Chapter 44
Oliver Ferraz
I leave Alice's apartment devastated, with those damn tears that won't stop falling. She's not going to make this easy for me—and I know I deserve it. Still, even with the rejection stinging, there's a strange feeling washing over me: joy.
I don't know if it's because I found her, or because I just discovered I'm going to be a father… of two.
I smile through the tears. I'm the happiest man in the world, and my little one is the one who gave me this. We're not together yet, but I have a feeling things will work out soon. We'll be the family I've always dreamed of.
I say goodbye to the doorman and head to the hotel.
Now I need to figure out what Andréa is doing here.
After our breakup, I never saw her again.
I made her father sell me all his shares just to cut any ties with that family.
If she's in this city and somehow close to Alice, I want to know.
And if she's plotting something… she'll regret it. No one touches my family.
As soon as I arrive at the hotel, I stop by the front desk to check the records—nothing under her name. I go up to my room, take a quick shower, and head down to the restaurant. Denis and I arranged to have dinner together. I need to understand what happened at the police station.
“Good evening, Denis. Tell me everything that happened.”
“Good evening, Oliver. It's a long story.”
“We've got time,” I reply.
We place our orders, and while he talks, I try to stay calm. With each detail, my anger grows.
“Wait… you're telling me Alice came up with the idea and you just went along with it? Even knowing she's pregnant?” I ask, incredulous.
“Actually, by the time I found out, she'd already taken care of everything. I tried to talk her out of it, but she's stubborn. She wanted to handle it all herself and I… gave in. I know I overstepped. I'm sorry.”
“At least Mauricio is in jail, and that gives us some peace of mind. Even so, I'm going to keep my eyes open,” I say, still tense.
Denis watches me for a moment, as if choosing his words carefully.
“You found out about the babies, didn't you?”
“I did. I, the father, was the last to know. But it's fine—I deserved it. I was cruel to her, pushed her away. There's no excuse for that. I just hope that one day she'll take me back, because I'm not staying away from them anymore. I love her, Denis. And I'm going to fight for her forgiveness.”
He nods knowingly.
“You're going to have to fight hard. Alice has changed. The sweet girl we knew is gone. She's more guarded now, harder.”
“I know,” I say, feeling the weight of those words. “I did that to her. I turned her into this. And the worst part is, I understand why. She has every right to hate me.”
We finish dinner and I head to the bar. After today, I need a drink. I sit down, order a whiskey, and take a deep breath.
Suddenly, a hand lands on my shoulder.
I turn around and see Alberto.
“Mind telling me what you're doing here?” I ask curtly.
“Good evening to you too, grumpy,” he says with a smirk.
“Always sarcastic. Spit it out—what brought you here?”
“It's the weekend, and I came to see my girlfriend.”
“Girlfriend? Since when?” I ask, surprised.
“Since I started dating Catarina.”
I freeze for a moment.
“So you knew about Alice's pregnancy… and hid it from me? What a great friend! It wasn't enough that you hid the fact she left—now this too?”
“She didn't want me to tell you. I was just respecting her wishes. After all, you were the cause of all this,” he says, holding up his hands defensively.
“Even you're against me now…”
“Hey, don't twist things around. I didn't know where she was going either. I just helped her.”
I stare at him, trying to contain my anger.
“And why did you hide this from me, Alberto? She's pregnant—I had a right to know!”
“Yes, you did. But you also had a duty to protect her first. You rejected her, Oliver. I just did what you didn't. I took care of her, went to her doctor's appointments, made sure she was okay. And if it's any consolation, I kept insisting she tell you. But she needed time.”
I fall silent. He's right.
“Sorry, I got carried away. And thank you… for everything you've done for her.”
“You can give me a raise as an apology,” he jokes, and I can't help but laugh.
He always knew how to break the tension.
“Let's get some sleep,” I say. “Tomorrow I want to see my little one and my babies.”
“Word of advice from a friend: don't pressure her. Give her time.”
“I've already lost too much time, Alberto. I don't want to let her slip away again.”
“Then respect her space. Send her a message, ask if you can come by. She needs to process everything. You threw a lot at her all at once.”
I sit there, lost in thought.
“Did I make a mistake telling her everything I feel?”
“No. But now let the words do their work. She's going to need silence to understand what she feels.”
He says goodbye and leaves.
I stay there, alone, with the taste of whiskey and the weight of longing.
I take one last sip, stand up, and head to my room.
A promise echoes in my mind:
I'll only leave this city with my little one and our children by my side.