Gina Died.
These words seemed like the perfect remedy to drive Giovanna insane for good. She put both hands on her head and felt like it wasn’t real. A young girl, who had dreams, was gone. And it was all her fault and her inability to face her husband.
If I had just been a little bit brave one more time, Gina would still be alive.
The memories of two days ago, when he said goodbye to Nicholas, invaded his mind. The immeasurable pain, the loss of a man who had saved him, still destroyed his heart. Now they mingled with the pain of losing his sister.
"What was so important that you couldn’t save Gina? Irma, now with the smudged makeup, held Giovanna’s blouse tightly, but the terror was in her eyes, "Why do you run away when people need you most?"
Like the pain kept her quiet, she couldn’t say anything else. Irma was still screaming, but she wasn’t the only one to feel that way.
"Since you were born you have brought nothing but misfortunes into my life," he shouted once again. Irma ran over the words demonstrating that no longer reason right.
Giovanna looked at her for the last time and turned her back leaving the hospital. At that time, already breathing the fresh air and watching the movement of the avenue just in front of her, she thought it would be good if that car had hit her that morning. It would be less painful than all the events that followed.
She couldn’t remember how she got to the car so quickly. She maneuvered the vehicle towards the road. Her world was blurred by tears. When she finally arrived at the mansion, she looked through the rearview mirror and contained a hiccup as the image of Gina, so full of life, increased in her memories. He got out of the car with difficulty, as if carrying the world on his back. The mansion was silent, only the servants did the daily services. He went upstairs and as soon as he entered the room, the pain gained immeasurable dimensions, making Giovana scream so much, that his despair echoed throughout the mansion.
Half an hour later, he went to the bathroom. The jet of strong water struck his skin as a punishment. When he finally came out of the bath, he put on some clothes and started to store all the others in his bag. He remembered that there was no more reason to stay there. Nicholas was gone, and as Antony himself had said, that marriage too. About that, she still couldn’t think straight, as if reality hadn’t knocked on her door. The pain of Gina’s death took up all the space and the guilt did not let her reason.
However, even as her mind began to slow, Giovana realized that she was not ready to leave. Instead, he sat on the bed for the last time and watched the sun fade, hiding behind the mountain, letting the darkness spread gently through the room. He wondered if one day he would forgive himself for that failure that cost his sister her life.
When he finally came down the stairs with his bags in his hands, he heard Antony’s voice coming from the office. He walked there, knowing the second voice that came from the environment. It was Ricardo, Antony’s friend.
"Did you divorce her?" Ricardo spoke softly.
Giovana took a peek and saw Antony leaning against the desk with a glass of wine in his hands, as if celebrating that moment.
"My sister just passed away, and he’s celebrating?"
She was disgusted to see him in such a position.
"You know she’s a good wife. All she did was love you." Ricardo continued.
Antony laughed, facing the man with irony.
"I never wanted her love," he frowned and drank another long sip of wine, "I only submitted to this husband role to have my share in the inheritance.
Giovana was immediately forced to stop listening. It was brutal to hear him say it out loud. Now he could understand that divorce had been a solution to half of his problems. As she walked out of the mansion, she wondered why she allowed herself to be so humiliated by Antony. For those three long years she had been treated as worthless. Antony despised her and all she did was obey him and love him.
"Where are you going, ma'am? Tania interrupted your journey, forcing Giovana to stop still at the door.
"I am no longer your mistress," she replied, looking right into the governess’s eyes, "I am divorced from Antony.
"Are you telling me you’re leaving?" There were tears in the woman’s eyes.
"Don’t whine Tania", took two steps forward, hugging Tania, "tell your boss that I’ve vacated the mansion, and that Gina’s burial will be tomorrow.
After throwing the suitcase in the passenger seat, Giovana started the car, promising not to look back. Anyway, that part of his life was resolved. It was time to make new plans. To start over.
Twenty minutes later, Tania entered the office, doing what Giovana had asked.
"Gina died?" she asked urgently, her eyes wide and the astonishment of the news spread on her face.
Antony picked up the phone and called Irma. He needed to understand what part of the story he got lost in.
"Gina needed a blood transfusion and as the hospital blood bank was empty, only Giovana could donate the blood to her sister. But for some reason, Giovana left, and when he returned to the hospital it was too late.
When the call was terminated, she sat carefully, her head throbbing, her stomach wrapped. Antony put the pieces together and came to a painful conclusion: he forced her to sign the divorce papers while Gina died in the hospital. That’s why Giovana said Gina needed her.
"I need to find Giovana," he said desperately.
"Giovana is no longer in the mansion," Tania said, "she’s gone".
His thoughts turned to Giovana, and he was invaded by a huge loneliness.
