The silence between them was as thick as the walls of that luxurious apartment. Henrique read the newspaper on his tablet, as he did every morning. Alice drank the coffee she had prepared herself, even though she knew he preferred the one from the automatic coffee maker. There was a routine between the two — not of partnership, but of survival.

"Are you coming home late today?" Alice asked, trying to sound casual.

Henrique raised his eyes for a second. His expression was neutral, almost cold.

"Probably. I have a meeting with investors in the late afternoon."

She nodded, disguising the lump that was forming in her throat. How long had it been since he had touched her? Had looked at her as a woman? Maybe he never had.

They had been married for just over two years. A decision made in haste, soon after the pregnancy test came back positive. He got straight to the point, as always:

"If it's mine, we'll do what's right."

At the time, Alice believed that time would bring love. That living together would awaken something real. But what was growing between them was only distance.

"Henrique..." she ventured, squeezing the mug tightly. "I made an appointment. I thought it best to have another ultrasound."

He showed no interest, nor enthusiasm. He just nodded, returning his eyes to the tablet screen.

"Let me know if you need me to sign anything."

That was all. No questions about how she was feeling. No mention of the baby.

Alice took a deep breath. The absence of affection no longer hurt as much as before. Now, it hurt in another way: like a deep cut that stops bleeding, but never heals.

Henrique finished his coffee and stood up.

"I have to go."

She accompanied him to the door, as always. He grabbed his jacket, adjusted his shirt cuffs, and before leaving, hesitated for a brief second.

"Take care."

It was almost affection. Almost. But Alice knew that "take care" was more of a habit than a demonstration of real concern.

When the door closed, she rested her forehead against the cold wood and let a tear run down.

She was tired of being almost everything. Almost a wife. Almost loved. Almost happy.

Hours had passed since Henrique left. Alice tried to keep herself busy, organizing every corner of the house, as if arranging things could also arrange her own life.

At lunchtime, she faced the table set for two — a habit she never abandoned —, even knowing that she would eat alone, as she always did.

She sat down, picked up the fork, but before the first bite, her hand instinctively rested on her belly. It was too early to feel anything. The pregnancy was just beginning. But inside her there was a stubborn hope... and an even greater fear.

"Will you give me the strength to continue?" she whispered, caressing her womb.

On the other side of the city, Henrique was in his office. Impeccable suit, serious look, unwavering posture. He was admired, respected, feared. A man who did not let emotions show, at least not to most people.

"Henrique..." his assistant called, knocking on the door. "There's someone who wants to talk to you. She doesn't have an appointment, but she said it's important."

He frowned, impatient.

"Who is it?"

She hesitated before answering, almost uncomfortable.

"Bianca... Bianca Oliveira."

For a second — just one —, Henrique's world stopped. The name he tried to bury in the depths of his memory reappeared like a stab in the chest. His body stiffened. His breathing became heavy.

"Send... send her in," he ordered, regaining his cold tone, even though his heart was racing.

While waiting, he adjusted his tie, running his hands through his hair as if he wanted to control not only his appearance, but also the turmoil that was beginning to form inside him.

The door opened slowly, and there she was. The same face, the same sweet perfume, the brown eyes that, one day, he swore he would never see again.

"Henrique..." her voice sounded low, almost apologetic. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"

He didn't respond immediately. He just watched her, trying to ignore the mixture of anger, longing, and pain that was beginning to invade every space in his chest.

"What are you doing here, Bianca?" he asked, dryly, his jaw clenched.

She smiled crookedly, that smile he knew well — half sweet, half poisonous.

"I needed to see you... I needed to talk to you." She took a few steps, stopping in front of his desk. "And, honestly... I couldn't get you out of my head anymore."

Henrique leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. He tried to maintain a firm, unwavering posture. But inside... inside, he already knew that this visit had the power to turn his life upside down.

Back at the apartment, Alice, unaware of anything, placed her hands on her belly and whispered:

"We'll be alright... We will."

But a pang in her chest said that not even she believed those words.

The silence in the office was broken only by the sound of Bianca's heels against the marble floor. Each step she took made Henrique clench his fists even tighter, trying to contain the whirlwind that she inevitably brought with her.

"I..." Bianca sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I didn't know if you'd see me. Actually, I didn't even know if I should be here. But... I needed to."

