Maria Gabriela
It might have been the wrong thing to do—and I know it was—but I couldn’t help myself, and I ended up speaking the truth, drawing the attention of several people.
That wasn’t what I wanted, but keeping so many things inside, being subjected to humiliations, to suspicions, and to the controlling way he’d treated me these past months…
Everything I’d been holding in needed to come out.
As I looked around, I saw curious, shocked, judgmental faces. They didn’t know half of what I’d been through, and honestly, it didn’t matter.
What mattered was Diego. He stood there, frozen, as if he’d been struck. His eyes met mine, and for a moment all the anger, frustration, and hurt I’d bottled up flared into a burning fury.
My blood boiled and my breath came fast.
I had done everything to keep things separate, to stay focused on work even when he made my life a living hell. But now… everything felt too small compared to what was happening.
I knew he was wrestling with his own demons. I knew there was a shadow from the past between us, something about the mother of his child that made him treat me like the villain. Still, it was no excuse.
It didn’t justify what he put me through.
“So that’s it?” His voice finally cut the silence—low and laced with a dangerous mix of surprise and anger. “You decided to do this here, now?”
My throat was dry, but I forced myself to answer, keeping my gaze locked on his.
“I didn’t want to…” I started, my voice wavering more than I liked. “But after everything you did… the things you said… I just can’t anymore. I won’t pretend it’s all fine.”
He stepped toward me, eyes burning with rage, but also with something I couldn’t name.
His words were sharp but controlled, as if he was trying not to lose it in front of everyone.
“Do you think this is easy for me, Maria Gabriela?” he murmured, voice heavy with frustration. “Do you think I don’t have my own issues about this pregnancy?”
I laughed—a humorless sound—and shook my head.
“Oh, sure. Because it’s always about you, right, Diego?” The acid in my voice surprised me, but I couldn’t hold it back. “I was the woman humiliated day after day, the one whose life was turned upside down because of a moment you… ” I paused, fighting for control, “...chose to ignore.”
He blinked, taken aback by my reaction, then stared at me with hard eyes.
“I treated you the way you deserved,” he said, voice harsh but edged with a hesitation I’d never seen before. “You lied, Maria Gabriela. You tried to deceive me.”
My whole body trembled with rage.
“I lied?!” My voice came out louder than I intended.
“I never lied to you, Diego. You simply chose not to believe me. You didn’t want to face the truth because it would force you to deal with things you can’t control.
I just wanted a way to prove this baby was yours, and you didn’t even consider telling me you’d do a test when the baby was born—you chose not to believe me and humiliated me at the company. ”
He clenched his fists at his sides, eyes aflame, but not with the same contempt as before.
I pressed on, swallowing the tears that threatened to fall:
“I tried to be professional, I tried to keep working for you even when everything inside me screamed to run. But no—I stayed, I endured. And why? Because I thought that somehow you’d see the truth. But you never wanted to see, Diego. Never.”
“I’ll say it one last time: I used a condom!”
“A condom isn’t 100% effective, and—”
“Listen to me, Maria Gabriela! If you mention paternity tests one more time, or claim this child is mine, I swear I’ll make your life a living hell, and you won’t want that for this baby! And from now on, I never want to see you in front of me again—am I clear?”
I swallowed the cry and looked at him steadily.
“It’ll be a pleasure never to look at your face again, you idiot!”
I stomped out of the hall, but deep down I knew I would have my revenge someday—and after his words, I’d go to hell and back if I had to to prove he was the father of this baby, or I wouldn’t call myself Maria Gabriela Oliveira.