Daniel was also preparing himself, but in a very different way. For him that night would be hard and difficult; hard because he would have to endure seeing her with Leonard and difficult because he would have to hold back the urge to hug her. He didn't know how much he would tolerate and he was trying to psych himself up to restrain his urges. Since he had met her everything had been a whirlwind of madness for him, she had turned his life upside down making him fall in love with her like a child.
The cold man, hidden in his sadness, imposing and hard had long since disappeared. Only the facade remained, the inside had crumbled. He had only needed to see her again for everything to shake him; because for Daniel she was a violent gust that turned him upside down with nothing more than her presence. But how could he do that if the same power that had knocked him into her orbit also knocked him down?
Camila had almost had a heart attack when Beverly, in desperation, asked for one of the tickets and told her that Daniel would attend. What was he thinking? Wasn't it enough that her grandchildren, her husband and her daughter would be in the front row to see her? He would make a fool of himself! What a circus!
- Daniel is in love, Mom. Nothing you do or say will change that; nothing Beverly says or does will either. You should understand that by now and leave him alone -
- Don't you understand what this means?! -
- It means, my beautiful Camilla, that he wants to see her because he needs her, that's all it means -
- Charles! Your son is going to make a fool of himself! Everyone will see how he grovels for a woman who left him for Leonard Reed of all possible men! Because that guy will be there laughing in his face! My God! -
- You've always had a tendency to make a fuss about things no one cares about, my dear. What you should be worried about is that Daniel doesn't end up with a broken heart... And I'm sure that will happen - Charles shook his head, resigned.
- He must be desperate to go to the theater like that... Desperate to see her even with Reed in the place... It breaks my heart... - Susan also knew that Daniel would be on edge.
- I can't believe it! My son's gone mad! That woman's driven him mad! -
- That's true, Camila, he is crazy... But what man doesn't lose a couple of screws when he falls in love? I've left a lot of them behind for you... -
- This is no time for your comments, Charles! -
- Now, now, my dear... One day you may realize that your son's happiness doesn't depend on comments or gossip, it has nothing to do with his "social position", if such a thing exists, nor with "the right woman", it only depends on his heart and the courage to face disappointments... It depends on Deanna -
- For God's sake! -
- I, for one, will go to the opera on the arm of one of the most beautiful women in the county... -
Susan smiled at him.
And yes, he was crazy. But Beverly was much worse. She was going to get the brunt of the comments and gossip - accompanying her supposed partner to see the ex? It was going to be obvious that she was only doing it out of impotence, not to leave him alone with her because she knew she would lose out. She hadn't wanted to accept that she was already the loser long before Deanna left him. And she wasn't going to budge a step anyway, she had abandoned what little modesty she had left, blinding herself in a delirium that would only leave her scorned... again.
Daniel had just settled the last cufflink on his shirt when Naomi knocked on his bedroom door. She was wearing the dress they had bought with Deanna.
- Dad..." Daniel looked at her and couldn't help but remember Emily.
- How beautiful you are, Naomi -
He said it so sweetly that the girl's cheeks had turned pink. She smiled shyly at him and he thought of the martyrdom he would have to live from now on for having such a beautiful daughter.
-Daddy, are we going now? -
- Yes, is everybody ready? -
- Yes! But... Beverly is coming with us? -
- What? No, of course not... -
- Because she's downstairs all dressed up waiting for us -
Daniel was at first surprised and then all the jadedness fell like a dead weight on his back.
- Well... Tell your brothers to get in the car... I'll talk to her and then we'll go -
- All right.
Daniel got out and there she was standing there, looking at him, happy? She had put on a beautiful black dress, probably from some designer, her hair was up and she had a ruby colored envelope in her hands.
- Are you ready? - She asked him.
- I'm not going with you.
Her expression changed drastically, she let the scales peek out.
- What are you saying, of course I'm going with you! -
- No, Beverly. This stops now...
- Don't even try, Daniel. I won't let you go alone with your children to see her, are you kidding? I've spent months at your side trying to comfort you, to heal your wound, this is how you repay me? What kind of a man are you? -
- Everything you have done these months was for you, not for me, do you think I don't know what you are looking for? Don't play the role of a woman scorned because you knew very well that I wasn't going to give you anything. We never had anything...
- Nothing? What do you call what we've been doing on the sly, in the dark in your room or in the office? Is that nothing to you? -
- I was wrong...
- You were wrong? Good heavens! Don't pretend with me, Daniel, you were always more than willing... I've kept you company, spent weekends with you when you were alone... You want to leave me behind now so she won't see you with me. But by now she must have heard the rumors about us What difference will it make? -
- I'm not going with you. I don't care about the rumors or whether she heard them or not, you've got me fed up. You hover over me tirelessly looking for something you well know you won't get with me, you've gotten into the routine of my family, the routine of my work. Nothing is to help me, it's to help yourself.
Beverly was realizing that she was going to be left out. If she couldn't appeal to his manhood then she would appeal to his pity.
- Don't you realize, Daniel, what it will mean to me to you to be seen arriving alone at that premiere? The taunts I will have to continue to endure? That I've been putting up with for years... You don't care what they say, you always get away with it, but I'm going to be riddled with them... I didn't start the rumors about us, I didn't make them believe that we were together... They will see you arrive there to see your ex-wife alone and do you know who they will talk about? About me! Just do me this favor... for tonight, then I will leave the company, I will leave everything... Just let me go with my head held high... -
And Daniel ended up giving in a little out of pity, a little because if this would get her off his back it would be a small price to pay. But also out of guilt. As Beverly had rightly said he was predisposed to her "attentions".
She thought for a moment that she had succeeded: to stretch her time with him a little longer. But that night would mark the end and the beginning of many things.