He didn't answer immediately. His gaze was hard, suspicious. His whole body was tense.

"You shouldn't be," he replied, dryly. "After everything... it doesn't make sense for you to show up here. Not anymore."

She bit her lower lip, feigning nervousness. In fact, every movement was calculated.

"I know I hurt you, Henrique. And I won't pretend I didn't make mistakes. But..." she lowered her eyes, as if she were vulnerable "...I suffered too. I regret it so much..."

He got up, walked to the window, looking at the city outside. For a few seconds, his silence was heavier than any words.

"You left me... without looking back." His voice was low, bitter. "You disappeared. Just like that. Years... Bianca."

She took a deep breath, walking slowly towards him.

"I was young... scared... and stupid. I thought I needed things that... in the end, never made me happy." She touched his arm, which stiffened. "And... all this time, you know who never left my head? You."

Henrique closed his eyes. The truth is, as much as he tried to deny it, her name always inhabited somewhere inside him. A name he never managed to erase completely, even after getting married... even after trying to build a life with someone else.

"Why now, Bianca?" He asked, slowly turning to face her. "Why after so long?"

She took a deep breath, tears forming in her eyes. False, but convincing.

"Because..." her voice faltered "...I found out that... I lost you once... and I couldn't bear to lose you again."

Henrique clenched his jaw. He felt torn. Part of him wanted to throw her out of there. But the other part... the weaker one, perhaps... still belonged to her.

"I'm married, Bianca," he declared, in a desperate attempt to remind himself of reality.

She nodded, lowering her head.

"I know... and I won't lie... it hurts me. But I didn't come here to cause problems, Henrique. I came because... I needed to see you. And... if there's still any chance, I... I want to try."

Silence settled in again, heavy, suffocating. Henrique didn't answer. He simply stood there, looking at her as if he were seeing a ghost from the past that he never managed to exorcise.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Alice arrived at the clinic for her ultrasound. She walked alone, holding her bag against her chest as if that could protect her from the emptiness she felt.

She sat in the waiting room, looking around and observing couples smiling, holding hands, sharing expectations. She was the only one alone there.

Why is it always like this with me? she thought, fighting back tears.

The cell phone vibrated. A name on the screen: Henrique.

For a second, her heart raced. Who knows, maybe this time he would ask how she was doing. Who knows...

She slid her finger, anxiously, but what she found was just a short, cold, almost automatic message.

"I won't be able to make it. Let me know if everything goes well."

Alice's hands trembled. She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and forced a weak smile, trying to convince herself that it didn't hurt. But it did. As it always did.

She held her belly, swallowed her cry, and whispered softly:

"It's okay... You have me, my love. And I... I have you."

And, for the first time, a silent voice inside her began to shout:

You don't deserve to live like this. Not anymore.

Henrique ran his hands over his face, walking back and forth in the office, trying to organize his own thoughts. He was always rational, always focused. But Bianca... Bianca was his weakness. Always had been.

"You can't just show up like this, Bianca," he said, more to himself than to her. "My life... my life moved on."

Bianca approached, lightly touching his arm, with that look she knew how to use like no one else - a mixture of regret and desire.

"Did it really move on, Henrique?" Her voice was low, soft, almost a venomous whisper. "You look me in the eyes and tell me, with all certainty, that you forgot me? That you never thought about me... not even once?"

He squeezed his eyes shut, taking a deep breath, fighting against the weight of memories.

"That doesn't matter anymore," he replied, looking away. "You made your choice, Bianca. And I... I got married."

She nodded, crossing her arms, pretending to accept. But her smirk betrayed that this game was far from over.

"Of course. With... what's her name again? Alice?" she said with false sweetness, as if the name had a bitter taste in her mouth. "Your... wife."

Henrique didn't answer. He just clenched his jaw, maintaining his rigid posture.

"And tell me, Henrique..." Bianca took another step, now very close, so close that he could smell the perfume that once drove him crazy "...do you love her?"

The silence that followed was more revealing than any words.

Henrique didn't answer. Because, deep down, he knew he didn't. Never loved her. Never even really tried. He married out of responsibility, out of honor, out of a sense of duty... but not out of love.

Bianca smiled, satisfied.

"I figured..." she whispered, before picking up her bag and walking to the door. "I didn't come here to force you to do anything, Henrique. I just wanted you to know... that I'm back. And, if you want... I can still be yours."

