After fully recovering from Matheus' presence, I went to Natan's office. He was busy, so I decided to go work instead. He would let me know when the results were out, and I couldn't spend all my time with Pedro.
I worked normally in the morning. At lunchtime, I went to the usual restaurant to eat. My friend Brenda joined me, and we chatted for a bit. She mentioned that her ex, a toxic guy, had started messaging her again.
"I'm at my breaking point, ready to take legal action against him... I've told him countless times that I don't want him bothering me anymore... But he just doesn't get it," she said, sounding tired.
"I would have done it already," I replied.
"Doubt it. You're still hung up on Matheus. That's why you still have that silly look on your face," she teased. I frowned. "No point in making that face. I know you still like him, Rafa, even though he was an idiot. And I wouldn't be surprised if you got all hot and bothered when he hugged you."
"It's not that big of a deal," I defended myself.
"I remember how you used to tell me how much he affected you," she rolled her eyes.
"I was young, Brenda. And I was still a virgin. Any male contact would get me all riled up. It was those damn hormones," I said, trying to brush it off.
"And now? Are you blaming it on the 'damn hormones' again? Unless you've been with a man without telling me... It's been six years since you had anything with a man," she said.
"You can be annoying sometimes, you know?" She laughed. "Come on, I need to get back to the store. The jewelry for the latest collection I designed is being delivered today. I want to have a look before they're displayed. And also... I'm anxious to know the test results."
"Everything will be fine, my friend. I have faith," I reassured her.
We smiled at each other, paid the bill, and went our separate ways. Despite working just a few meters apart, my store was across the street from the building where she worked.
I arrived at the store and headed straight to the design area. Since I was responsible for most of the drawings, I had free reign in almost every department. I entered the room where they were finalizing the final piece and was enchanted.
It was exactly as I had drawn it. This last piece was a special request from one of our oldest customers. Every time she comes to the store for an exclusive piece, she only wants to be attended to by me. For this request, she asked me to create something using only what I already knew about her.
Having known her for years, I sketched it in two days. The piece is a short necklace made entirely of gold. She had told me I could use three types of stones if they matched my main idea, so I used pearls, emeralds, and quartz.
Her design consisted of three frontal flowers, with a larger one in the center and two smaller ones on the sides. The flowers are fixed, but the chain complements the piece with a clasp containing an extension, ending with a pearl drawn at the tip.
The small flowers are only 1cm in size, while the larger one is 1.7cm. The piece became delicate, elegant, and with a unique identity that completely represents my client.
"It's perfect, guys," I said, looking at the rest of the collection, which was also exactly as I had drawn. "They're all perfectly finished."
"Can we send them to the store now?" Marcos, the supervisor, asked.
"Yes, you can. But not this one. This one is a special order, so send it to my office. Congratulations, guys. Another perfect job."
They nodded with smiles on their faces. I left the design area and went to my office. I didn't bring the piece for Mrs. Lafaiete because our superior had to evaluate them all and confirm the price I suggested.
The rest of my afternoon was spent checking all the work. The notification about the test results came around 4 p.m., just when Ana finished her class. So, I picked her up first and then called Matheus.
"Hello?" he answered.
"It's me, Rafaela."
"Hey, Rafa. Is something wrong?"
"The results are out. I'm heading to the hospital. I'll see you there," I hear the sound of a door opening and closing.
"I'll be there in a few minutes," he hangs up before I can say anything.
I drive to the hospital, and today I brought Ana along. I could have dropped her off at home, but I'll let her play with Pedro while I talk to Natan. When I arrive at the hospital, Matheus is already waiting, and it's at that moment that I remember... He's going to see Ana...
"Daughter."
"Hi, mommy."
"Listen... Mommy is going in with a... friend now, okay?"
"Okay, mommy."
"I'll leave you in the room with Pedro, and mommy will go talk to Dr. Nat and the friend, alright?"
She nods with a smile, and I step out of the car. Matheus walks towards me when he sees me get out, but his expression changes when I open the back door for Ana. His eyes widen as he looks at the both of us.
"Hello, mommy's friend. My name is Ana Laura," she looks at him a bit strangely.
"Hi, Ana... I'm Matheus. You're beautiful."
"Thank you," she gives a huge smile, while I hold back my tears.
"Let's go... Natan is already waiting for us."
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