The vehicle falls into silence. Only the sound of Eloá’s uneven breathing fills the stuffy space.

“Sweetheart?” Denise breaks the silence carefully, a little hesitant, her lips still parted in surprise. “We were only joking.”

Unable to look at anyone, Eloá keeps her eyes fixed on the road.

“Just… stop, please,” she asks, her voice lower now, almost a whisper. “I just want to get to the airport.”

Saulo nods, studying the rearview mirror with a more serious expression. In his mind, all of this is