Before leaving, she cast one last look, full of ulterior motives.

"Think about it."

When the door closed, Henrique fell into the chair, running his hands over his face, suffocated by a whirlwind that he had been pretending didn't exist for years.

Hours later, Alice returned from the clinic. She walked through the empty apartment, holding the envelope with the ultrasound images. Her eyes were swollen from holding back tears, but the forced smile didn't leave her face.

She put the images on the coffee table, looking at them as if searching for a strength she didn't know she had.

She picked up her cell phone, hesitated... and, against her own will, typed:

"Everything's fine. The baby is fine."

The message was sent, but no response came.

She sighed, lay down on the sofa, and pressed a pillow against her chest, trying to suffocate the emptiness, the pain, the weariness.

How long am I going to live like this? How long am I going to settle for crumbs? she thought, as a lone tear rolled down.

Little did she know that, at that very moment, Henrique's heart was torn between the past he never overcame... and the present he never valued.

The clock read almost eight at night when Alice heard the door open. The sound of the keys, his footsteps. For a second, her heart raced. She wanted to believe that he would ask about the exam. That, at least this time, he would look at her differently.

"Hi," she said, forcing a smile.

Henrique left the keys on the counter, took off his coat, and replied without even looking at her:

"Hi."

She swallowed hard.

"I... I brought the ultrasound images. If you want... I can show you."

He didn't even stop what he was doing. He took off his watch, loosened his tie, walking to the bar to pour a shot of whiskey.

"Later. Not now." His voice was dry, distant.

The silence that followed was so deafening that it seemed to scream inside Alice's head.

She closed her eyes, squeezing her hands tightly over her legs so she wouldn't collapse right there.

At that moment, without her knowing, Henrique was holding the glass of whiskey so tightly that his knuckles turned white. But it wasn't because of the baby. It wasn't because of her.

It was because of one thing that hadn't left his mind all afternoon:

Bianca is back.

And, although he didn't want to admit it... part of him knew that, from then on, nothing would be the same.

The clock struck six thirty in the morning when Alice woke up, as she did every day. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the kitchen as she prepared breakfast, even knowing that he probably wouldn't even touch it.

That's how it was. It always had been. And she, stubborn, kept trying.

She set the table, put out the toast, fruit, coffee... Everything in its place, in the foolish hope that, who knows, today he would notice. Who knows, today, he would ask about the baby, or at least look at her.

She heard Henrique's firm footsteps approaching. The sound of his shoes hitting the floor always caused a mixture of anxiety and pain.

"Good morning," she said, with the sweetest voice she could muster, holding back a smile.

He entered, adjusting the buttons of his shirt, and replied, dryly:

"Morning."

He sat down, took a cup of coffee, but didn't touch anything else. His eyes were fixed on his cell phone. He typed, replied to messages, and, from time to time, a smile appeared... a smile that Alice hadn't seen in so long.

She clasped her hands in her lap, trying to disguise the discomfort that was beginning to burn inside.

"Will you be late today?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

He didn't even look up.

"I don't know. I have some appointments."

"Appointments?" She frowned. "From the company?"

Henrique put down his cell phone for a moment, took a deep breath, and replied, impatiently:

"Alice... I don't have to give you an account of every step I take, do I?"

It was like a punch. She lowered her head, not knowing whether to hold back tears or anger.

"No... of course not," she replied, swallowing the lump in her throat.

He got up, grabbed his blazer, and, before leaving, said without even looking at her:

"Take care of yourself. And... rest. It's better for the baby."

And, just like that, he left.

The door closed, taking with it any hope that Alice still harbored.

She took a deep breath, protectively squeezed her belly, and, with a choked voice, whispered:

"He... he's never going to love me, is he?"

Hours later, in the office, Henrique was restless. He shuffled papers, but his concentration was zero. His thoughts were... on her.

Bianca.

The cell phone vibrated, as if the universe were conspiring.

Message from Bianca:

"I thought about you all day yesterday... Can we see each other today?"

Henrique squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep breath. He was fighting against something inside himself. Against reason, against the little responsibility that still remained.

But, in the end, his finger slid across the keyboard:

"Tell me the place and time."

Upon sending it, he felt the weight of the mistake... but didn't stop.

