove in the shadows, wishing for our failure and despair. They knew how much I fought for life, how much I wanted that child in my arms, and yet they chose to sabotage my dreams.

The pain was unbearable. I remember the moments of panic, the tears that streamed down my face as I wondered why someone could be so mean. But despite everything, I refused to give up. I fought with all my strength, faced sadness and desolation, clinging to hope like an anchor in a rough sea.

However, now, in front of Rubens, a new wave of anger emerged. I blamed him for everything that had happened. If it weren't for him, Talita would never have told Samuel about my pregnancy. It was as if he was provoking Samuel's anger, igniting the fire of revenge in his heart. And that led him to plan my death, to have everything meticulously prepared the moment he invited me to dinner at his house.

The image of the dinner invitation flashed through my mind. I remember hesitating for a moment, but the hope that everything could be resolved, that we could find a path to forgiveness and healing, spoke louder. I had faith in the goodness of human beings, even after everything that had happened. Oh, how wrong I was.

Samuel had planned every detail of that night. Every word, every gesture, everything had a sinister purpose. I felt my heart sink as I realized I was just a pawn in their wicked game. He wanted me dead, he wanted to see me succumb into his cruel hands. Terror settled in my chest as I tried to understand how someone could be so monstrous.

I knew I needed to make a quick decision. Survival now depended on me, and me alone. I looked into Samuel's eyes and saw the coldness in his gaze, the absence of any trace of compassion. At that moment, I knew I couldn't trust anyone but myself.

My heart raced as I formulated a plan in my mind. Courage sprang from a deep place within me, an instinct to protect the life I carried.

I feel overcome by a mixture of fear, guilt and despair. Rubens' words echo in my mind, each syllable like a dagger piercing my heart. Everything I feared most was unfolding before me, with no escape. The weight of my actions fell on my shoulders, slowly suffocating me.

I clearly remember the day I had to kill Talita. She was my childhood friend, the only person who knew my darkest secret. She discovered the truth about my baby, about the nature of my secret, and I couldn't allow her to lose everything. Nthat fateful night, darkness shrouded my soul and violence became my only option. Memories are a sharp knife that cuts my consciousness with each memory.

Now, standing in front of Ravi, my beloved Ravi, who avoids looking at me as if I were a stranger, I realize that my entire life has been built on a web of lies. He holds the evidence in his hands, irrefutable evidence that reveals the truth about me, about what I did. The truth I tried desperately to keep buried all that time, for my own safety.

I try to find a way to explain, to justify my insane actions, but the words catch in my throat, unable to find a voice. Ravi deserves to know the truth, he deserves to know the monster I have become. However, the thought of losing him is more painful than anything I have ever experienced.

He finally looks up to look at me, and I see the disappointment and disbelief in his gaze. I feel like my heart is being ripped into tiny pieces as I watch the image of the man I love slowly fade before me. How could I let everything get to this point? How could I have deceived myself so much that I believed I could live a normal and happy life?

Tears begin to stream down my face, but even so, Ravi maintains his silence. His expression is a mix of pain and contained anger. I wish I could go back in time, erase all the lies, all the betrayals. I wish I could go back to being the person he once loved. But now, all I can do is face the consequences of my actions.

Rubens keeps talking, revealing every horrible detail he discovered about me. His eyes are filled with contempt, but also with a strange satisfaction, as if he's seizing the moment to completely destroy me. He knows he caught me, that he managed to pull out all the truths hidden in the deepest recesses of my tormented soul.

My mind wanders to the moments I could have avoided all of this. The moments when I could have chosen a different path, a more honest path. But now it's too late. Darkness has settled permanently in my life, and the only thing I can do is face the abyss I have created.

I wish I could say that this was all a nightmare, that it was all a terrible mistake. But reality hits me relentlessly, showing me that there is no escape this time.

I feel empty, a hollow cocoon of regret and sadness. The weight of my actions is unbearable, but I deserve to carry this load. I chose this dark path and now I am forced to face the consequences. Maybe one day I can redeem myself, but now, in front of Ravi, my heart shatters into a thousand pieces, because I know I have lost him forever.

- How will we know if what you're saying is true? - Gael asks, ending the silence.

- I found enough evidence at Talita's house, including a very extensive criminal record of Lobão - Rubens looks at me the next moment - All this time, you had a lamb wolf living with you.

My heart sinks and my mouth becomes dry as I realize what could happen to me next.

- Ravi, let me explain - I say with a trembling voice. Ravi looks at me with his eyes on fire, throwing what he was holding onto the floor, before closing the space between us, taking a knife that was at his side and pressing it against my neck, while turning my body against his.

- Bitch... bastard - he says hesitantly between his teeth, pressing the knife against my throat - I loved you - Trembling, I take his hand, pressing it against my belly.

- Say hello"

-No-he says in the same second, shaking his head slightly afterwards.

- Your son is under your hand.

- Any pussy can give me a baby - He points out irritably.

-Then kill us, Ravi-I say, turning to him, looking deep into his eyes. He holds my gaze, as if he's pondering that idea, until he swallows hard.

- I have to... - He stops, kneeling in front of me, as he always did in these last few weeks, pressing his head against my belly - The fact that your mother is a traitor won't change the fact that I love you - he murmurs, before standing up and facing me - And it's only a matter of time before I kill you now.