Episode 2

The alarm clock rang at seven in the morning, as on every other morning of the last few years. But this time, Clara didn't turn it off immediately.

She lay there, staring at the ceiling, feeling the weight of the previous night still hovering over her like a suffocating blanket.

The side of the bed where Eduardo used to sleep was empty.

Maybe he had slept in the guest room. Or, who knows, maybe he hadn't even come back after she went upstairs. She didn't care. For the first time in a long time... she didn't care.

Clara got up slowly. She went to the mirror and stared at her own image.

Her eyes were swollen, her skin pale... but there was something new in her gaze. Something she barely recognized. A glimmer that wasn't of pain... it was of anger. Of decision.

She picked up her cell phone, opened the browser, and typed without much thought:

"Job Openings – Marketing – City Center"

She didn't know where to start... but one thing was certain: she needed to occupy her mind. She needed a plan. She couldn't depend on him for everything anymore. Not after everything.

In the kitchen, the smell of fresh coffee surprised her.

Eduardo was there, like a dedicated husband, fiddling with his cell phone with a cup in his hands.

"Good morning." He said, without lifting his eyes from the screen.

Clara stopped at the door, staring at him for a few seconds. His naturalness disgusted her.

"Good morning." She replied, dryly.

She grabbed a mug, poured coffee, and leaned against the counter, watching him out of the corner of her eye.

He was dressed as always: impeccable suit, perfectly aligned tie, hair slicked back. The same Eduardo that she loved for so long... but who now seemed like a stranger inside her own house.

"Did you sleep well?" He asked, as if he hadn't suggested, hours before, that they have an open marriage.

She took a deep breath.

"Wonderfully well." She replied, with an ironic smile.

He finally raised his eyes to her, clearly surprised by the answer. But he soon returned to his cell phone.

"I have an early meeting. I'm leaving now." He said, grabbing his car keys.

Clara just nodded, taking a sip of her coffee.

He went to the door, stopped for a second, as if he wanted to say something... but he didn't. He just left.

The sound of the door closing sounded like a sign of freedom.

After she was alone, Clara went to the bedroom, opened the closet and stared at the lined-up clothes. Delicate dresses, silk skirts, shirts she wore for social lunches, charity dinners, and meetings with her facade friends.

She picked up an old pair of jeans from the bottom of the drawer, a white T-shirt, and sneakers.

She looked at herself in the mirror and smiled slightly.

"Back to reality."

She sat down at the notebook and started updating her resume. It had been years since she had touched that document. In fact, since she had quit her job to "dedicate herself to the marriage," as Eduardo had suggested at the time.

She took a deep breath as she wrote her own name at the top of the file.

It was almost symbolic.

A new version of herself being born... there.

She spent the morning sending resumes to marketing agencies, consultancies, and even startups that she didn't even know. She didn't care about the position, the salary, nothing. What she wanted was to have a life beyond him. To have somewhere to go. To have a reason to leave the house every day.

In the early afternoon, while making a list of old contacts to reactivate, her cell phone vibrated.

A message notification.

Sender: Miguel Duarte

Clara froze.

Miguel...

The college friend.

The guy who, years ago, she always saw as "just a friend," but who today... suddenly... seemed like a comfortable memory.

The message was simple, but direct:

"I saw your resume on LinkedIn. Are you back on the market? If you want, I know some people. We can talk."

She smiled, for the first time in days.

The universe... was starting to conspire.

She put her cell phone in her pocket and, for an instant, felt her heart beat differently. Not for Eduardo. Not out of anger. But out of a new curiosity. Out of a lightness that she hadn't felt in a long time.

She knew the road would be long...

But, somehow... she was starting to like the idea of starting over.

And Eduardo...

He should get ready. Because that Clara...

No longer existed.

The rest of the afternoon passed slowly, but with a strange kind of relief. Clara kept busy sending resumes, reorganizing the desk she hadn't used in ages, and even researching online courses for professional development.

Each small gesture seemed like a victory.

A silent affirmation that she was, finally, regaining control of her own life.

Around six in the afternoon, she heard the sound of the electronic gate opening.

Eduardo was back.

Clara remained in the bedroom, sitting at the notebook, reviewing an old portfolio of campaigns she had done before she got married.

She heard the sound of the front door being opened, his footsteps in the hall, the sound of the key falling on the counter, as he always did.

Everything so the same... and at the same time, so different.

Minutes later, he appeared in the bedroom doorway.

"Have you been here all day?" Eduardo asked, leaning against the jamb, with that casual tone that annoyed her even more. "You didn't even come down for lunch."

She just glanced at him.

"I was busy." She replied, dryly.

He frowned.

"Busy... with what?"

She turned the notebook screen, letting him see the open resume, the job sites, the company tabs.

For an instant, Eduardo was silent, as if he didn't know what to say.

"You're looking for a job?" His voice carried a mixture of surprise and poorly disguised disdain.

Clara shrugged.

"Yes. I thought an open marriage would go better with an independent woman." Sarcasm dripped from every word.

He chuckled, a little nervously.

"Clara... you don't need this. You don't need to expose yourself to this kind of stress... of demands..."

"Don't worry." She interrupted him. "I can handle it."

He took a deep breath, running a hand over the back of his neck. He walked to the middle of the room, stopped behind her.

"You know I've always taken care of everything for you..."

She turned the chair slowly, facing him.

"You always wanted me to depend on you, Eduardo. But, from now on... that's over."

The two were silent for a few seconds.

He forced a smile, clearly uncomfortable.

"Clara... look... about yesterday... I know it was a shock. But... we can find a balance in all this. Without drama."

She laughed, this time without any humor.

"Without drama? After everything? After cheating on me blatantly and still having the courage to suggest this circus?"

"I'm just trying to be honest." He retorted, crossing his arms. "At least... I'm giving you options."

"Oh, thank you for your generosity." She got up from the chair, walked to the bedroom door, and, before leaving, cast one last glance over her shoulder. "You can rest assured, Eduardo. I'm going to take advantage of every one of these 'options' you've given me. And when you realize it... it'll be too late."

She left the room with her heart racing, but with her head held high.

For the first time in a long time, she felt like she had started breathing again.

And, deep down... she knew that that conversation had only been the beginning.

Because if Eduardo thought she was going to continue being the woman who lived in his shadow... he was very, very wrong.

Later that night, before going to sleep, Clara picked up her cell phone again.

She opened Miguel's message.

She read and reread it.

And finally replied:

"We can talk. Whenever you're available."

And, as she pressed the send button, Clara smiled.

This time... a real smile.

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