Chapter 32
The day dawned different. The city seemed to hum with anticipation. The streets had been busy since early morning, with lines at polling stations and people wearing Fernando's campaign colors. The polls showed him ahead, but only the final numbers could confirm what already seemed inevitable.
I woke up early, but Fernando was already up. He paced back and forth, phone in hand, checking messages from the team. His suit hung on the back of a chair, and the half-empty coffee cup told me he wasn't exactly relaxed.
“Did you sleep?” I asked, leaning against the doorframe.
He looked at me and smiled, but his eyes were tired.
“A little. And you?”
“Enough to know that today is a historic day.”
He laughed softly and came closer, cupping my face in his hands.
“No matter what happens, I'm happy to have you here.”
I held his hands and nodded.
“It's going to work out.”
We headed to the polling station surrounded by security. The streets were packed with voters, and at every corner we saw supporters waving, shouting words of encouragement.
When we arrived, the press was already in position, waiting for that moment. Fernando greeted a few people before going in to vote, while I waited outside, watching the commotion.
He came out of the booth with the receipt in hand and raised it in the air. The crowd applauded.
“Now, we wait.” He smiled at me, lacing his fingers through mine.
The hours that followed were a real test of nerves. We gathered at campaign headquarters, where huge screens showed the numbers being updated in real time.
The atmosphere was tense. At first, the count was still close, swinging back and forth between Fernando and his opponent. But as more votes came in, the lead began to emerge.
50.3%.
51.7%.
53.1%.
Each new update brought restrained cheers. No one wanted to celebrate too soon. But then, shortly after 8 p.m., the notification everyone had been waiting for appeared on the screen:
FERNANDO SERRA REELECTED GOVERNOR OF S?O PAULO.
The headquarters erupted in shouts and applause. People hugged, cried, threw their hands in the air.
A wave of relief washed over me, mixed with raw emotion. I looked at Fernando, his eyes fixed on the screen, absorbing the moment.
“You did it,” I whispered.
He turned to me, held my face in both hands, and without caring about the cameras or whoever was watching, kissed me. A deep kiss, full of victory, of love, of everything we had faced together.
“We did it.”
We headed to the stage set up on the main avenue, where a crowd was waiting. Fernando went up first to thunderous cheers. He raised his hands to quiet them and began his speech.
“Today, S?o Paulo spoke. The people chose to continue this project. It wasn't an easy election. We faced attacks, lies—they tried to tear us down. But the truth always wins.”
The crowd roared. He paused, then looked at me.
“And I couldn't have done this without one person who became my foundation, my strength. Someone who faced attacks simply for being by my side. Someone who never gave up on me.”
He extended his hand to me, beckoning me onto the stage.
I hesitated for a second, feeling the weight of that moment. But then I took a deep breath and stepped forward, slipping my hand into his.
The crowd erupted in applause and cheers.
I looked at Fernando, and for the first time since the beginning of this journey, I knew: that place was mine too.