Chapter 59
FIFTY-NINE
ENRICO FERRARA
I opened my eyes—then shut them again almost immediately.
The curtains were open, and morning light poured into the room, casting a soft glow over everything around me… including the woman sleeping peacefully at my side.
Valentina.
I watched her in silence for a few minutes, taking in every detail of the face I knew so well—yet somehow it looked even more beautiful now, more precious, after everything we’d lived through.
She looked relaxed. Her lips were slightly parted, her breathing slow and steady, completely surrendered to deep sleep.
How had I ever been stupid enough to believe lies about her? How had I allowed anyone to convince me that Valentina could be less than what I had always known she was?
My wife.
My daughter’s mother.
And the only woman I had loved—and would love—for the rest of my life.
I reached out carefully and traced her cheek with my fingertips, caressing her warm, soft skin. She let out a quiet sigh and instinctively turned toward my touch, still half-asleep.
I smiled without meaning to.
That small, honest reaction did something to me.
I couldn’t keep waiting passively for a chance to win her back. I couldn’t keep relying on luck, patience, or the possibility of Valentina someday deciding—on her own—to forgive me completely.
I had already wasted my chance once.
I wasn’t going to waste it again.
This time, I wasn’t going to wait.
I was going after the happiness that had always been mine—happiness I’d almost destroyed with my own hands.
I would win her back actively. Day after day. Gesture after gesture. Until Valentina had no doubt that my heart belonged entirely to her.
And even if I didn’t deserve hers in return… she’d give it to me anyway.
Because there wouldn’t be another option.
She shifted beside me, beginning to wake, and my breath picked up with the anticipation of that moment. The last time she’d woken in my arms, things hadn’t gone well.
Her lashes fluttered before her eyes finally opened, revealing the dark gaze that had always disarmed me completely.
For a second, she looked confused to find me so close—but memory returned quickly, flushing her cheeks with a soft, adorable pink.
“Good morning,” I murmured, unable to hide the gentle smile on my mouth as my fingers continued to stroke her cheek. I kissed her chin. God, I wanted to kiss every inch of her.
“Good morning,” she answered quietly—almost a whisper—looking away slightly.
“You’re beautiful when you sleep,” I said softly, still watching her. “I missed waking up like this. With you beside me, Valentina.”
Her eyes came back to mine, and her expression turned vulnerable. I noticed the way her breathing changed—more irregular, more nervous.
“Enrico…” she started, uncertain.
I stopped her with a light touch of my fingers to her lips.
“Don’t say anything yet.” My gaze stayed locked on hers. “Just… let me stay like this with you a little longer?” I asked quietly. “Let me have a few more minutes of this before we go back to reality. Please.”
She hesitated only a few seconds, then gave a small nod.
I pulled her carefully into my arms, and something in my chest clicked into place.
This was where she belonged.
And soon she was going to understand that I would never let her slip through my hands again.
Not without fighting for her with everything I had.
And I was ready to start that battle immediately.
We stayed in silence for a few minutes, her breath warming my skin in a way that made my entire body feel too full.
Then she sighed softly and lifted her face, looking at me with an expression that mixed desire and fear.
“Enrico…” she began again, her voice too weak to match the intensity of her gaze. “I don’t want you to misread what I’m about to say, because last night… I know I was wrong too.” She inhaled, bracing herself. “But we can’t keep doing this.”
“Mistake?” was all I managed.
Valentina drew a deep breath.
“We have to go back to the rules, Enrico. Back to the safety we established.”
I raised an eyebrow, studying her.
“Safety?” I repeated the word slowly, carefully weighing it. “And you think going back to rules we’ve already broken twice—hours after we made them—is actually safe, Valentina?”
She looked away, clearly uncomfortable with my bluntness.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense.” She forced herself to meet my eyes again. “Last night was… it was a slip. A relapse. That’s all.”
A low laugh dragged out of my throat.
I shifted in bed, hovering over her, holding my weight on my forearms pressed into the mattress.
I brushed my mouth along her jawline, the tip of my nose at her neck, then kissed her lips lightly. Valentina squirmed under me, a soft moan slipping out.
“Mistake. Relapse,” I repeated, reminding her of her words.
“That’s all.” I pulled back until our eyes met again.
“It wasn’t any of that, Valentina. And it definitely wasn’t ‘just’ anything.
