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09. Negotiation
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He Can't Forget Me 10. Ideological falsehood
"I don't like it, Mariana." Walking beside her was James, the man who met her the day the girl discovered the betrayal; the man who had saved her life. He repeats with more emphasis:"I don't like it at all!""I know, James, I don't either. But believe me, it's the only way.""Mariana-""It's going to be all right.""How is it going to be okay? Because out of the blue your ex-mother-in-law and your ex-brother-in-law want to get close to you? You told me yourself that-""Yes, James, but you have to trust me. I know what I'm doing, nothing bad is going to happen to me.""If nothing bad is going to happen to you, then why did you feel obligated to bring me in as a witness?"Mariana stops walking. The two are minutes away from arriving at the park, the location of the arranged meeting between Mariana, Isabella and Maxwell."You trust me?"I-""Do you or don't you?"Overcome by fatigue, James sighs deeply before answering:"Yes.""Thank you."Mariana gives her friend a tight hug. The two
He Can't Forget Me 11. News
Alone inside the huge and increasingly lonely house, the businessman Maximilian Philips, lying on the floor with a bottle of whiskey beside him, looks up at the ceiling.The chandelier is radiant, imposing, and in itself already demonstrates a luxury that the man had once made a point of boasting.But now, what was it but a handful of cut glass with light bulbs inside?Max takes another sip of whiskey.The new maid, Lanis, knocks twice on the door before entering;"Mr. Philips, you have a visitor."Send them away," he retorts. His voice is pasty from excessive alcohol consumption."But, Mister Phillips, it's a-""I've already sent away!""Yes, sir."Of course, after the divorce, women in love with him, who had always desired him and sighed when he passed through the halls, would go after him like bees go for honey.But Maximilian wanted none of them.The drone had lost its queen bee. And worse: because of his own malfeasance.Staggering, Max stood up and took six long sips from the bo
He Can't Forget Me 12. A new reality
Two weeks had passed since the terrible encounter in the park.Two weeks have passed after Isabella contacted us once again, and said that everything was ready for the birth of Elena and Hector.In other words, everything was ready for Mariana and James to leave the scene.The girl cried and begged her friend to back off, not to do this to her. He had a brilliant career, friends who liked him. But from the beginning he always made it clear that for Mariana he would go to the end of the world.After all, he left his hometown to be closer to his friend, less than a month after he left her at the bus station.The fake news had already been forged. Everyone was talking about the horrible crime committed a few days before, where an unknown group of criminals kidnapped, tortured and destroyed the victims so horribly that the bodies were barely recognizable.And almost at the same time, Elena, a secretary for a ghost company, was buying a beautiful apartment in the far corner of the urban en
He Can't Forget Me 13. Funeral
To Isabella Philips' eternal luck, the dark and sophisticated clothes, the black gloves, and the wreathed hat that covered a good part of her eyes, hid the true expression that sometimes stubbornly appeared on her face: a smile of triumph.Around him were many people. Most were Mariana's former acquaintances and relatives. Her mother, a woman Isabella had always thought was weak and rather lame, had passed out and never returned. "Careful, Mama," a man whispered in her ear. She immediately recognized Maxwell's voice. "Remember that we are saddened and terribly shocked by the sudden loss of our poor Mariana.""You never fail to notice anything, do you?""I believe that is one of my greatest gifts."Maximilian's brother also has trouble keeping a sad expression, but of course he would never admit that. The coffin is closed in the center of the huge chamber, and partially closed blue curtains are around it, where the funeral was taking place. From there, they would go directly to the lo
He Can't Forget Me 14. Commotion
Maxmilian is stunned by the words and gesture of James' mother. Her expression of pain and fury turns to surprise and confusion. Still enraged, the woman coughs before continuing to scream:"My son was a good man! A man of integrity! He never got into trouble, he was always responsible. He had a great job, he was my greatest pride! And then YOU got in his way... And he died!"Isabella, for her part, quickly reacts to the situation, intervening to calm the enraged woman."Please, Mrs. Simpson, contain yourself! You are at the wake of my daughter-in-law, who like your son, was a victim of a horrendous crime! What are you implying? My son has nothing to do with this!The woman, her eyes watering with tears, stares at Isabella with a mixture of pain and anger. She takes a deep breath before she speaks, her voice laced with grief."The wife of this... this monster you call a son... she was pregnant with his child and he abandoned her!"Everyone around seems shocked by the revelation. A gr
He Can't Forget Me 15. Game
Isabella is less than six steps away from James' mother, who is still raging and spouting barbarities about Maxmilian to the others present, when she feels someone tugging on her arm."Have you gone mad?", Maxwell practically growls in her ear, failing miserably to keep his facial features neutral.The man's mother lets go, also enraged."What do you think you're doing?""Funny, I could ask you the same damn question."I'm taking action about this outrage, of course! If that woman keeps talking, we could be in trouble.""Forget that old woman, we have worse things to deal with," Maxwell says, his eyes startled.Isabella immediately becomes worried."What happened?" she asks, looking away before adding, "Are Elena and Hector giving us trouble?""No. Maxmilian just entered the restricted area of the hall.""What?""He just went through the curtains, Mama."Exasperated, the woman takes a step toward the scene, but stops and talks back to Maxwell:"The coffin is closed, we don't have to w
He Can't Forget Me 16. Decision Making
Nervous, all James could do in the waiting room of the small private office was bite his nails, look around, and count the time Mariana was in there. The clock read half an hour.Just as the man was giving up and heading for the door to demand to know what the situation was, it opened. The doctor, with straight hair and olive-colored skin, said to him:"Please come in."He didn't have to ask twice. Mariana was lying on the stretcher, her eyes watering. James went to her immediately and held her hand."Is everything okay, how's the baby?""The baby is fine," the doctor replied. "The abnormal bleeding was just a hormonal imbalance due to stress. Mariana needs plenty of rest and to avoid situations that wear her down.""I was so afraid of losing my baby," she murmured."Well, you can rest assured, Miss Elena. Everything is under control now. Just remember to take your vitamins daily, drink plenty of water, and don't put yourself in emotionally risky situations."James looks at her."We'l
He Can't Forget Me 17. Mere pawns
A week had passed since the doctor's appointment, the same one where Mariana decided she would not remain unmoved by the facts. Now she and James found themselves at a crossroads, trying to balance the protection of their secret and the search for answers. Nervous, James was aware that his "mistress" was planning something risky. He felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, but he also understood Mariana's need for information about Maxmilian.That afternoon, Mariana sat in front of her laptop, discreetly researching private detectives in the area. She knew she needed to find someone reliable, discreet, and capable of uncovering the truth without arousing suspicion.After hours of meticulous research, Mariana found a name that looked promising: Daniel Reynolds, a renowned private detective known for his ability to solve complex cases."So, what do you think?" asks Mariana, showing James the investigator's profile."Have you checked his credentials?""Yes. They're great. He'
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- He Can't Forget Me 43. Epilogue
- He Can't Forget Me 42. Determination
- He Can't Forget Me 41. Hurt
- He Can't Forget Me 40. Attendance
- He Can't Forget Me 39. Escape
- He Can't Forget Me 38. The shoot
- He Can't Forget Me 37. Final point?
- He Can't Forget Me 36. The day of the rescue
- He Can't Forget Me 35. Old enemy
