That night at home, Denise had put on nicer clothes and made an apple pie. Lúcia had told her about the conversation she had had earlier with Saulo, which made her more hopeful as she waited for him.Joaquim was sitting on the curb in front of the house, watching the few people who passed along the street. Then a familiar car parked in front of his home. Saulo stepped out, well-dressed in a white shirt and black dress pants, matching the color of his shoes. His blond hair was slicked back, and his delicious cologne seemed to spread everywhere.Joaquim was startled by the man's sudden visit.“Mr. Saulo, good evening. Did something happen?” he asked, already getting to his feet in alarm.“Good evening, Joaquim. Nothing happened; don't worry. I came here today to talk with you for a while.”Joaquim looked worried. He was afraid of losing his job after Mr. Caetano's death, since there hadn't been much work for him in the last few days.“Then please come in. Just don't mind the house; it's

And so their love continued to grow stronger with each passing day. Sometimes Saulo had to travel for work and stay away for a while, since he had his own company to manage.No matter how often he asked Denise to quit her job and accompany him on his trips, she stood her ground firmly, saying she would never in her life allow herself to be supported by a man. She always made it clear that she was with him for love and had no interest whatsoever in his financial condition or in any benefits that relationship might provide.Despite all those complications, they never stopped trusting each other. Denise was confident in herself, and Saulo was hopelessly in love.After nearly two years of dating, Saulo asked his beloved to start taking English classes so they could travel abroad and meet his family. And although he didn't like speaking badly about his parents, he always kept her informed about their personalities.“My mother is a little difficult. She grew up in a family with outdated ide

After leaving the mansion, Denise met Angelina in her car. This time, Angelina was the one driving.“What kind of miracle is this? You didn't bring your driver?” Denise asked as she got into the car.“Well, today we're going to do girl things. I don't want anyone interrupting us. Besides, if my driver sees me walking into an obstetrics clinic, he'll immediately call my husband, who'll think something is wrong with me.”“Your husband sounds very protective.”“Actually, he just wants another child. If he finds out we're going there, he'll think I'm the one who's pregnant, and you know how that goes. He'll tell the whole family before we've even confirmed whether it's true or not.”“Oh wow.” She laughed. “Angelina, don't you want another child?”“I do, but much later. My son is still very little.”“You're right. That's exactly how I want it too. But if it were up to Saulo, we'd have one every year.” She laughed. “He must think carrying a baby is easy. He has no idea how nauseous I've bee

Denise was still unconscious inside the car taking her to the hospital. A large bruise had formed on her head, and Angelina felt guilty for not arriving in time to prevent that tragedy.Her husband, Mark, drove at high speed, trying to reach the hospital as quickly as possible. He feared for the young woman's life and for the baby she was carrying. They arrived in less than fifteen minutes.Denise was rushed in for treatment immediately while Mark tried to contact Saulo.Cora went to the police station to file a complaint against Betty Taylor and the two employees, who had fled when they saw the police arriving.Betty was arrested at the scene and taken to the station. When the officers informed her she was under arrest, she screamed, kicked, spat in one officer's face, insulted his uniform, and declared that he had no idea who he was dealing with.Unable to reach Saulo because his phone remained out of service, Mark called the hospital where Saulo's father had been admitted. There, h

Seeing her son's temper, Betty was startled.“Son, what do you mean by that?”“Do you even realize what you've done, Elizabeth? You acted like a monster. And let me make one thing clear: if it depends on me, you'll die in prison, alone, without ever seeing the light of day again.”“What kind of son are you, choosing a foreign woman over your own mother?” she demanded.“What kind of mother are you, refusing to respect your son's decision? You assaulted my wife. You killed my child!”“I didn't know she was pregnant. I only wanted to scare her and knock that arrogant attitude down a notch.”“You paid Adam and Harry to help you commit a crime. When I get my hands on those two, I swear they'll regret ever being born.”“If you'd listened to me from the very beginning, none of this would've happened. I told you I didn't like her and that I would never accept the two of you,” she defended herself.“The least you should've done was respect my choice. My mistake was believing you might change y