CHAPTER 32

SECOND PART

Thomas Anthony

I walked into the hospital feeling my heart beat wildly. The day I'd been looking forward to had finally arrived. My breathing was completely out of control. Tears mixed with the sweat running down my face. In the few minutes I spent from the reception to my girl's room, a whirlwind of scenes, with all the moments we lived together, went through my mind. The first time I saw Sara, she was twenty years old, exuding an imposing, urgent youth that scared me right off the bat. It was an inexplicable feeling of rapture, as if my soul had been exposed in a violent and shameless way. In an attempt to shield myself from that feeling, I closed myself off. Sara was so young, old enough to be my daughter. I would never get involved with someone half my age.

So I donned the professional cloak of a man who bore deep marks of life. I didn't want any kind of relationship at that point. My priorities were to protect my daughter and ensure the integrity of my company. But