Episode 3

Valentina: Dad, can you please stop? I feel very nauseous.

I struggle to speak, holding back the urge I feel.

Lorenzo: I ask Santos to stop, Valentina needs to go to the gas station bathroom. She comes back a little pale, she has always felt sick on long trips, since she was little.

Are you feeling better, my love?

Valentina: A little, Dad.

I say as I hug my father. I notice Souza's concern and look away. This couldn't get any more embarrassing.

Lorenzo: We'll wait for Valentina to feel better and then continue the journey. Alice hasn't said anything yet, but I'm worried about Valentina's sadness.

Valentina: We finally arrive at the beach house. I get out of the car and head towards the beach barefoot, I move away a bit and notice Souza following me. For a moment, I forgot that he is my bodyguard on this trip.

Souza: Are you feeling alright, Miss Valentina?

Valentina: I'm fine, thank you.

I don't want to be alone with Souza, so I silently head back towards the house. I just wanted to feel my feet touching the sand. I go up to my room and change. I grab a bikini and call everyone to go to the beach. No one wants to go and I feel frustrated. I don't want to go alone with Souza, but I need to get out for a bit.

Come on, Mila, please.

(Camila, 18 years old. Claudia and Angelo's daughter)

Camila: Later, Tina. I want to enjoy these delicious babies.

Valentina: I silently head to the beach, take off my dress and sit on the rocks to sunbathe. I love the feeling of the sun touching my skin.

Souza: Luckily, I'm wearing sunglasses because I can't look away from Valentina. She has a sculpted body, with mesmerizing curves. She's beautiful and extremely sexy. I remember her in lingerie, her smooth and fragrant skin. I can still taste her lips, it's impossible to forget!

Valentina...

Valentina: The sun is blocked, I open my eyes and Souza is standing in front of me. He takes off his sunglasses and gazes at me deeply and intensely.

If it's about yesterday, I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I know you're a respectful man, I was impulsive and didn't want to jeopardize your job.

Souza: I want to apologize for speaking to you so rudely. I judged you and offended you, I'm sorry.

Valentina: You're forgiven. Can you forgive me too?

Souza: It's in the past, Valentina.

Valentina: Everything is clear now, thank you. I'm going for a swim, excuse me.

Souza: Do you know how to swim?

I ask, more concerned than I should be.

Valentina: I've known how to since I was little, and I'm great at it. Don't worry.

I walk away from Souza feeling suffocated, I enter the ocean and calm my heart. I love this feeling of freedom in the water, swimming calms me. In fact, everything in nature calms me.

Souza: Valentina has fun in the water and I keep an eye on her. She comes out of the sea smiling and I can see that she feels lighter. We silently head back to the beach house and the rest of the day flows peacefully. I will be professional with Valentina, I don't want to mix things up. We come from different worlds and I need this job.

Valentina: I decide to shift the focus away from this Souza situation, everything is clear now and despite really liking him, I believe he will never look at me the way a man looks at a woman. He's ten years older than me and more experienced. I value his opinion about spoiled girls. I will focus on my college and my career.

I make the most of the trip, the babies are the highlight and we fight over them. I start to think about having children, it's a dream and I know they will come at the right time.

We go back to college and I decide to forget about Souza, it wasn't an easy task. I was closed off to relationships and had difficulty opening up. I met Rafael, an incredible man who is kind and very polite. Even my father liked him and we dated seriously for a year. It was an intense year with college and exams. There was desire and chemistry between us, he was my first man, but there was nothing more than respect and friendship between us. It was a good year, it helped me forget about Souza and get to know myself better. We decided together to end our relationship in a mature way, without fights. We remain friends and after our breakup, I didn't get involved with anyone else. It has been eight months without a kiss, but the truth is, I can't just be with someone for the sake of it.

Time passes and I finally graduated, I worked hard and succeeded, now I am anxious to start working in my field. Gustavo is starting his residency in Seattle and I am going to open my own office. We are coming back for Theo and Camila's wedding, we are staying for good. The pregnancy revelation during the vows and Klenia catching the bouquet was exciting. The party is perfect and it's wonderful to have everyone in the family together, going from table to table catching up with everyone. Pedro is getting more beautiful each day, he looks just like Theo and it's scary how identical they are. He is very affectionate and I am completely in love with him.

I was very happy and emotional about Cecilia's pregnancy, another beautiful miracle from God in this family. We have every reason to thank God's infinite kindness towards us. I can see God in the details, acting and taking care of all of us. I feel that up until now, I have lived my 21 years very well and I know that many good things are still to come.

Gustavo: I am heading home when some oblivious, clumsy woman bumps into me and splashes me with a glass of champagne.

Can't you pay attention to where you're going? Damn!

Emma: That was rude, it was an accident!

Gustavo: I stare at the woman in front of me with an intense look that lingers longer than it should, I straighten my suit and leave without bothering to respond to her.

Emma: How rude!

The man walks away and I try to clean myself up, ending up getting dirty as well.

Valentina: What was that? What intense eye exchange was that, Gu?

Gustavo: There was no exchange of anything, Tina, stop being crazy. That clumsy person splashed me with champagne and that was it. Why are you looking like that?

Valentina: Nothing, let's go home!

I look at Souza one last time with a woman leaning against the car. He notices my gaze and I look away, it's not possible that after all this time, this man still manages to affect me this way.

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