Episode 16

Sara: Alone, I close my eyes for a moment and can feel the weight of Alan’s body pressing down upon me. Panic seizes me, and I retreat to the closet for refuge.

Adam: Hearing Sara's sobs, I find her tucked away in the corner of her closet, reminiscent of the first incident when Alan harassed her. It’s me Sara, I’m here to lift you up and away from the ground.

Adam: I hold Sara while her body quivers and her sobs reverberate through the closet. I sit with her in the armchair, as Sara curls up in my lap and rests her head on my shoulder. We stay in silence until her trembling ceases and sleep claims her. I carry her to bed and lie beside her, torn between drawing her close or letting her be. She whimpers softly in her sleep, prompting me to draw her into my chest as I fall asleep too. Come morning, Lize enters, her face a mask of surprise as she holds a breakfast tray.

Lize: I take a deep breath to restrain myself from confronting that damned opportunist Adam.

"Good morning, Sara dear."

Sara: "Good morning."

I reply, feeling somewhat sheepish as Adam silently gets up, adding tension to the air.

Lize: Adam gets up, goes through his morning routine, grabs clothes, and exits the room quietly like the perfect psychopath he is.

"Sara, what exactly is going on between you and the devil Adam?"

Sara: Truthfully, nothing; I just feel safe with him, that's all it is.

Lize: Beware Sara, Adam is cold and mean-spirited. He had a fling with a friend of mine—I hardly recognized her after their affair ended; he is heartless!

Sara: "Don't worry about me, Lize."

Lize stays and chats with me, but I'm too troubled to eat much. Adam introduces me to Juliana. She's a psychologist and will be seeing me. I’m apprehensive, but Lize stays by my side. As I start to open up, Juliana explains that I’ve suffered a panic attack yesterday and refers me to a psychiatrist too.

Otavio: Paying Adam a visit, I find him in his office with an expression of sorrow I’ve never seen before. I greet him, and for the first time, we engage in a personal conversation—he looks distressed and can't even pinpoint his feelings.

Adam: "I must let her go, Otavio, she's not safe with me."

Otavio: "Sara’s unstable, dealing with a lot. Give her time before having this talk, Adam. Didn’t you say she arrived here physically hurt—could her father have been abusing her?"

Adam: "He came to visit her and they seem to have a good relationship. I feel like my head is about to explode!"

Otavio: Keep calm Adam, just breathe. Sara needs you right now. Let me see those wounds on your hand?

Adam won’t let me look, but the bloodstains on the bandage suggest it wasn't properly changed. I head to the kitchen to ask Katy to keep an eye on him before leaving and bump into a lady I’ve never seen around here.

Lize: I apologize, feeling remorseful.

I say this trying to mask that I had been crying. I descend, feigning I need a drink of water, so Sara doesn’t see me cry. Hearing her talk to the psychologist was intense.

Otavio: "Is everything okay?"

Lize: "Yes, thank you for asking."

Otavio: "My name is Otavio, I'm a friend of Adam."

Lize: "Excuse me, Otavio."

Otavio: "Won't you introduce yourself?"

Lize: "You say you're Adam’s friend, right? That alone is enough reason for me to naturally want to keep my distance."

Otavio: The lady leaves and I chuckle to myself; Adam sure knows how to make people despise him. After chatting with Katy in the kitchen, I take my leave.

Lize: I bid farewell to Sara and depart, waiting in vain for a taxi that doesn’t show.

Otavio: "Need a lift?"

Lize: "No, thank you."

Otavio: "Lize, right? Taxis won't be available for a while. It's just a ride!"

Refusing Otavio’s offer, I eventually wave down a taxi home after an hour's wait.

Adam: Juliana leaves a referral for Lize and departs. I forward it to my secretary to schedule a psychiatrist for Sara and check on her. Entering the bedroom, I see her sleeping in a fetal position, uncertain if it's from fear or cold. I cover her up and settle into an armchair to work from home so I can watch over her. After finishing up, I notice Sara awake and pensive.

"Need something?"

Sara: "Why were you so cruel to me before, Adam?"

Adam: "Why bring this up now, Sara? This isn’t the time for such a discussion."

Sara: "I just wanted to understand, Adam. I helped Lize escape, but wouldn’t you do the same for a sibling?"

Adam: "No, Sara, contracts are agreements made and not to be broken. Lize left me at the altar—do you know how much that would resonate? The contract wasn’t my idea, Mileide approached me and offered her daughter’s hand in exchange for a very lucrative deal for her family; maintaining that agreement was the least I could do."

Sara: Unaware, she said your insistence was the reason for the marriage. Regarding Lize, she was scared, having dreamt of marrying for love all her life. A contract like that is terrifying!

Adam: "Mileide walked into my office with a picture of Lize, I accepted the deal knowing the benefits. As for being cruel, I'm a man of my word, Sara. I've already told you, in my anger, I gave you precisely what I promised. I wanted to hurt Mileide, and you played a role in Lize's escape plan."

Sara: I sit in silence, lost in thought. Adam might not be aware, but he gave Mileide exactly what she desired.

Adam: Sara takes a shower, and I notice she hasn't applied the ointment on the bite. I descend and ask Josiane to assist with the ointment and her dinner. Later, I reflect by the pool before heading up to see Sara already asleep. She seems better today. After steadying her post-nightmare with an embrace, I distance myself as she returns to sleep. She mustn't develop an emotional dependency on me; I'm not equipped for that.

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