TWO CHILDRENClara continued to stare at the door through which he had left, allowing her tears to flow freely. She curled up on the sofa in a fetal position and remained there for several long minutes, waiting to regain her composure before leaving. She didn't want to ruin her friends' party, Priscila's celebration. When she felt more composed, she felt someone sit down near her legs, and upon opening her eyes, Dália was looking at her with affection. Dália ran her hands along Clara's shins, providing comfort that made Clara want to cry even more.Dália stayed there for a few minutes without saying anything. Before leaving her alone, she kissed Clara's forehead. Dália had been there since the two of them entered. She had hidden in the dark room precisely to avoid watching them dance; she didn't want to be an overly curious mother. However, they didn't notice her in the dark room, and it was too late for her to leave when they started talking. At first, Dália thought Clara had come to

NEIGHBOUR MÁRCIAClara just needed to leave. She stopped by her own house, where everything was silent. Dalia must be sleeping, and she had no idea where Otávio was. Whether he was still at her house or at his own, or rather, all the houses there belonged to him!She didn't say goodbye to anyone in the condominium. She simply grabbed her purse and left. She felt somewhat detached, exiting through the main gate and running into Lara, who was arriving. The girl was all smiles, completely unaware of everything that was happening."Where are you going, babe?" Lara asked, wearing denim overalls, her hair still damp from what seemed like a taxi ride. She kissed Clara on the cheek and noticed that something had happened. "What's wrong, Clara?""I just need to get out of here!""Let's go." Lara took her hand and led her to the sidewalk on the other side of the street, where a taxi was waiting for passengers. They got in, and Clara burst into tears.Lara allowed her to cry the entire way, hudd

BARBECUE AMONG FRIENDSThere were many things to think about. She suddenly knew that her friend not only loved her but also had immense gratitude towards her. Dália had touched her heart deeply by expressing how grateful she was for helping her with Gerard, her abusive ex-husband. She spoke about how she had touched so many people, and now she had her own house, in an upscale condominium no less!She discovered that her friend was the owner of Paradise, and then she learned so much more. The bitterness of Otávio's rejection still lingered in her mouth, but it was somewhat alleviated by knowing how much his mother was rooting for her. The bitterness was eased when she learned that, on the contrary, she would love to be her mother-in-law, and that meant a lot. Being Dália's daughter-in-law was a gift to her, far more special than anything else the woman could give her. The acceptance, the affection she had shown towards Clara, was priceless.She felt that Dália knew that a relationship

SHARED BATHROOMSShe felt a chill run through her as she saw his name."What's wrong?" Megan looked at her."A message from Otávio. He sent me a message!""Open it!"And Clara opened the message with her heart pounding:"Hi, Clara. They told me you had returned to your old house. I've been here for two hours, and you're not answering.""He went to my old address!" Clara looked at her friend in disbelief."Oh my God. The guy is really crazy! What should we do?""I don't know. What do you think I should reply?""Tell him you're working... no!" Megan took the phone from her hand, preventing her from responding to him. "I'll go there. Let me go there and tell him that you're working and that you'll be going to your father's house from work and staying there for a few days." Megan looked at her, pleased with the idea she had."Perfect! I won't reply to him. It'll be good for him to feel the torture of not getting a response.""Exactly, let's treat him like a normal guy and give him a hard

A DIFFERENT KIND OF PLEASUREHe remained looking at her for an eternity. He didn't say anything, but he looked at her deeply, and Clara felt that it was already enough intimacy. It was as if he was kissing her or making love to her. Just that gaze of his was the utmost intimacy she needed from him. The satisfaction of having him looking at her with such intensity was a million times more intense than holding Donizete's hand in Sunday school.Forgotten were the tears that streamed down her face, she didn't close her eyes when he approached her inch by inch. She didn't close her eyes when his crooked teeth got closer to her wet face. She could see his red lips so close, and there was no greater intimacy than that. As he got closer, a hand, the same hand that held hers on the table, rose to her face and rested on her chin. Now his palm was warm, no longer cold like when she held it, and the warm touch of his hand on her face almost melted her. His thumb was on her chin, his long fingers