Tiodor Lison left the projection office, making sure his zipper was up. He inhaled deeply, holding the air for a few seconds before exhaling through his mouth, feeling humiliated. He had lost control over a pair of pretty eyes, falling for her charms at the slightest provocation, like a lust-driven animal. He caught his reflection in one of the windows: *pathetic*. Wiping the excess sweat from his forehead with one hand, he walked out of Musso Enterprises with firm steps.Libia hid in the employees' bathroom, her mind spinning. She had gotten involved with Lison again, and it was insane. She wasn’t a captive anymore; she was free. Yet she had willingly surrendered to that monster."You're an idiot," she whispered to herself as tears slipped from her eyes.She was undeniably in love with him, but a small voice in her head screamed that she was crazy."I'm sick. I need help," she encouraged herself, standing up from the toilet, where she had only sat to reflect.As she left, she looked
Libia lay back on the hotel bed, between white sheets, wiping the sweat from her forehead before sitting up with a sore groin. She had fallen into temptation again, once more giving her body to Lison."I have to go," she said, suddenly getting up from the bed.The man stared at the ceiling with a furrowed brow, seemingly not hearing her.The young woman grabbed her clothes from the floor and put them on as quickly as she could."Where are the papers? I don’t want to see you again," she hurried to say, feeling a lump in her throat.Lison turned his gaze to her."The folder is in my briefcase," he said, still frowning. "The briefcase is on the nightstand."Libia had already finished getting dressed. She immediately grabbed the briefcase and opened it, her hands trembling as she held the folder."It’s the blue one," Tiodor informed her, giving her an intense look.The young woman searched for a pen, leaned against the furniture, read through the papers, and signed them."You're very stup
“I know,” the young woman responded after a while, “but I can’t end my alliance with Mr. Lison. I signed some documents…”“There’s a way to invalidate that,” said Elena, now a bit calmer.Libia shrugged.“Talk to him and tell him you’ve reconsidered and are no longer interested in his proposal. If he’s so eager to partner with Musso Enterprises, he can deal directly with me.”“Alright…” the young woman replied in a barely audible voice.“For the first time, I’m grateful my brother isn’t here anymore.” Elena studied her niece’s face carefully. “You can’t imagine the sadness he would feel seeing what you’ve become.”Libia’s eyes widened, slowly processing what she had just heard.“You’re nothing but promiscuous. There’s no one more pathetic than those who have to pay for love. You don’t uphold our family name. You’re a failure!”Libia felt a sharp pain in her chest. For a moment, she imagined her father delivering those words.“I’m sorry,” she apologized, lowering her gaze.Elena said n
Libia grabbed her phone, and when she looked at the screen, she realized it was exactly two in the morning. Lison seemed very still, as if he hadn’t moved from his spot all night. The encounters with him were always otherworldly. From the first time they were together, she openly showed her masochistic tendencies. She genuinely wanted to heal and put effort into it, but Tiodor was the kind of man she shouldn’t get involved with, which only made her more infatuated with the idea of being his heroine, the woman who would bring him back to the right path.The young woman got out of bed and walked to her small living room. She sat on the couch, biting her nails as her gaze drifted. In her mind, she replayed the recent events. She hated dealing with Lison, or at least, that’s what she convinced herself.“What are you doing awake at this hour?” Tiodor asked, his eyes puffy, showing no shame in his nakedness.“I can’t sleep with a giant bear in my bed,” she replied, taking her index finger o
Two weeks later...Libia reflected on what had happened the night before. It had been like a date—Lison-style, of course, which meant twisted and strange. The young woman checked her phone, and just as she suspected, there was a message from Tiodor, saying he was heading back to São Paulo but wanted to see her before he left. Her chest tightened. The man had proven to be quite unstable, and maybe a week ago, she could have walked away and acted as if nothing had happened. But now, she felt like he had seeped into every pore of her body. It was no longer just about sex. Being with him was complicated, but staying away felt like real torture. They didn’t have a real relationship; the closest term would be "bedmates." For her foolish heart, that was enough. He wasn’t romantic, and after being together, he always reiterated his plans for revenge, yet despite it all, that fluttering in her stomach remained.With trembling hands, she picked up her phone again, this time dialing his number.
A couple of days later, Libia stared at her phone screen, reading Lison's message over and over again:"I'm doing everything I can to come back this week."It wasn’t the most romantic message someone had ever written to her, but at least it showed that he wanted to see her again. On the other hand, Elena Musso hadn’t stopped bombarding her with threatening calls and messages:“Don’t think you’re going to get away with this. Tell your lover he’d better be ready because I’m going to have him arrested.”Libia shook her head. She didn’t want any more fights, so as long as she stayed away from her aunt, everything would be fine.That afternoon, she received a visit from Natalia, who seemed quite uneasy. Without realizing it, Libia had been going through periods of isolation. According to her therapist, this was normal for people who had been through the trauma of being deprived of their freedom. Still, Rodríguez didn’t want to wait for her friend’s state to worsen.“Hey, sorry for not tell
Libia blinked several times, thinking her friend had to be joking."What are you talking about?" she asked with a laugh."I saw them leave your aunt's office. I asked Patricia, and it turns out the Brazilian is a regular Don Juan," Natalia said sarcastically. "He's been sending her flowers and chocolates. There are men who are interested, and then there's that guy.""He didn’t tell me he was back," Libia said, trying to find a lie in Natalia’s words."Libia, I *saw* him. It wasn’t an illusion.""My aunt receives gifts from lots of people. It doesn’t have to be from him."Natalia sighed, feeling like she was talking to a wall."You know what? Forget it," she said indignantly, ending the call.Libia stared at her phone, stunned. What she had with Tiodor wasn’t formal, but still, there were basic rules—like not getting involved with your lover’s aunt. Natalia had no reason to lie. After snapping out of her shock, she tried calling Lison. One, two, three, seven calls—no answer. With tear-
“Natalia Rodríguez,” she responded, irritated.Lison narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but it only took him a couple of seconds to return to his stoic expression."I don’t know who you are, but I’m warning you—stay out of my business," he threatened, his face so serious that it sent a chill down Natalia’s spine.Natalia wanted to scream, to make a scene, but it was as if her body had frozen in place.Meanwhile, Tiodor continued on his way. Anyone who knew him even slightly could sense the murderous aura surrounding him.Natalia eventually recovered, returned to her small cubicle, and packed all her things into a cardboard box. She didn’t want to be there anymore. Knowing Libia, the first thing she’d do after returning from her therapist would be to leave, to get as far away as possible.---**Three days later**Libia left Mrs. Helen’s mental health retreat with a scowl, wearing oversized sunglasses and clothes so baggy they could have belonged to a rapper. Her hair was a tangled mess, t