I think the whole confusion didn’t last fifteen minutes, because as soon as they took me to the security room, Joaquínarrived, and soon after, Guillermo. But for me, it felt like a lifetime.
We’re heading up to the roof of the building now, and my heart is racing.
I’ve never been on anything that flies. In fact, the only mode of transportation I’ve used besides a car was a boat. As a sixteenth birthday gift—the last one my mother was healthy for—she gave me a trip that departed from Long Wharf to see the whales. It was the most exciting thing I had ever done in my life, but now I have new memories to collect.
That session with the celebrationbrigadeirowill surely be among them. The most special one, however, will be the day we slept in the presidential suite.
That night, I felt like Cinderella, not only because of the luxury of the place but because of everything that happened. Since then, Guillermo hasn’t done anything to bring me back to reality. It’s like stitching one dream onto the next.
When I’m with him, just the two of us and Nina in his house, our life together seems possible. There are no differences. I feel like everything is right. There’s no gap between our financial statuses or who we are in society.
But what happened today made me freefall.
Guillermo left with Joaquín to talk to the lawyer, and then the three of them came back to instruct me on what to say or not say to the police. Half an hour later, the detectives took my statement right there. I didn’t go down to the lobby or anywhere else afterward. Guillermo wouldn’t allow it.
After everyone left, he said we would make a joint statement to the press tomorrow, whatever that means.
Melissa sent a message asking if I was okay and saying I didn’t have to stay at the hotel tonight, that I could go to her place. I didn’t know what to reply, staring at my phone, thinking. Guillermo noticed and asked me what was wrong.
When I showed him the phone, he shook his head. “You’ll stay with me.”
I should rebel against his authoritarianism, but I’m not a liar. It’s with him that I want to be. With him, Nina, and no one else. So even though I know it’s foolish to cling to both of them, I replied to her, thanking her but saying I didn’t need to.
When the pilot gave the first commands for take-off, Guillermo fastened my seatbelt, but he’s been silent ever since.
I observe the profile of the man I have no idea what to call but who definitely is already part of my life and has a piece of my heart.
His square jaw is clenched, and there’s a shadow of stubble. He seems tense but not distant. His hand holds mine, our fingers intertwined, and even though I shouldn’t enjoy the sensation, I can’t deny that this imprisonment is too good.
As if sensing that I’m watching him, he turns his face, catching me off-guard. “What are you thinking?”
“I have a whole alphabet of worries passing through my head right now.”
“Talk to me.”
“Will I lose my job?”
“No.”
Now it’s my turn to look outside.
The city is tiny now, the lights shining like an upside-down starry sky.
“If that’s the case, I mean, if my job is secure, I would like to move out of the hotel. It doesn’t make sense to stay there anymore. I can already rent a simple apartment.”
I’m waiting for him to try to talk me out of it, but to my surprise, he says, “I have an apartment. It’s vacant at the moment.”
“I can’t afford a property at your level. In fact, I was thinking of a studio apartment.”
“We can talk about that tomorrow. For now, you’ll stay with me.”
Suddenly, I remember something Joaquín said. I was so stunned that only now does it come back to me. “Your brother told everyone that we’re together . . . um . . . He called me his sister-in-law in front of the staff.” Now that the memory of the scene returns, I feel my face heating up and my heart racing. “Oh, my God! The whole hotel knows about us.”
“And what about it?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Olívia, we’re free.”
