Enrico frowned.
“No. I know exactly what they’re running. I approved the statements.”
There was a pause.
“You should look. I’m sorry.”
Without hesitation, Enrico opened the browser on his phone and typed in his name.
My heart froze when I saw the images and videos—Marcos publicly claiming we were having an affair and that I would leave Enrico for him.
I felt dizzy, nauseated, my skin draining of color.
“Hey—hey—hey… it’s okay, love. It’s okay,” Enrico said immediately, pulling me firmly into his arms. “I’ll call you back later, André,” he added, ending the call.
“It’s a lie, Enrico! I never—”
“I know.” He kissed me softly.
Still shaken, I whispered, “But the people… I don’t know if I can go through this again. The judgments, the looks—and now… now there’s Clara.”
He held my face firmly, making me look at him.
“I’m going to fix this. I’ll prove your innocence and expose who’s really behind all of this. This is our story. Our happily ever after. And no one—ever again—is going to interfere with that.”
“Thank you,” I murmured as his thumbs stroked my cheeks.
“What did I tell you?” he said gently. “You never have to thank me for making you happy. That’s my job, Valentina. And I take it very seriously.”
I closed my eyes and pressed my face into his chest.
“I love you,” I whispered.
“You’re the love of my life, Valentina. Forever.”
SIXTY-EIGHT
ENRICO FERRARA
I spent a few minutes watching Valentina sleep. She had fallen into a deep sleep, emotionally exhausted after everything that had happened over the past few hours.
I gently stroked her hair, silently promising that I would do everything within my power to put an end to that absurd situation once and for all.
Clara had spent the night at Júlia’s and wouldn’t be coming back home until we called and asked Valentina’s friend to bring her over. It was midmorning, and I had no intention of doing that yet.
Carefully, I got out of bed so I wouldn’t wake Valentina, grabbed my phone, and walked toward the home office. The quiet hallway and the dim light filtering through the window were my only company. Valentina had started giving all the staff Sundays off.
The clock showed just after nine in the morning when I sat at the desk and opened my laptop, determined to act immediately.
My first call was to Gabriel, the other lawyer who handled my personal matters alongside André. My brother needed a break,and I knew Gabriel would already be awake—he was the kind of man who started his day early and often worked late, especially in critical situations like this one.
“Henrique?” I asked as soon as he answered, getting straight to the point. “I need you to come here with the legal team as soon as possible. We have a serious problem.”
“I figured you’d say that. I’ve already gathered everyone, and we’ll be at the airport in an hour. We should reach you around noon. I saw the news. Do you have any idea what happened?”
“No,” I replied. “And that’s exactly what we need to find out.”
He sighed heavily on the other end of the line.