It was a rainy morning. Giovanna was standing at the window of the hotel where he had stayed the day before. As bad as she might be feeling, she knew she needed to be strong and face reality. She was alone, without a husband and without the only family I had. Gina was leaving.As she dressed to go to her sister’s funeral, she imagined meeting Antony at the cemetery. Giovanna had already imagined the scene in her mind. He would surprise her in front of the coffin, pretend he didn’t care, hug Irma, and leave. He could even feel the contempt running through his veins. But deep down, she didn’t believe he would go there. Antony never cared about anything that involved her life during those three long years of marriage, certainly wouldn’t care now.The cemetery gates were open. She ran her eyes through half a dozen parked vehicles, looking for Antony’s car, and was breathless when she did not see him.Antony was not there.He thought of the years of suffering he had spent beside him, and t
Dropping her cell phone on the sofa seat and throwing her head back, Giovana could hardly believe what she will read in the newspapers. Her face was stamped on various social media profiles as the former wife of billionaire Antony. Many of them gestured a betrayal on her part.That made Giovana’s blood boil.It had been a week since the divorce that she had snuck into the house that Nicholas had given her and had not left for almost anything. He still felt the pain of losing Nicholas and Gina. It was like a knife stabbed in his chest, which hurt, but did not bleed. The cabinets were full of food. Xavier had delivered him a clean, organized, and stocked house for at least two months. Giovana certainly wouldn’t have much to worry about, but his peace had ended that morning.Your reputation was at stake. In addition to the news that she was a traitor, Irma’s own testimony was still circulating on the Internet, accusing her of murdering Gina herself.He picked up the phone again and calle
Antony“Do you have any news from Giovana?” Antony directed his words to the housekeeper, always in an authoritative tone.“No, sir,” she lowered her head, “since she left, we haven’t spoken again.”“I hope you’re not lying to me, Tania,” he communicated with a sharp look and a dry tone of voice. “I won’t hesitate to fire you.”Those words made the housekeeper tremble. She even tried to swear on her own mother that she was telling the truth, but with an arrogance she had rarely seen in anyone, she was left behind, talking to herself. This made the mad panic.Antony locked himself in his office. His head ached every time he thought about the problems Giovana had been causing him since their separation. He never imagined that Nicolau could offer her fifty percent of the company’s shares and make it public only after he had already signed the divorce. It was as if Nicolau predicted Antony’s moves. As if he already knew that after his death, Antony would abandon Giovana.Antony didn’t hat
Matteo said something and Giovana smiled - the words got lost in the noise. In the background, over her shoulders, only a few people could be seen walking along the sidewalks. Matteo’s presence brought so much peace that Giovana had even forgotten she was pregnant.Damn, I’m pregnant! She remembered. This fact almost ruined everything else.“What did you say?” She really hadn’t heard his words.“If you’d like me to accompany you home.”It seemed like an irresistible offer to Giovana, but too risky.“I don’t want to seem intrusive,” he smiled, “but I really want to be kind and make sure you get home safely.”Was that real? Giovana wondered. Who would encounter such a handsome and romantic man wandering the streets? Matteo was surely married, and Giovana was running away from problems.“I appreciate your concern, Matteo,” she sighed, “but it’s not necessary.”She carefully assessed Matteo and noticed he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.“Okay,” maybe he realized she was looking at his hand
“Schedule a meeting with Giovanna.”Antony ordered the secretary. Valeria was wearing a gray suit that made the color of her lipstick contrast. The woman furrowed her brow, confused and irritated by that request.“I didn’t understand, sir,” she pretended not to understand.“What part of ‘schedule a meeting with Giovanna’ didn’t you understand?” his dry tone embarrassed, the woman.“What I didn’t understand is how I’m supposed to find her, sir.” She cleared her throat, lowering her gaze. She could not look into Antony’s eyes for too long. “I don’t understand what your ex-wife has to do with the company.”“You’re not paid to understand my decisions; you just need to obey them.” he stood up and handed her a card. “Call Xavier and schedule the meeting with him. Xavier knows where to find Giovanna.”Valeria held the card, confused and at the same time furious. Anyone who looked at her and analyzed her behavior in front of Antony would immediately notice that the secretary was in love with
Giovana woke up to the insistent vibration of her cellphone on the bedside table. It was already the third time the call had been ignored. When she finally decided to answer, she immediately regretted it when she heard what Xavier had to say.“Tell Antony to go to hell.”It was clear that his insults were not directed at Xavier, but when she cut off the call, she also offended him.How rude of her.She got up, feeling that her day wouldn’t be the best. She was extremely irritated by Antony’s insistence on seeing her. When they were married, Oliver rarely spoke to her. He always kept his distance and remained unattainable. Now that she was finally free from him, he relentlessly pursued her.But Giovana knew this moment would come. The reunion with Antony had to happen. She just wanted some time to prepare herself.She filled a cup with coffee when her cellphone vibrated again. Furthermore, she groaned in disappointment. She thought it would be Xavier again, with Antony’s requests, and
The ambiance’s aroma was still the same. The music playing in the background brought nostalgia with its musical notes, almost knocking Giovana out. Her body was tense, and her heart raced with each step she took towards the table. The blue veins on Giovana’s forehead throbbed. At that moment, she realized she still loved Antony, and worst of all, she missed him.With a bitter smile on her face, Giovana looked at Matteo, who pulled out a chair for her to sit. Soon, the restaurant manager appeared, smiling and happy to see Giovana again.“I’m very happy to see you again, ma’am,” he tried to be discreet, but failed miserably. “I thought I would never see you again after the divorce.”With that, she involuntarily glanced at Matteo’s bright eyes, knowing he could see the terror on her face. Matteo could read every subtle movement she made. Giovana just smiled and looked up in the manager’s direction.“I’m happy to see you too.” she couldn’t remember the man’s name because her mind was a bl
How had Antony found her?Giovana felt this question tormenting her in the few seconds where silence was all that remained between them.“What are you doing here?” With her teeth showing, Giovana felt her blood boil as she looked at Antony again.“As far as I remember, this house has always belonged to my family,” Antony said. “But I realize that Nicolaus betrayed me again when he decided to offer it to you.”“How did you find me?” A tear formed in her eyes, but Giovana managed to hold them back.“I’m the one asking the questions here, Giovana,” he took a step towards her, observing Giovana shrink. “Why don’t you answer my phone calls?”“I am no longer your wife, Antony,” she shouted, feeling ruined. “There’s no reason for me to have friendly conversations with you.”“We have business to take care of,” suddenly his gaze shifted to the male figure standing just behind his ex-wife. “Matteo was more proactive than me, finding her first.”Matteo stared at Antony, wide-eyed. Giovana quickl