Late afternoon. Alice, alone in the waiting room, awaited the doctor for another check-up. In the room, other women laughed, accompanied by their partners. Holding hands, sharing knowing looks, smiles full of love.

She looked at the empty chair next to her and felt her chest tighten.

She wished she didn't care. She wanted to be strong. But it hurt. It hurt so much that it seemed that, at any second, she would collapse there, in the midst of strangers.

The doctor entered, smiling.

"So, Mom, how are we doing?"

Alice forced a smile.

"We're fine... I think."

"And Dad, couldn't he come?"

She just lowered her eyes, clasping her hands in her lap.

"He's busy..."

The doctor noticed, but didn't insist. She just took Alice's hand and said, gently:

"You're not alone. Never forget that."

Those simple words were like a knife. Because, in practice, she was. More alone than she had ever imagined being.

Meanwhile, in an elegant restaurant in the city center, Henrique held a glass of wine, looking at Bianca, who smiled, seductively.

She touched his hand, sliding her fingers smoothly, provocatively.

"I missed you so much," she whispered, looking into his eyes.

Henrique took a deep breath, pursed his lips, and, even though part of him screamed that it was wrong, he let himself go.

Because, at that moment, all he wanted... was to lose himself in her.

Alice arrived home exhausted, physically and emotionally. She threw herself on the sofa, again holding the ultrasound images.

The cell phone, once again, remained silent.

No messages. No questions. No interest.

She closed her eyes, pressed those images tightly against her chest, and, amid tears that she could no longer hold back, said:

"I waited for you, Henrique... I waited for you so much... But, perhaps, the time has come to accept that... I'm tired."

The clock was already past ten at night when Alice heard the apartment door open. Her eyes, swollen from crying so much, immediately turned to the entrance.

For a second—just a second—her naive heart filled with hope. Maybe he had missed her. Maybe he was worried. Maybe...

But the smell of feminine perfume that invaded the room killed any illusion.

Henrique entered, loosening his tie, and didn't even look in her direction. His steps were firm, indifferent. His face? Full of satisfaction. But not from her. Never from her.

"You're late..." Alice's voice came out weak, almost a whisper.

He didn't even bother to pretend.

"Business dinner," he replied, curtly.

Alice clasped her hands, fighting against the tears that were already threatening to overflow again.

"Henrique... you hardly look at me. You hardly ask about the baby..." Her voice broke in the middle. "What's happening to us?"

He finally faced her, but his gaze was cold, distant... almost cruel.

"Alice, don't start." He ran a hand through his hair, impatiently. "You knew from the beginning that our marriage wasn't for love. Don't demand from me what I never promised."

She brought her hands to her mouth, trying to contain the sob that tore through her throat.

"I... I just wanted you to care. Just a little, Henrique... just a little."

He laughed, dryly. A bitter laugh, without any hint of pity.

"Care?" He crossed his arms, staring at her. "You want me to lie? To pretend that I'm happy, that this is perfect? Because it's not, Alice! It never was! And you knew that!"

Each word was like a stab in her chest.

"I'm... pregnant." Her voice came out small, painful. "Pregnant with your child, Henrique! And you... you act as if I were invisible."

He looked away, squeezed his eyes shut, taking a deep breath.

"I didn't ask you for this." His voice came out low, bitter. "I never asked you to get pregnant, Alice."

Her world simply crumbled at that moment.

She held her belly instinctively, as if wanting to protect that little being from the poison that came out of the father's mouth.

"God..." she whispered, staggering backward, bringing her hand to her forehead, as if wanting to wake up from a nightmare. "I don't believe that you... that you were capable of saying that."

Henrique didn't answer. He picked up his car keys again.

"I'm going out." His voice came out cold, as if speaking to a stranger. "Don't wait up for me."

"Go out?" She blinked, incredulous. "With whom, Henrique? With whom? Are you going to tell me it's with Bianca?"

The name made him freeze for a second. Too short for someone who didn't want to be caught... long enough to confirm all her suspicions.

"It's none of your business," he replied, harshly, before slamming the door behind him.

Alice fell to her knees in the middle of the room, crying like never before.

Her whole body trembled. Her soul was in pieces. Never, not even in her worst nightmares, did she imagine that the man she loved would be capable of destroying her heart so much.

She held her belly, between tears and sobs, and whispered, with a broken voice:

"I waited for you... I waited for you so much... But, now... now I'm... tired."