” My voice turned firmer. “We have never been ‘just’ something. We were always everything. And I’m done pretending otherwise. ”
She inhaled, controlling her frustration.
I lay back down beside her, but I kept us close—close enough that my body could still feel hers. I slid my hand into the curve of her neck, my thumb stroking her cheek.
“You can keep saying it as many times as you want, but we both know it’s not true.
” My tone stayed calm, rational, steady.
“You don’t want safety—not really. What you want is to protect yourself from what you feel for me.
Because admitting it would mean admitting that maybe…
you want exactly what you keep saying you don’t. ”
Her eyes widened with surprise and indignation—yet beneath it, I caught a flash of recognition she couldn’t hide.
“You can’t just decide what I want!” she snapped defensively.
“I’m not deciding anything,” I replied evenly. “I’m observing the facts.” My voice didn’t rise, but it sharpened with certainty. “You want rules because you think they mean control. But what you’re doing is torturing yourself.”
“Torturing us.”
“It’s not torture, Enrico. It’s self-preservation,” she insisted, chin lifting with stubborn pride.
I pulled her closer, sliding an arm beneath her, holding her there while my eyes stayed fixed on hers.
“Self-preservation isn’t pretending what exists between us can be erased with rules and artificial limits.” My voice stayed quiet, relentless. “You can try to convince yourself of that, but last night proved the opposite.”
“And it’ll keep proving it every time we get too close.”
She opened her mouth to protest—then closed it, silenced by the obvious truth.
Her eyes flicked to my mouth before returning to mine, betraying her.
“You’re right to distrust me, Valentina,” I said quietly, honest now. “You’re right to still feel hurt and afraid with me.” I held her gaze. “I know what I did. That’s why I’m not wasting time with promises. I’m not saying anything I can’t back up.”
She stayed still, breathing hard, fighting the closeness I kept on purpose.
“What I’m going to do,” I continued, firm and unwavering, “is show you. Day after day. Action after action.” My chest tightened as truth settled in. “I’m going to earn you back. Piece by piece. I’m going to win back your respect, your trust, your admiration—and when you’re ready, your love.”
“But I’m done asking permission,” I warned her. “I can’t do that anymore.”
She swallowed, her gaze stuck on mine, shaken by the raw sincerity.
“I can’t stop you from trying,” she whispered, voice trembling, “but I can’t promise anything. What happened last night was physical, Enrico. Just physical.”
I smiled—not arrogantly. Just with absolute clarity.
“You can say that as many times as you want, Valentina, but we both know it’s not true.” My voice lowered. “Your body doesn’t lie. It never lied to me.” I brushed my thumb over her cheek. “You want me. And not only physically. And it’s okay if you’re not ready to admit it yet.”
“I can wait.”
Her lips pressed tight. She looked away, breath speeding up.
“Enrico, don’t…”
“I’m not going to force you into anything, my love,” I said gently, cutting her off, letting my fingertips touch her cheek for just one second. “But I’m also not going to pretend I accept those rules you created to protect yourself from me.”
“You can keep resisting if you want. But I’m going to keep doing everything in my power to bring down every wall you built.”
She went still, speechless, her gaze drifting somewhere distant, full of conflict.
I didn’t care.
I wasn’t in a hurry.
I only had certainty.
From that moment on, the dynamic between us would be simple: me, fighting for her with real actions, no empty promises. Her, still resisting emotionally—fully aware that her body had already chosen.
“Time is exactly what we have,” I said quietly. “But consider yourself warned, Valentina—I’m not going anywhere.” My voice sharpened into a vow. “I won’t stop until you understand the only place that’s truly safe for you is here—in my arms.”
“I am completely yours,” I said, watching her lips part, her eyes flicker. “And I won’t rest until you are too—again—this time fully and forever.”
“And now, love… I’m going to kiss you.”
And I did.
***
A few hours later, we were already in the car heading back to Tiradentes when my phone started vibrating relentlessly in my pocket.
Valentina sat beside me, eyes fixed on the window, lost in her own thoughts. I watched her for a second before answering—Andre’s name flashing on the screen.
“What is it?” I said quietly, careful not to draw Valentina’s attention.
“Have you seen the news?”
“Not yet. What happened?”
“You two did it. The press is calling you the couple of the moment. Some of the headlines are…” He paused. “A lot. But Eloá didn’t make the announcement she planned—and she probably won’t. Not now. It would only embarrass her.”
I nodded, but I didn’t feel relief.
Not even close.