Chapter 248
After a morning of intimacy and peace, they joined everyone at Carlos's house for breakfast with Gisele. They arrived just as the food was being served.
As usual, Théo focused on his food, oblivious to the adults' conversations. Carlos and Nelson Legrand were planning a fishing trip to the lake at noon.
Lilian and Gisele chatted animatedly, while Ethan, beside her, ate in contented silence. “Auntie, when do you plan to return to Araraquara?” Lilian's question was casual, but her intention was surgical.
If she wanted to meet her mother without her father and brother knowing, she would need Gisele's help to lure her out of the house.
“Well... the plan was to stay just one night. But after finding out about you and my grandson Théo, I decided to extend my stay. Why?”
Gisele stared at her, curious.
Lilian couldn't reveal the plan there, with Théo and Nelson at the table. She just asked Gisele to walk with her in the garden after breakfast.
Soon the meal was over, and everyone went their separate ways. Ethan reluctantly went to his office, promising that Lilian would join him later, after her conversation with her aunt.
Walking through the garden, under the pretext of digesting their food, the conversation flowed. Gisele talked about her life in Araraquara, about the pain of losing her husband years ago and the joy of raising her only son, Liam, now a freshman at a prestigious university.
Lilian listened, happy for her aunt, but a pang of sadness struck her. She barely remembered her cousin. Time and distance had erased his face from her memory.
Time and distance had become thieves, stealing Lilian's memories of her other family. Most of her life had been lived far from Araraquara, in the capital and abroad, a world apart. Even after marrying Ethan, visits to her hometown were few and fleeting.
Now, sitting on the patio overlooking the lake, the calm of the setting was the opposite of the storm Lilian was about to unleash.
She dropped the bomb with frightening calm, informing her of her plans to fly to Araraquara on Sunday. Gisele's reaction was immediate, an explosion of panic and concern.
“Fly there!? Lilian, what are you thinking!?” Gisele grabbed her hand, her eyes wide with alarm. “Are you going to confront your father and your uncles? No... no, please don't do that. They'll destroy you.”
“Auntie, calm down!”
But Gisele squeezed her hand harder, her voice desperate.
“No, Lilian. I can't let you go alone. I'm coming with you. Don't you dare refuse me...”
Her aunt's visceral concern touched her deeply.
She patted her hand gently, a reassuring smile forming on her lips.
“Auntie, I'm not going alone. Ethan is coming with me.”
You don't need to worry about my father and uncles doing anything.
The mention of the attack by the bandits, a confession from the night before, hung between them. Gisele understood.
“Thank God. If Ethan is with you, it's okay,” Gisele sighed, relief visible on her face. “So... are you really going to confront them?”
Lilian shook her head.
“No. It's not a confrontation. It's a meeting. I intend to find my mother. I want to tell her everything. About Ethan, about me... and about Théo.”
Gisele's eyes overflowed.
“Oh, Lilian... I'm so happy that you're finally going to look for your mother...” Her voice trembled.
“You don't know... since last night, I wanted to call Juci, tell her everything. But I promised... I promised I would keep the secret.”
Lilian smiled, a gesture of pure gratitude.
Suddenly, Gisele's laughter echoed, loud and clear.
“Now I'm happy you made the right decision, my dear Lilian...”
Gisele knew about the rift in the family, about the pain that the fake divorce had caused. Seeing Lilian take a step toward her mother was a balm.
“But, auntie, I need your help.”
The surprise on Gisele's face was evident. It was the first time. The first time her niece, so independent and strong, had asked for her help. She would do anything.
“Lilian, why do you suddenly need my help?” she asked, her forehead furrowed in confusion.
"Auntie, I'm going to Araraquara on Sunday. I don't want my father or my brother, Josh, to know that I'm going to see my mother. If you could take her to a safe place so I can meet her in secret... it would be a huge help.“
Gisele's response was instantaneous.
”Of course. Of course... I'll do that for you," she nodded, her mind already working, planning. She would have to fly back the next day, prepare the ground, find the place. “I'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Do you have any special requirements?”
“None. Just... don't let anyone know. Especially my mother's driver. Thank you, Auntie.”
“You don't have to say it. If her driver knows, your father will know right away. That man is his spy,” Gisele replied, her voice laden with bitterness.
“Thank you...”
A wave of relief washed over Lilian. The meeting would be safe. Her concern now was not for herself, but for the consequences for her mother. Because if her father found out about this secret meeting, he might torture her mother again.
The memory still burned in Lilian's mind: her father's hands, used not to caress, but to discipline with the force of his fists. Abuse that extended to his children and wife. A monster disguised as a man.
While Lilian and Gisele sealed their dangerous pact, the universe, in its cruel irony, mirrored the darkness in Araraquara.
In the gilded cage of her room, Juci was at her limit. Mental and physical exhaustion had finally broken down the barriers of her resistance. The personal hell that consumed her in silence could no longer be contained.
The previous night had been the drop of blood that overflowed the cup. The time had come. She would tear herself from the clutches of the sadist she once loved, Leandro Arbex. Divorce, a ghost that had haunted her for years, was now her only salvation.
His threats? Let them come. Let the devil take him. She didn't care anymore.
Juci needed to escape that hell. One more day there and she felt she would die, suffocated by the torture.
She deserved happiness, even if the price was cutting ties with her family—no, with her demon husband and her traitorous son, Josh Arbex.
And Lilian? Her daughter... Juci didn't even know her whereabouts. It was as if the only light in her life had decided to go out, to hide from her. The calls, one by one, fell into the void of a blocked number.
How could she survive when even her last hope had abandoned her?
Desolate, Juci felt the world lose its color. It was better to leave everything behind.
With a sigh that carried the weight of a lifetime, she looked at the closet. The clothes, the jewelry... trash. She didn't need any of it.
She grabbed a few random items, essential documents, and threw everything into a suitcase.
In moments, it was done.
For the last time, she scanned the room that had been her prison. She wiped away a stubborn tear and dragged the suitcase toward the door.
But her reflection in the mirror paralyzed her.