Episode 3

Seeing that he's worrying and asking too many questions, he sighs so quietly that it wouldn't be audible to many people, but Ingrid hears.

Ingrid: Hi ? Luiza ? Did you find my suitcase?

When no one answers, she takes her wedding dress and covers her body.

Ingrid: Who's there ?

Sebastian doesn't answer, he just leaves and Luiza arrives shortly afterwards.

Luiza: Madam, here is your suitcase .

Ingrid: Luiza? How long have you been there?

Luiza: I've just arrived, why ma'am?

Ingrid: Was there anyone in the corridor when you arrived?

Luiza: No ma'am, why the question?

Ingrid: It's nothing, it's probably just me.

I could have sworn I heard someone's breathing, maybe I'm just not used to my surroundings. I pick up my suitcase and put it on the bed, grab a change of clothes and touch it so I can get dressed properly.

After getting dressed, I'm told that Sebastian Jones needs to talk to me in his office. Luiza takes me there and, as always, I count the steps so that I can fit in and not have to bother anyone when I need something

Luiza: Do you always do that, ma'am?

Ingrid: What's counting steps?

Luiza: Yes, ma'am.

Ingrid: Yes, I do it because I need to know where each piece of furniture or wall is, so that in the future I can move around on my own without having to bother anyone else.

Luisa: I understand, but whenever you need me, you can count on me, ma'am, after all, most of the time there'll only be the two of us at home.

Ingrid: That's good, it means we'll be good friends.

Luiza is impressed by Ingrid's simplicity, after all, she is Sebastian Jones' wife! But she acts as if she were a person of no great importance, she's staying in the maid's room without even complaining, any other woman in her position would have demanded her rights, but she doesn't seem to care.

Luiza: Well, we've arrived at the office door.

Ingrid: Thank you Luiza .

I knock on the door and a few seconds later I hear his voice.

Sebastian: Come in !

I open the door slowly and take a step forward, as soon as I feel I've passed the doorframe I turn around and close the door. I stand there, after all I don't know the dimensions of his office and I don't want to bump into something and accidentally break it.

Sebastian: Are you going to stand there? Sit down .

Ingrid: I think I'll need to wear a sign around my neck to remind you at all times that I'm blind.

Sebastian: You're so flippant that I end up forgetting, take four steps forward.

I take four steps forward with my hands in front of my body, but I feel nothing.

Sebastian: Two more steps.

I take the two steps and finally feel the chair, wouldn't it be easier if he told me to take six steps?

Sebastian: For me it's four steps.

He answers as if he had heard my thoughts. I sit down and wait for him to speak. It takes about three minutes and all I hear is the rustling of sheets of paper, a little wind and the sound of the sheets being thrown onto the table.

Sebastian: These are the papers you need to sign.

Ingrid: What is it about ?

Sebastian: You don't need to know, after all, we have an agreement, don't we?

Ingrid: Yes, that's right, could you tell me where to sign?

Sebastian snorts, but Ingrid hears the sound of his chair moving away and then footsteps, a few seconds later she feels the warmth of his body next to hers.

As he bends down, the scent of his perfume invades Ingrid's nose, he touches her hand and places it just above the line. But Sebastian looks at Ingrid's face, her features are delicate, she looks like a little girl, for a second he wants to touch her, but comes back to reality when Ingrid turns towards him and asks;

Ingrid: Is this the only sheet to be signed?

He scratches his throat and says;

Sebastian: No, there are still three more sheets, sign right here.

He shows her all the places where she needs to sign and once it's all signed he sits down again.

Sebastian: All right, we need to talk about something else now.

Ingrid: So how are you going to get back at my family?

Sebastian: No! About the house .

Ingrid: Ah !

Sebastian: I will fulfill my part of the agreement, don't worry, but I need you to understand, our marriage was discreet, I need everyone to believe that you are the bride everyone says committed suicide, understood?

Ingrid: Yes, I am the substitute, but nobody can know, this is to clean up your bad reputation, right?

Sebastian: Yes, because I need to become an important businessman. You will say that you hid because you ended up going blind and had some problems adapting.

Ingrid: You're really going to use my impairment to your advantage?

Sebastian: Of course, I need to benefit from this somehow.

Ingrid: Okay, anything else?

Sebastian: Yes, I'm hardly ever at home, so feel free during your stay here. It was stupid of me to put you in the maid's room, you can choose one of the rooms upstairs.

Ingrid: It was, but I prefer to stay with Luiza, she seems nice.

Sebastian's thoughts

Seriously? I got lectured by Jonatan for putting her in the maid's room, and now I try to be nice and she wants to sleep in the room with the maid? This is a joke!

Sebastian: Do as you please, we will see each other very little, you can leave now.

Ingrid: Okay.

She stands up, takes a step to the left, turns completely and takes exactly six steps to the door, opens it and leaves. It must be really difficult not being able to see anything and having to be careful all the time.

Leaving his room, I start counting the steps. It has been three years living like this, counting my steps and adapting. At the beginning, it was really difficult, I cried every night because I bumped into everything and had bruises, especially when Helena put things in the way just to see me fall. I think everything would be different if my mother was still here, she always understood me and knew the right thing to say. My mother taught me to treat an employee the same way I would like to be treated because respect is essential for coexistence.

She would surely be disappointed with Helena and my father for what they did to me, but I will make them learn their lesson. It's better to see them suffer now and improve, than to wait until it's too late and do things that can't be undone.

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